Musical Theatre singing these days requires singers that are able to function well in a wide variety of vocal styles. Musical Theater, especially in the last few decades, has really expanded to include every style from Rock (Rent) to Classical (Phantom of the Opera) to everything in between. You have to be soulful to sing “Aint Misbehavin’ “ or “The Color Purple” and you have to have an understanding of the more legitimate singing style approaches to do shows such as “Oklahoma” or “Carousel”.
So, in addition to having superb vocal technique, Musical Theatre singers have to be much more vocally adaptable than most singers in other genres of music. You have to have a good ear for imitating the very subtle but important stylistic differences inherent in each musical genre.
You also need a great deal of physical and vocal stamina along with robust good health. Eight shows a week plus a grueling rehearsal schedule is vocally and physically very challenging. Of course there are understudies to take over in leading roles when a singer is indisposed, and many careers have been launched that way.
There used to be a basic division between singers who “belt” (sing only in the chest voice, such as Ethel Merman) and those who sang in a more “legit” soprano-like style as Julie Andrews did in “The Sound of Music”. More recently, the roles that have been written require a powerful upper register extension that sounds like chest voice but is actually a “mix” of lower and upper registers.
Singing in pure “belt”, using only the lower register coordination in a shout-like sound, while powerful and exciting to hear, often leads to vocal abuse and deterioration of the vocal cords, nodules, and other vocal issues. A singer with a developed mix sounds like they are belting in chest, but can sing higher and with far less vocal damage than belters. Learning to mix ensures a long and healthy career for Musical Theatre singers.
If you want to be successful in Musical Theatre singing, you will need to develop a strong mix that sounds like belting, and you will also need to be able to sing the more traditional legit styles of music, so you will need a solid vocal technique that will allow you to do it all!
I wish you all the best as you reach for your dreams! Tricia Grey, MM
At Sing Like a Star Studios you can learn the vocal technique of the stars. If you don’t live near Atlanta, you can take voice lessons with Skype. Please visit our website at www.singlikeastar.com and click on the GET STARTED tab to register for a professional vocal evaluation and consultation.
