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VOICE PEDAGOGY
Richard Miller, Associate Editor

Tonal Concepts
Margaret Cusack

Written questions that teachers and performers have submitted for discussion
at sessions devoted to systematic voice technique are wide ranging, often pen-
etrating the very heart of voice pedagogy. This column continues to examine
some of them.

ISSUE
oday’s young singer is surrounded by numerous performance influences.
T How do you go about helping the student to establish an ideal tonal con-
cept that permits healthy, aesthetically pleasing vocalism?
Margaret Cusack
RESPONSE
n my beginning years of teaching I taught a young baritone who loved
I singing, particularly choral singing. He was also an aficionado, he enthu-
siastically explained, of music theater and the Broadway stage. He was a good
student; he worked assiduously, learned all his assigned music in a very timely
fashion, and practiced on a regular schedule. He also attended school recitals
on a regular basis, hearing students who were a little older and a lot more
polished at the art than he was. The problem was that no matter what I tried
in terms of breath management and registration in these first few months,
he would not sing above what was essentially a whisper, in a very heady, light
croony tone.
I finally asked him what sorts of singers he listened to for fun. He listed a
number of popular singers, but again reiterated his enthusiasm for Broadway.
Among his favorites were Andrew Lloyd Webber shows, in particular The
Phantom of the Opera and Evita. I thought about the singers on the cast albums
and realized that he had been listening to male singers with a very modern
sensibility of the male singing voice. Both Mandy Patinkin of Evita and
Michael Crawford of Phantom have distinctive, “speaky” singing voices that
favor a heavy mix of head voice, and a somewhat anemic volume level that is,
of course, perfectly fine for shows that use amplified sound.
Once this information registered in my brain, I recognized the problem:
He was attempting to create a sound that was at odds with the vocal technique
I was teaching him. I asked him if he was familiar with earlier Broadway
shows; he could only mention a few in reply. My next assignment for him
Journal of Singing, September/October 2006 was to rent and watch the videos of several old Hollywood musicals. I gave
Volume 63, No. 1, pp. 53–57
Copyright © 2006
him a choice of two from the following list: Carousel, Oklahoma, Seven Brides
National Association of Teachers of Singing for Seven Brothers, Kiss Me Kate, and Annie Get Your Gun. My first thought

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Margaret Cusack

was that, as a fan of the genre, he should become famil- number of networks, both the networks and public tel-
iar with musicals older than those of the late 1970s and evision offered “variety” programs, such as the Bell
1980s, but what guided my choice was the desire for Telephone Hour or The Ed Sullivan Show. These shows
him to hear trained male singers, singing in their na- featured all sorts of acts, from plate spinners to dog acts
tive language. He certainly had heard trained male voices to comics to singers of all kinds. Ed Sullivan featured
before in a number of settings, but he had not assimi- popular crooners, pop singing acts (he was the first to
lated these voices as role models before. It was too easy present the Beatles on television in the United States),
for him to imitate the sorts of sounds that the modern singers from the current Broadway musicals, and the
day male singers were employing on Broadway. One more popular singers from the Metropolitan Opera.
might also say it was shrewd; those singers were being Some, like The Firestone Hour, specialized in showcas-
paid very well on Broadway to sing the way they sang. ing the great opera singers of the day.
The assignment was very successful; he enjoyed the For the most part, then, everyone heard Robert Merrill
shows and we had a few interesting conversations about or Roberta Peters, as well as Julie Andrews or Howard
the singers and their singing styles. He did not end up Keel, and Perry Como or Edye Gorme. There was no
sounding like Howard Keel or Gordon MacRae, but he “flipping” from channel to channel; viewers simply en-
did have a much better understanding of the kind of dured each act while waiting for their particular favorite.
sound toward which we were working. The happy result was that most viewers were exposed
Our students come to study voice for many reasons to lots of different types of music, instead of only what
and from all possible backgrounds. Many, of course, are already were determined to be their favorites. Virtually
aware of a native talent, and want to pursue study to- everyone who owned a television set heard at least a few
ward a singing career. But for others, vocal study is not of the major classically trained singers of the day.
quite as focused a pursuit. A family friend or choral The entertainment choices now are far more vast; with
teacher recommends study, or the student who enjoys cable, satellite, video, and DVD, almost anyone can
singing is curious to extend his range, to “hit the high choose almost any kind of vocal entertainment. Operas
notes,” as it were, or to sing with more ease. Some of and concerts now not only can be heard, but also seen in
these young singers have only the most vague notions our very own homes. The ability to choose has been a
of what vocal study will require of them. Even students mixed blessing, however. Many people opt for what they
who enroll in a music program at the college level, ea- already know, neglecting those art forms that might take
ger to improve, are ignorant of the demands of vocal a bit more concentration or attention to appreciate.
study. They are not yet clear that they are embarking It is possible in this, the twenty-first century, for an
on a physical regimen to develop a highly refined set educated student to grow up without ever having heard
of skills. Many of these students are not even clear about an opera singer. The variety show has all but disap-
vocal sound itself—they want to sing better, but what peared; there is virtually no regular venue for a singer
is a better sound? What influences are guiding the singer’s to present one or two arias on a television show. Even
ear—and how can we, as their instructors, help them though it is now possible to hear full length operas with
to develop a healthy tonal concept? subtitles on television, for the uninitiated this is a for-
Students today have a world of choices available to midable challenge. The MTV generation can find it
them, choices that did not exist even twenty-five years daunting to sit through an entire concert, much less a
ago. There is an enormous volume of recorded sound, complete opera. In addition, while some arts programs
both audio and video, to entice and educate any aspir- have become models of their types, many public and
ing singer. But to what extent has each student been ex- private school programs have cut back arts programs
posed to this vast array of choice? dramatically, sacrificing music and arts curricula in or-
It used to be the case that television viewing was re- der to beef up the reading and mathematics programs.
stricted to three major network channels, a public broad- Despite all of this, the interested and talented students
casting station, and one or two local channels. Despite will emerge, wanting to sing and wanting to learn to sing
the limited choice, or perhaps because of the limited healthfully and well. It is our job as their teachers to rec-

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Voice Pedagogy

ognize what they know and, to an extent, what they have use of recordings as a teaching tool can be extremely ef-
heard. It is to our benefit to learn what influences have fective, and guidance from the teacher is important. Of
shaped our students to the point at which we meet them, course, we do not want students to rely on recording to
and then help them to discover all the possibilities of learn their repertoire, or to imitate particular singers or
fine singing. The first task for us, then, is to try to discover styles of singing. Nonetheless, the ear guides our sound
what tonal concepts have been influencing each student. production enormously; it is part of the teacher’s job to
Much can be learned at the first lesson if the teacher direct the students towards examples of healthy and
asks the student to present his or her best solo song. The beautiful vocalism.
choice the student makes at this time can tell the teacher Wisdom should guide our choices, of course. For a
a number of things, including what sort of song (from student who is used to choral singing, who has been
those assigned to him by a previous teacher or choir di- frightened away from vibrato, or from a particularly
rector) the student enjoys singing, and what the student romantic vocal sensibility, it would be somewhat daunt-
considers to be his best singing. Sometimes it indicates ing to listen to Renata Tebaldi as a role model. The first
a vocal direction a student wants to follow, or thinks he step might be music theater singers of the 1950s and
or she should follow. At this time a teacher can begin to 1960s, singing with legitimate, trained voices in English,
ascertain the student’s own idea of his or her vocal goals. or the choice might be concert singers who are especially
A student whose experience is largely choral may be skilled in the smaller moments of song, such as Anne
guided by straight-tone singing, or by the desire to cre- Sophie von Otter, Ian Bostridge, Elly Ameling, or Angelika
ate a homogeneous sound that will blend easily with Kirschlager. If your local or school library does not have
others in the section. Fans of the TV show American much selection, it may be necessary to provide recording
Idol may reveal their predilection for scooping or other choices for the student yourself. I’ve found it easy to set
stylistic choices associated with pop music. Occasionally up my own personal lending library for my students.
a student will attempt to sing repertoire that is far too We resort to recordings in the absence of live perform-
advanced, with a heavy, manufactured vibrato, clearly ance, of course. Even the best stereo or digital equipment
imitating a sound that belongs to a more mature, expe- cannot take the place of the live concert hall or theater.
rienced singer. The availability and cost of these events however, can
The teacher should follow up and question students make taking advantage of concerts prohibitive. For many
about their favorite choices, truly encouraging students young singers, happily, the best role models are the ad-
to speak up and be honest about the vocal music they vanced students in your own studio or school. For the
hear on a regular basis. It is very important to remain singer who is oversinging, who has perhaps worked on
nonjudgmental at this point; if the teacher criticizes the repertoire that is not age-appropriate, the experience of
singer’s choices, it may only alienate the student from listening often to peers can be eye-opening. Such stu-
the process. It’s important to treat this as discovery, crit- dents may need to scale back personal expectations to a
ical to understanding the individual student standing more reasonable level, and hearing others in their age
in front of you. Teaching voice involves what I call “crack- group can be extremely effective. Encouraging atten-
ing the code”—getting inside the student’s head to un- dance at recitals, both at school and in nearby profes-
derstand how this particular student feels, listens, and sional venues, can work wonders—and can be particularly
processes information. The teacher needs to discover helpful if it becomes an adventure for the studio.
what the student has heard and in particular what the All of these “assignments” to listen to recordings or
student likes to hear, in order to guide the student in a to attend concerts are useful, but they are effective teach-
proper direction. ing tools if we then take a small amount of time during
Once you have had this conversation, it’s time for the lesson to talk about these choices. Students’ reac-
some listening assignments. It’s vital that students un- tions can tell you a great deal, and guide the next step—
derstand the body of recorded sound available to them, after all, we do want our students to become familiar,
and to begin listening, developing, and expanding their eventually, with a vast body of repertoire, including con-
repertoire, in the process refining their own tastes. The cert singers and the great opera singers of the century.

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Margaret Cusack

In addition to concert attendance and listening to concepts in one genre, we were able to find some use-
recordings, it is important to encourage experimenta- ful sounds and physical sensations for the other.
tion on the part of the student. After all, the student Modeling by the teacher for the student has its uses
must, in essence, teach himself to sing in the practice as well; often the quickest route to making a point is sim-
room, with guidance from the teacher. Students must ply to demonstrate what you’ve just explained. Sometimes
be encouraged (within reason) to play, to try things out, modeling the “right” way next to the “wrong” way” can
to discover what their voices are capable of doing. Without take the place of many words. Modeling must be used
being reckless or risking damage, a student can learn a judiciously, however; it can be very effective with some
lot by occasionally singing along with a wonderful op- students and a little bit risky for others. Too many stu-
eratic aria. There’s something about hearing the or- dents are eager to please the teacher, and even though
chestra with a great voice that inspires a swell of en- modeling can be a wonderful shortcut, it can lead to im-
ergy from the body—discoveries are made in myriad itation without understanding.
ways, after all. And experimentation can work in all I’ve concentrated primarily on the young singer, just
directions. A young soprano who is having trouble in- beginning the vocal discovery process. For the more so-
tegrating registers in the octave C4–C5 often can learn phisticated singer, the issue of a tonal ideal takes on a
a lot by taking on a music theater piece that lives in different slant. It cannot be denied that, although healthy
that register. One of my sopranos found a solid [a] singing remains a constant, the actual tonal sound changes
vowel by playing with Leonard Bernstein’s “Tonight”— from generation to generation. There are many reasons
she was willing to integrate much more core in the for this shift in tastes, but one of the most significant in-
sound in that octave in a music theater selection than fluences has been recorded sound itself. A sound that
she was in an art song. By experimenting with tonal records well has perhaps a rounder and richer tone than
one that carries particularly well in a large opera house.
Conductors, managers, impresarios, and record produc-
ers are not afraid to encourage singers to adapt their
sounds for popular taste. This, however, is a subject for
another conversation.
Experience has shown that students become quite at-
tached to their own vocal sounds. The wise teacher treads
carefully, in any case, in diagnosing and correcting vo-
cal problems, and in building a healthy vocal technique.
It is therefore important to recognize that the student’s
own vocal models will be guiding the sound, and to
maintain respect for the student’s choices while leading
them in what is likely to be a new direction in vocal
sound. Recognizing what the student’s vocal models are
becomes a critical first step in the building of a healthy
vocal technique. Guiding the student to open the mind
to the world of possibilities, the world of vocal sounds,
is one of our most important jobs. If we are successful in
helping our students discover what is available, we help
them discover what is possible for all the singing they
dream of doing.

Soprano Margaret Cusack is a winner of the International American Music

Competition at Carnegie Hall and made her New York recital debut at
Weill Recital Hall of Carnegie Hall in 1987. She made her New York City
Opera debut in 1985 as Micaela in Carmen, becoming a leading soprano

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with the company, where she created the role of the Empress Alexan- jah, and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9. Ms. Cusack also has given numer-
dra in the world premiere of Jay Reise’s Rasputin with the company. ous performances of the Verdi Requiem with orchestras across the coun-
She received much acclaim in the role of Anna Maurrant in City Opera’s try.
production of Street Scene. Ms. Cusack made her Metropolitan Opera
Ms. Cusack is a frequent recital partner of JJ Penna; they have spe-
debut in Elektra in 1999 under the baton of James Levine.
cialized in twentieth century literature, in particular songs of Poulenc,
Her regional opera experience is extensive and includes such roles as Marx, Debussy, Wolf, Strauss, Barber, Rorem, Korngold, and Schoen-
the Countess in Le nozze di Figaro, Nedda ( Pagliacci ), Desdemona berg. In October, 2004, they performed “A Tribute to Phyllis Curtin,”
(Otello), both Donna Anna and Donna Elvira (Don Giovanni), and San- a recital celebrating the career of the great American soprano and
tuzza (Cavalleria Rusticana). Ms. Cusack has performed frequently at teacher, in Lenox, Massachusetts, with Ms. Curtin in attendance. In
the Tanglewood Festival with conductors Seiji Ozawa, the late Erich addition to her performing and teaching, Ms. Cusack frequently lec-
Leinsdorf, and composer/conductor Luciano Berio. Maestro Berio invited tures on opera.
her to Italy to sing three concerts with the Florence May Festival, includ-
She earned a Bachelor of Music in voice performance and a Master of
ing Mahler’s Symphony No. 2 with Christa Ludwig and conductor Lorin
Music in teaching at the Oberlin College Conservatory of Music. She
Maazel, as well as concerts with other Italian orchestras.
has taught at Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, and is cur-
She also has given many highly acclaimed performances of such diverse rently associate professor of voice at Westminster Choir College of
works as Strauss’s Four Last Songs, Mozart’s Mass in C minor, Frank Mar- Rider University in Princeton, where she also teaches Opera Literature
tin’s Le vin herbé, Schoenberg’s String Quartet No. 2, Mendelssohn’s Eli- and Vocal Pedagogy.

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