Dissertation
Survey on the usage of marking by professional singers: the operatic stage and beyond
University of Iowa
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), University of Iowa
Spring 2022
DOI: 10.25820/etd.006569
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to identify the approaches that singers utilize while marking during singing. Marking is the global term for how singers preserve their voice while continuing to being engaged in the rehearsal process. Participants in the study were singers with five to ten years of professional singing experience, with at least a master’ degree in music or theater, and who sing in opera, musical theater, professional choirs, sacred music in church jobs or contemporary commercial music (CCM), which consists of any popular styles, including rap, rhythm and blues, country, soul, rock, gospel, and pop. Participants were contacted using Facebook and the National Association of Teachers of Singing database. An online questionnaire was monitored through survey processes according to the Institutional Review Board of the University of Iowa. Results demonstrated that the utilization of marking is situational and that healthy vocal practices are not only the responsibility of the singer, but also the person leading rehearsal. While some singers indicated that they do not practice marking, many of them revealed that they practice marking while learning music by focusing on components of the music such as vowels, the meaning of the words, and breathing.
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- Survey on the usage of marking by professional singers: the operatic stage and beyond
- Creators
- John Elson Williams
- Contributors
- Rachel Joselson (Advisor)Eileen Finnegan (Advisor)Dawn Neely (Committee Member)Stephen Swanson (Committee Member)Marian Wilson-Kimber (Committee Member)
- Resource Type
- Dissertation
- Degree Awarded
- Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), University of Iowa
- Degree in
- Music
- Date degree season
- Spring 2022
- Publisher
- University of Iowa
- DOI
- 10.25820/etd.006569
- Number of pages
- vii, 62 pages
- Copyright
- Copyright 2022 John Elson Williams
- Language
- English
- Description illustrations
- color illustrations
- Description bibliographic
- Includes bibliographical references (pages 46-52).
- Public Abstract (ETD)
Preserving energy for an event or performance is common in football practices, and in dancing, acting, and singing rehearsals. In singing, the act of preserving the voice is called marking. Singers may need to mark because of the onset of vocal fatigue, mental stress, or illness, or to conserve stamina for future use. However, the literature on marking only includes anecdotes from opera singers coupled with advice from scholars. Marking is situational because of the external rehearsal circumstances in which a singer should and should not mark, according to scholars and opera singers. Marking is also situational because of the internal reasons a singer wants to mark.
This paper reveals the results from a survey and interview of professional singers who sing in opera, professional choirs, musical theater, and popular music genres pertaining to those external and internal reasons as to why they use marking during a rehearsal. Results demonstrated that the utilization of marking is situation. While some singers indicated that they do not practice marking, many of them revealed that they practice marking while learning music by focusing on different components of the music.
- Academic Unit
- School of Music
- Record Identifier
- 9984271453902771
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