International Congress of Voice Teachers Paris July 2009 Poster

The Role of Vocal Identity in developing a unique Vocal Timbre

Dr. Susan J. Monks (Susan Yarnall) University of Chichester

yarnallmonks@yahoo.co.uk

Vocal timbre can be viewed in its constituent parts or as a whole. This poster
paper looks at vocal timbre from the individual perspective of the performing
singer. It examines the results of various qualitative studies examining the
layers of meaning given to vocal timbre found in the narrative of singers. In
particular, the perceptual experiences taking place both internally and
externally during vocalisation and the role of vocal identity. The multiple
methods approach and the importance of using ‘real world’ singers involved
in the active process of singing is advocated. In this poster three aspects of
vocal perception and vocal identity are illustrated through various research
projects.
 Constructing the singing voice
 Expression through the singing voice
 Reflection on the singing voice
The first project identifies the initial themes that emerged from a
preliminary series of interviews with amateur and professional singers and
the analysis of metaphors describing vocal timbre. Singers revealed aspects of
constructing the voice by learning to control their singing and a sense of
owning the voice. The use of space and movement descriptions was more
noticeable in professional and active amateur singers.
The second project describes the results from an empirical study using
diary and interview data collected during the preparation of a specific
recording and listening task where twenty-two singers recorded three songs
from different genres. Self-expression through the voice highlighted the way
singers had to come terms with their own vocal timbre that sometimes
appeared to be at odds with self-perceptions. This was obvious when it came
to playing back the recording of individual singers and this provoked a more
detailed analysis into the mismatch of internally and externally perceived
sound. The complex role of the ear in vocal perception became more apparent
as the data revealed the different experiences that singers reported on hearing
back the sound of the voice.
The third project examines the experience of undergraduate singers in
the first term of study and the role of assessment in developing reflexive
practitioners. This latest research seeks to link findings from the previous two
studies with a practical educational initiative to improve vocal tuition at
undergraduate level. Twenty-six undergraduate singers were interviewed at
the beginning and end of their first semester and fifteen volunteered to
maintain a singing diary monitoring their vocal experiences in the first three
months of undergraduate training. Results suggest that some undergraduate
singers find it difficult to reflect on their singing voice and this prevents them
from developing vocal skills at an important time in training. (Research
project funded by Palatine: the Higher Education Subject centre for Dance,
Drama and Music)
In the three studies illustrated in this poster ‘vocal identity’ is seen to
give orientation to the singer’s perceptual experiences, influencing not only
the cognitive, auditory and physical sensations but the emotional and
psychological responses as well. This suggests that a singer needs to develop
and maintain an active psycho-acoustic-sensory motor process: a perceptual
and interactive loop that has to work within the cultural and social constraints
of the musical environment, in order to develop a full range of vocal timbres
capable of expressing subtle and sophisticated musical communication.

Susan studied singing while training for a teaching degree in London. She pursued a professional vocal
career as Susan Yarnall but continued with her interest in the psychology of music and singing. She
completed her MA with distinction in 2001 and received her PhD in 2007 at Sheffield University with a
thesis Perceptions of the Singing Voice exploring vocal identity, timbre and aural perception. She is a vocal
tutor and assistant lecturer at Chichester University and she teaches singing at St. Paul’s Girls’ School in
London. She continues to perform song recitals, specialising in modern English, American and French
composers. She was Chairman of the Association of Teachers of Singing (AOTOS) from 2004-2006, and
she has contributed papers to ICVT and EVTA conferences since 2001, as well as having articles
published in Singing, Journal of Singing and the British Journal of Music Education.

References for ICVT 2009 Paris

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