VOICE TRAINING FOR THE MUSICAL THEATER SINGER (BROADWAY)

Vocal training specific to the needs of aspiring Broadway singers generally has lagged behind acting and dance training in the musical theater programs in many American universities. Therefore, the goals of this investigation into the use and training of the Broadway voice are: (1) to discover and define the vocal and interpretive skills that Broadway musicals require of musical theater singers; and (2) to develop a viable vocal pedagogy, in the context of a comprehensive musical theater training program, which will enable the young singer to meet those requirements.;The fourth chapter of the paper is a review of the literature on vocal training for the musical theater singer. Also included are articles and books which teach popular singing; writings which offer an integrated approach to teaching singers who must act and/or dance while they sing; and works which teach "belting," a shouted style of singing commonly executed by female singers.;The last chapter in the paper, and the one to which all preceding chapters contribute, proposes a specific vocal pedogogy to be part of a musical theater training program in a university, conservatory, or actor-training school. It is an attempt to set out a method of teaching voice which approaches the body as a singing-acting-dancing instrument, through which all these means of expression can pour. To this end, the pedagogy offers musical training, classical vocal technique interwoven with speech and movement, work with the Alexander technique, belting, and diction.;The first chapter deals with the characteristics of American musical theater and its demands on singers. The second chapter considers the traditional styles of singing found in American musical theater and discusses the physiology of the vocal mechanism when singers use these particular styles. The third chapter is a summary of demands and requirements the young Broadway artist must meet in order to be successful in the field. These are not only vocal demands but reflect the need of the young singer to operate as a total performer under possibly very stressful working conditions.