Egrove Egrove

University of Mississippi
eGrove
Electronic Theses and Dissertations Graduate School
2013
A Historical Study Of Irvin Cooper: Choral Music Educator And

Founder Of The Cambiata Concept
Phillip Holland Stockton
University of Mississippi
Follow this and additional works at: https://egrove.olemiss.edu/etd
Part of the Music Education Commons
Recommended Citation
Stockton, Phillip Holland, "A Historical Study Of Irvin Cooper: Choral Music Educator And Founder Of The
Cambiata Concept" (2013). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 1089.
https://egrove.olemiss.edu/etd/1089
This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at eGrove. It has been
accepted for inclusion in Electronic Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of eGrove. For more
information, please contact [email protected].
A HISTORICAL STUDY OF IRVIN COOPER: CHORAL MUSIC EDUCATOR AND
FOUNDER OF THE CAMBIATA CONCEPT
A Dissertation
presented in partial fulfillment of requirements
for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy
in the Department of Music
The University of Mississippi
by
Phillip Holland Stockton
May 3, 2013
Copyright Phillip Stockton 2013
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
ABSTRACT
Irvin Cooper was a prominent music educator in boys adolescent voice change research.
Dr. Cooper developed the Cambiata Concept as a method for teaching boys to sing throughout
the voice change. This method was starkly different from the traditional model that encouraged
the changing voice to be rested during the voice change. While working as the Music Supervisor
for the Montreal Protestant School System, Cooper developed his method of having boys sing
during the voice change, which included arrangements and compositions specifically for
changing voices. Cooper taught many prominent researchers of adolescent voice change,
including Don Collins and John Cooksey. Both Collins and Cooksey gleaned techniques from
Cooper’s Cambiata Concept that would later be incorporated into their own methods. Cooper’s
method became a foundation other researchers in the adolescent voice change research, and was
the first comprehensive method for adolescent voices. This study investigates Cooper’s career in
Montreal, Quebec, his time teaching at Florida State University, and the methodology of the
Cambiata Concept. The Cambiata Concept continues to be a prominent way for conductors and
teachers to guide boys through the voice change.
ii
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
A special thanks is extended to Dr. Alan Spurgeon, my major professor for this project.
His willingness to have daily discussions about research and various other topics has been
invaluable. Dr. Spurgeon has been a friend and a mentor throughout the course work and I am
indebted to him for his service.
Thanks is also extended to the Cooper family, Donald and John, for their personal insight
into their father. It is through their words and memories that the compete man took form. I am
also grateful for their willingness to share family files, books, and music of their father’s. It was
invaluable in the research process.
I also must thank Dr. Don Collins of Conway, Arkansas. It is Dr. Collins knowledge,
interviews, and sources of music that allowed this dissertation to develop. His willingness to
travel for interviews as well as his donation of books and music were immeasurable. I consider
him a friend and educator in the field of adolescent voice change.
Special thanks to my committee for their dedication to this dissertation. Their experience
in research has taught me many lessons that will be used in my later work. I would also like to
thank the many faculty members who have been involved in this project from the University of
Mississippi, Florida State University, and The University of North Texas. Your experience and
knowledge has filled the gaps of information that otherwise would have been unknown.
Lastly, I would like to thank my family for their unwavering support through this entire
process. I have always been able to count on them from an early age and am continually
iii
supported many years later. I would also like to give a special thanks to my wife, Amy and son,
Lee for their willingness to allow me to complete this project.
iv
TABLE OF CONTENTS
ABSTRACT.....................................................................................................................................ii
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS............................................................................................................iii
LIST OF FIGURES........................................................................................................................vi
I INTRODUCTION...............................................................................................................1
II REVIEW OF LITERATURE...............................................................................................7
HISTORIC VOICE CHANGE PRACTICE IN EUROPE..................................................8
EARLY VOICE CHANGE RESEARCH IN THE U.S.A.................................................10
COOKSEY’S STAGES OF VOICE CHANGE................................................................17
RECENT VOICE CHANGE RESEARCH.......................................................................19
VOICE CHANGE PERCEPTION....................................................................................26
BEST TEACHING PRACTICES OF CHANGING VOICE ADOLESCENTS...............29
FEMALE ADOLESCENT VOICE CHANGE..................................................................31
STUDENTS OF IRVIN COOPER VOICE CHANGE RESEARCH................................32
THE CAMBIATA CONCEPT............................................................................................33
COOPER’S METHODOLOGY.........................................................................................34
COOPER’S PUBLICATIONS...........................................................................................36
CLASSIFYING VOICES..................................................................................................38
III EARLY LIFE AND CAREER...........................................................................................41
COOPER’S YEARS AT FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY.............................................57
iv
IV THE CAMBIATA CONCEPT............................................................................................65
V ANALYSIS OF SELECTED COMPOSITIONS AND SIGHT-SINGING METHOD.....77
VI CONCLUSION..................................................................................................................94
VII BIBLIOGRAPHY..............................................................................................................99
VIII CURRICULUM VITAE..................................................................................................105
v
LIST OF FIGURES
FIGURE 1......................................................................................................................................69
FIGURE 2......................................................................................................................................79
FIGURE 3......................................................................................................................................80
FIGURE 4......................................................................................................................................82
FIGURE 5......................................................................................................................................84
FIGURE 6......................................................................................................................................85
FIGURE 7......................................................................................................................................86
FIGURE 8......................................................................................................................................87
FIGURE 9......................................................................................................................................88
FIGURE 10....................................................................................................................................89
FIGURE 11....................................................................................................................................90
vi
INTRODUCTION
Irvin Cooper (1900-1971) was a choral music educator and scholar, who established the
Cambiata Concept for working with boy’s changing voices. Cooper outlined stages of the voice
change, and composed and arranged music appropriate for boys at the adolescent stage of their
choral training. This study will examine his contributions to music education, especially the
Cambiata Concept. Originally from the United Kingdom, he was music supervisor in the
Montreal, Quebec public schools and later taught at Florida State University, where he
influenced countless graduate and undergraduate students. His methodology is still respected by
those who work with boy’s changing voices.
Choral conductors and music educators have been working with adolescent boys voices
for centuries. The aural appeal of the unchanged boy’s voice has been coveted by many cultures
throughout history. In an effort to extend the ability for boys to sing in this unchanged range,
castration was used as a method to stop the voice change from occurring. Castrating boys at
approximately age 8 to 9 allowed young boys to sing the pure high tones throughout their life.
Fisher states: “evidence of Castrati can be traced back to 2000 B.C.”1 The castrati became a
popular voice type during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries in Italy, and was the premier
voice type for many Baroque operas. The castrati lost popularity during the eighteenth century,
1Ryan A. Fisher, “British and American Theories of the Changing Male Voice: An Historical Overview,” Journal of
Historical Research in Music Education 31, no. 1 (October 2009): 37.
1
but the sound of the unchanged boy’s voice remained in vogue in sacred music until the
nineteenth century.2
In the nineteenth century, noted voice teacher, Manuel Garcia II, said that boys with
changing voices should not sing during the changing process. He believed it would be dangerous
and detrimental to continue to sing until the voice was fully settled.3 Garcia was contradicted by
a British laryngologist Sir Morell Mackenzie. Mackenzie believed that the voice change was
gradual and that it was beneficial to encourage boys to sing throughout the voice change.4
Garcia’s philosophy dominated the practice of dealing with changing voices until 1956, when
Duncan McKenzie introduced the alto-tenor plan. McKenzie said that the voice changed
gradually and, therefore, boys should continue to sing during the changing process with proper
instruction.5
A contemporary of Duncan McKenzie, Irvin Cooper, was also a proponent of singing
through the voice change. Cooper was born in England and was a product of the British model,
which advised resting the voice during the voice change. While working as the music supervisor
in Montreal, Canada, Cooper began to develop his method for working with male adolescent
voices. Cooper labeled the changing voices, cambiata, which means changing note, and gave
detailed ranges that were accessible by these changing voices. Cooper agreed with MacKenzie
that the voice changed gradually and that students’s voices should be exercised throughout the
2 Frederick J. Swanson, The Male Singing Voice Ages Eight to Eighteen. [Cedar Rapids, IA: Igram Press, 1977].
3Manuel Garcia, Excerpts from A Complete Treatise on the Art of Singing, trans. Donald V. Paschke [Donald V.
Paschke 1970]: 29.
4 Deso A. Weiss, “The Pubertal Change of the Human Voice (Mutation),” Folia Phoniatrica et Logopaedica, no. 3
(1950): 125-159.
5Duncan McKenzie, Training the Boy’s Changing Voice [New Brunswick, New Jersey: Rutgers University Press,
1956]: 3.
2
voice change.6 Cooper is credited with development of the Cambiata Concept, and also
composed a great deal of music for adolescent changing voices.
Cooper wrote and arranged many songs for cambiata voices. The way he adapted music
for the changing voice made his approach accessible and usable by teachers. He often said,
“make the music match the boy, not the boy match the music.”7 Cooper accomplished this by
writing contrapuntal voice parts for all adolescent voices, both boys and girls. This created a
melodically pleasing choral part that was easier to grasp than typical choral parts that function
harmonically within a small range. This type of vocal writing also required that changing voices
exercise their voices over a wider range of notes and learn how to use the voice properly. This
compositional technique would influence other pedagogues who studied adolescent voice
change.8 The Cambiata Concept of Irvin Cooper became a major methodology for working with
adolescent voices and is still in practice today.
Another prominent music educator and researcher of the changing voice was Frederick
Swanson. Swanson found that the male voice does not change gradually, but rather goes through
a tumultuous changing process. He believed that boys voices drop to a bass range leaving a gap
of pitches that are unattainable at first. As the voice begins to settle these pitches are gradually
added back to the range.9 The “bass plan” of Swanson is quite different from other pedagogues
that studied the changing voice.
6Irvin Cooper and Karl O. Kursteiner, Teaching Junior High School Music [Boston, MA: Allyn and Bacon Inc.,
1965]: 11-28.
7 Don Collins, interviewed by author, Conway, AR, October 3, 2012.
8 Irvin Cooper, Letters to Pat [New York: Carl Fisher Inc., 1953]: 17.
9 Swanson, The Male Singing Voice Ages Eight to Eighteen, 68-76.
3
A recent contributor to the male changing voice literature is John Cooksey. Cooksey felt
that the voice changes in a gradual predictable pattern. His research with adolescent boys
revealed six stages of voice change beginning with unchanged soprano, midvoice I, midvoice II,
new baritone and settled baritone. Each of these stages is a gradual descent in range. 10 Cooksey
combined his own research with the work of previous pedagogues, McKenzie, Cooper and
Swanson, to make the most comprehensive methodology currently in practice.
McKenzie, Cooper, Swanson and Cooksey were the early pioneers of male adolescent
voice change research, and this topic continues to be studied today. Lynne Gackle is known for
her research in female “voice mutation.”11 The female voice does not change as drastically as the
male voice, but does change from that of a child. Gackle states that girls experience many of the
same symptoms as boys during the voice change; these include: huskiness of tone, increased
voice cracking, register breaks, and range instability.12 Gackle and other modern researchers
have had the advantage of advanced technology to observe the adolescent voice change. This
advancement in technology has created research that is not only teacher-observation driven, but
also medically confirmed. Researchers now have a clearer picture of the voice change than in the
past.
Patrick Freer is another current researcher on the changing voice. Freer has published a
book and several articles13 about the voice change. In his book, Getting Started with Middle
10 John M. Cooksey, Working with Adolescent Voices, [St. Louis, MO: Concordia Publishing, 1999]: 12-15.
11 Another term for the adolescent voice change.
12Lynne Gackle, Finding Ophelia’s Voice, Opening Ophelia’s Heart Nurturing the Adolescent Female Voice,
[Dayton, OH: Heritage Music Press, 2011]: 11-12.
13 Patrick Freer, “Adapt, Build and Challenge: Three Keys for Effective Choral Rehearsals for Young Adolescents,”
Choral Journal 46 no. 5 (November 2006): 48-55. Patrick Freer, “The Successful Transition and Retention of Boys
from Middle School to High School Choral Music” Choral Journal 51 no. 5 (December 2010): 8-17. Patrick Freer,
“Weight Lifting, Singing, and Adolescent Boys” Choral Journal 52 no. 4 (November 2011): 32-41.
4
School Chorus,14 he gives teachers an overarching guide for building a middle school choral
program. Freer also has a chapter that reviews previous research regarding the male and female
voice change. He gives exercises and sample literature that are useful to teachers who conduct
middle school choirs.15
Recent research reveals that students are entering the voice change at earlier ages than
previous generations. Several studies by Killian16 have found that boys are entering the voice
change as early as fifth grade and have often completed the voice change by the seventh grade.
While the study finds that boys are starting the voice change earlier, it does not show a shift in
median age for the voice change. The same study finds that some students are still entering the
voice change as late as tenth grade. This shows that the time for the voice change is expanding to
begin as early as fifth grade and as late as the tenth grade in schools today.17
STATEMENT OF PURPOSE
The purpose of this study is to examine the life, career, and contributions of Irvin Cooper
to adolescent voice change scholarship. His cambiata approach has had a strong effect on music
education in the United States. By studying Cooper’s life and career, the author is attempting to
understand the means by which the Cambiata Concept came into existence. Cooper’s Cambiata
14Patrick Freer, Getting Started with Middle School Chorus, 2nd ed. [Lanham: Rowman and Littlefield Publishers
Inc., 2009].
15 Freer, Getting Started with Middle School Chorus. 37-61.
16Janice Killian. “A Description of Vocal Maturation Among Fifth-and Sixth-Grade Boys.” Journal of Research in
Music Education. 47 no. 4 (Winter 1999): 357-369. Janice Killian and John Wayman “A Descriptive Study of Vocal
Maturation Among Male Adolescent Vocalists and Instrumentalists” Journal of Research in Music Education, 58,
no. 1 (April 2010): 5-19. Janice Killian, Operant Vocal Octave Choir and Pitch Accuracy Among Changing-Voice
Boys and Junior High Girls. Texas Music Educators Association Clinic-Convention. San Antonio, TX (1985). Janice
N. Killian, “Perceptions of the Voice-Change Process: Male Adult versus Adolescent Musicians and Nonmusicians.”
Journal of Research in Music Education 45 (1997): 521-535.
17
Janice Killian. “A Description of Vocal Maturation Among Fifth-and Sixth-Grade Boys.” Journal of Research in
Music Education. 47 no. 4 (Winter 1999): 357-369.
5
Concept continues to be a prominent method in working with the male adolescent changing
voice. It is imperative that conductors/teachers understand the ways in which his philosophy was
developed if they are to fully understand the concept and the impact it has had on music
education.
METHODOLOGY
The researcher conducted interviews with family members, former students, and other
colleagues as a means to glean personal information about Irvin Cooper. For information
regarding his time in Montreal, the researcher examined public records of the school system in
which he worked, the university where his Ph.D. was attained, and also the local newspaper that
published many articles about his activities with the school district.
In this study, considerable attention was also given to his tenure at Florida State
University, where the majority of his publications took place. Also during this time, the Cambiata
Concept was firmly developed as a method for working with adolescent changing voices. The
sources include his books, color film, and tune books that were written for adolescent changing
voices.The author also analyzed the part writing used in these tune books to accommodate
changing voices.
The final portion of the dissertation focuses on the Cambiata Concept and its
development, based on Cooper’s writings and that of his students. It also examines interviews of
students and colleagues, and a color film that was created by Cooper to aid teachers. Finally, the
study discusses the affect the Cambiata Concept has had on music education, and future
implications for the Cambiata Concept.
6
CHAPTER 2:
REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE
The literature review for this study is organized into four categories: 1) historical studies
of prominent music educators, 2) voice change methodologies, 3) quantitative research regarding
voice change, and 4) writings of Cooper and others regarding the Cambiata Concept. The
literature review includes dissertations, choral method textbooks, interviews, books, and articles.
HISTORICAL STUDIES OF PROMINENT MUSIC EDUCATORS
Historical research is a valuable tool for the modern educator. By understanding the past,
teachers have a more thorough understanding of teaching practices and successful
methodologies. Phelps, et al., states that historical research is used to interpret the results of data
collection and determine its impact on the present and future.18 Other scholars have similar views
on historical research. Arthur Marwick states, “Those who ignore history....condemn themselves
to not knowing the present, because historical development alone permits us to weigh and to
evaluate in their respective relations the elements of the present.”19 These scholars express the
need for historical research. It is especially important to study the background of prominent
music educators to understand their methodologies and their influence on the present.
18Roger Phelps, Ronald H. Sadoff, Edward C. Warburton, and Lawrence Ferrara, A Guide to Research in Music
Education, 5th ed. [Lanham, MD: The Scarecrow Press, 2005]: 205.
19 Arthur Marwick, The Nature of History, [New York: Alfred A Knopf, 1971]: 8-9.
7
A number of studies have been conducted on pioneer music educators. These studies
include individuals such as Lowell Mason,20 Luther Whiting Mason,21 George Oscar Bowen,22
and John M. Cooksey.23 Other studies focus on the methodologies of certain music educators.
One dissertation in particular, by Casey L. Gerber was used as a model for this study. Gerber
examined the sight-reading methodology of Philip C. Hayden, the founder of MENC 24 (now
NAfME).25 By studying master teachers, students find role models and gain historical insight
into the methods in practice today.
HISTORIC VOICE CHANGE PRACTICE IN EUROPE
The adolescent voice change has been a topic of interest for choir directors, voice
teachers, and music educators for centuries. Historically, there have been two schools of thought
regarding the voice change process. In 1841, Manuel Garcia II, published a treatise on singing in
which he stated his premise that once the voice begins to change, adolescents should not be
allowed to sing. He states: “If one impoverishes the vocal organ by the practice of singing, or by
any excesses whatsoever, one exhausts the plant before it is fit to give fruit; one causes decay to
succeed childhood.”26 Garcia went on to say that students should not seriously study voice until
20 Carol A. Pemberton, Lowell Mason: His Life and Work [Ann Arbor, MI: UMI Research Press, 1985].
21
Sondra Weiland Howe, “Luther Whiting Mason: Contributions to Music Education in Nineteenth-Century
America and Japan” [PhD diss., University of Minnesota, 1988].
22 AlanL. Spurgeon, “George Oscar Bowen: His Career and Contributions to Music Education” [PhD diss.,
University of Oklahoma, 1990].
23Roger H. Hale, “John M. Cooksey: Choral Music Educator and Conductor” [Phd diss., Florida State University,
2009].
24MENC stands for Music Educators National Conference. This organization was founded in Keokuk, IA in 1907,
and is the professional organization of music educators in the United States. In 2010 the name was changed from
MENC to NAfME, which stands for the National Association for Music Education.
25
Casey L. Gerber, “Ear Training and Music Reading Methods Used by Philip C. Hayden: Music Literacy Through
Rhythm Forms” [PhD diss., University of Mississippi, 2008].
26 Garcia, The Art of Singing, 29.
8
the mutation is complete, which he described as between the ages of seventeen and nineteen.27
Garcia’s approach of resting the voice during the change was challenged by Sir Morell
Mackenzie, a prominent laryngologist and voice physiologist in that day. Mackenzie argued that
the voice changes gradually and should therefore be mildly exercised during the mutation.28
Garcia’s philosophy became the most commonly practiced in Europe and remained the
predominant method of dealing with changing voices for nearly a century.
While resting the voice during the voice change was common practice in nineteenth
century European choirs, North American educators did not subscribe to this method. American
and Canadian methodology has encouraged boys to sing throughout the voice change. Since boys
were encouraged to sing through the voice change, American educators were more concerned
with how to teach the changing voice, rather than discouraging them from singing. 29 This desire
to keep boys singing during the voice change lead to a prominent book and methodology by
Duncan McKenzie.30
McKenzie, a British music educator, did not subscribe to the traditional theory of resting
the voice during the change. 31 His book, published in 1956 titled Training the Boy’s Changing
Voice,32 detailed a method for teaching the adolescent voice called the “alto-tenor” plan. The
term was in use by many practicing teachers and scholars in the late nineteenth and early
27 Ibid.
28 Weiss. “The Pubertal Change of the Human Voice (Mutation),” 127-128.
29 Fisher, 42.
1956].
31 Allowing the voice to fully break and resting the voice during the voice change.
32 Ibid.
9
twentieth century. Thaddeus P. Giddings, Director of Music in the Minneapolis Schools, did not
recognize the term as a voice classification, even though he taught the concepts of the alto-tenor
plan in the classroom. He stated, “a boy’s voice was either alto or tenor, even though an alto
might also be able to sing the tenor part and a tenor the alto part.”33 This created confusion as to
what to call the changing voices. Other prominent music educators such as Luther Whiting
Mason,34 George James M. McLaughlin,35 and George Veazie36 used the “alto-tenor in
conversation,” but Mason refers to the boys as “boy alto” in the The New Fourth Reader of the
National Music Course Series.37 The debate on how to label changing voices has continued well
into the twenty-first century.
EARLY VOICE CHANGE RESEARCH IN THE UNITED STATES
McKenzie, as well as other researchers, found that the speaking voice is the first signal of
the voice change and that the speaking voice also acts as a predictor for the progression of the
voice change.38 McKenzie recommends that the voice should be exercised from the top down,
thus helping boys avoid the chest register that is difficult to navigate. He concedes that it is
difficult to avoid the chest register, but this avoidance is necessary to create good vocal habits.39
McKenzie also had classifications for the voice change from the unchanged voice to the changed
33 McKenzie, 20.
34
“It is commonly assumed that Luther Whiting Mason was distantly related to Lowell Mason, the music educator
who introduced music instruction to American public schools in 1838. There is no proof that Luther and Lowell
were related.” Sandra Weiland Howe “Luther Whiting Mason:” 9.
35 Assistant to Luther Whiting Mason at Boston School District.
36 Director of Music in Chelsea, Massachusetts.
37 McKenzie, 21.
38 Ibid., 25.
39 Ibid., 25-26.
10
voice. These classifications are: “soprano II, alto, alto-tenor, tenor or bass.” 40 McKenzie stated
that range was the most important consideration when working with changing voices. The
singers should not be asked to sing out of the range of their voices for any reason. He also stated
that bass voices change at a more rapid pace than the tenor voice. 41 This is also found in other
research to be discussed later.
McKenzie felt that since voices are constantly changing during adolescence, it is
imperative that boys voices be classified frequently as a means to avoid misclassification and
singing music that is inappropriate for their voices. 42 He described how to effectively work with
changing voices and proposed an adaptation of the TTBB43 format of male glee clubs. McKenzie
stated that the TTBB was the best use of literature for the alto-tenor voice. This allows the boys
to start at tenor I and progress downward in part assignment as the voice changes.44
McKenzie also collected case studies at the end of his book. The groups of cases are
labeled as follows: baritone plan and counter-tenor plan. In the baritone case study, McKenzie
evaluated ten boys. The boys were labeled as baritones and told they would eventually settle as
tenors or basses.45 The counter-tenor voice continues to access the upper notes of the boys range.
As the voice begins to change the boys will use the falsetto 46 to remain in the upper female
register. The counter-tenor plan is contrary to the alto tenor plan that encourages boys to access
40 Ibid., 29.
41 Ibid., 31.
42 Ibid., 35.
43 tenor I, tenor II, baritone, bass.
44 McKenzie, 35.
45 Ibid., 95.
46 False voice.
11
lowering pitches as their voice lowers. By remaining in the upper register, McKenzie felt the
voice change is delayed.47 McKenzie’s book is an important source regarding the adolescent
voice change. It is one of the first texts to advance a methodology for working actively with the
adolescent voice during the voice change.
Another prominent researcher in the field of the adolescent voice change is Frederick
Swanson. Swanson wrote two books48 and several articles 49 about the voice change. In
Swanson’s first book, Music Teaching in the Junior High and Middle School, 50 the author
primarily focuses on the large scale music program. The book discusses things such as
curriculum, teaching strategies, recruitment, facilities, and other subjects that one would expect
in a method textbook. There is, however, a section of the text that focuses on the boys’ changing
voice.51
Swanson described the ways in which he tested boys during voice change. He would
bring eighty, eighth grade boys into a practice room individually and test their fundamental
speaking pitch. From this pitch the boys were asked to sing “My Country Tis’ of Thee” with
descending semitones until the boys could sing no lower. After this pitch was determined the
auditioner would again start at the fundamental speaking pitch and repeat the process moving the
starting pitch up by semitones. Once the outer ranges of the boy’s voice were determined, an
47 McKenzie., 107-110.
48Frederick Swanson, Music Teaching in the Junior High and Middle School, [New York: Appleton-Century-Crofts,
1973]. Frederick Swanson, The Male Singing Voice Ages Eight to Eighteen. [Cedar Rapids, IA: Igram Press, 1977.]
49Frederick Swanson, “The Proper Care and Feeding of Changing Voices.” Music Educators’ Journal 48 no. 63
(Nov. 1961): 63-65. Frederick Swanson, “The Vanishing Basso Profundo and Fry Tones.” Choral Journal (May
1977): 5-10. Frederick Swanson, “Changing Voices: Don’t Leave Out the Boys.” Music Educators’ Journal 70 no.
47 (Jan. 1984): 47-50.
50 Swanson, Music Teaching in the Junior High and Middle School.
51 Ibid, 184-92.
12
attempt was made to assess the range of the falsetto. If the boys were able to access the falsetto, a
similar process was followed to determine the ranges of the falsetto. If the boy had no access to
the falsetto, the audition was complete. 52 Swanson found that many boys did not experience a
gradual change in range, but rapidly went from boy sopranos to bass/baritone range. Their voices
then moved upward and filled in the pitch gap between the chest voice53 and falsetto voice.54
Swanson therefore, did not subscribe to the gradual voice change philosophy of other
pedagogues. He believed that voices drop quickly and to the bottom of the range and slowly add
notes until the passagio55 is bridged.56
Swanson suggested frequent voice testing, every six weeks, to insure against
misclassification. He continues in this section of the text to describe how to care for and train the
changing voice, stating that the newly acquired voice must be practiced as if it were a new
instrument.57 He also gives sample pieces of music that stay within the prescribed range for
changing voices, and offers a series of vocalises 58 that are appropriate for this age group. 59
Swanson concludes the voice change section of the book by offering instruction on arranging
music for changing voices. During the 1970’s there was very little music that was specifically
52 Ibid., 184-186.
53Chest voice is the register that is associated with resonance in the chest.
Willi Apel and Ralph T. Daniel, The Harvard Brief Dictionary of Music [New York: Washington Square Press,
1960]: 243.
54 Swanson, Music Teaching in the Junior High and Middle School, 188.
55 Area between the chest voice and head voice.
56 Swanson, Music Teaching in the Junior High and Middle School, 192-193.
57 Ibid., 191-192.
58 Vocal exercises.
59 Swanson, Music Teaching in the Junior High and Middle School, 199-203.
13
written for changing voices. Therefore, teachers had to adapt music that was previously
published or compose new music that could accommodate the changing boy’s limited range. 60
Swanson wrote another book that specifically focused on the boys changing voice. The
Male Singing Voice Ages Eight to Eighteen61 thoroughly explains the voice change process from
a pre-changed voice to a settled voice. Many of the basic findings and methodology are similar
to the earlier text by Swanson. This book contains Swanson’s testing of the Shuttleworth’s
Pictorial Analysis of pubertal development,62 which is a series of pictures depicting the
development of pubic hair for boys as they enter into adolescence. Swanson sought to test this
progression with the stages of the voice change. To do so, Swanson arranged to have the entire
eighth grade male class involved in choir for one year. With the aide of the gym teacher and
parents, the boys were classified into one of the five stages of pubic hair development. Swanson
used continual voice classification and cross referenced it with the pubic hair development and
other signs of maturity such as advances in height, weight, and facial hair development. What he
found was that boys in stages 1 and 2 of pubic hair development showed no signs of the voice
change. Stage 3 began the voice change and by stage 4 the student was showing signs of an adult
male voice. Swanson concluded that the voice change coincided with development of
adolescence through pubic hair acquisition.63
Swanson’s testing with the Shuttleworth Pictorial Analysis is the first instance of
scientific inquiry regarding the voice change. The methodologies of McKenzie and other earlier
60 Ibid., 214-225.
61 Frederick Swanson., The Male Singing Voice Ages Eight to Eighteen. [Cedar Rapids, IA: Igram Press, 1977].
62 Swanson, The Male Singing Voice Ages Eight to Eighteen, 69.
63 Ibid., 69-70.
14
writers had been derived from their own anecdotal experiences. Swanson successfully connected
the biological aspect of adolescence with the voice change process and continued to use this
model for the rest of his career when tracking boys changing voices.64 Swanson confirmed his
hypothesis by comparing changing voices with those of the castrati. It was clear to Swanson that
the voice change is directly affected by the hormones secreted in adolescence. Swanson also
discussed techniques to train the changing voice, how to adapt music to fit the voice, and
techniques to use with counter-tenors. Literature on the adolescent changing voice, beginning
with McKenzie, Cooper, and Swanson, provided a foundation for later researchers.
In 1977, John M. Cooksey published “The Development of a Continuing, Eclectic
Theory for the Training and Cultivation of the Junior High School Male Changing Voice.”65 In
this series of three articles, Cooksey described the existing theories regarding the voice change,
scientific and empirical findings, and his newly developed approach to training the changing
voice. In the first article of the series, “Existing Theories,”66 Cooksey gives detailed summaries
of the theories by McKenzie, Cooper and Swanson. Cooksey discussed the need for more
quantitative research from within music education that includes the medical community. He
recommended speech and language pathology studies that would give more information on the
physical changes the voice undergoes, not just the realized effects.67
64 Ibid., 70.
65John M. Cooksey, “The Development of a Contemporary, Eclectic Theory for the Training and Cultivation of the
Junior High School Male Changing Voice” Choral Journal. 18 no. 2 (Oct. 1977): 5-13.
Junior High School Male Changing Voice: Part I Existing Theories” Choral Journal. 18 no. 2 (Oct. 1977): 5-13.
67 Ibid., 13.
15
In the second article of the series “Scientific and Empirical Findings; Some Tentative
Solutions,”68 Cooksey addressed the need for statistical verification of past empirical findings.
The work of McKenzie, Cooper and Swanson was largely based on experience with working
with changing voices. These men tested large numbers of students, and by having a large
population were able to make inferences and develop their respective theories. Cooksey
suggested more controlled experiments that engage other disciplines regarding the changing
voice. He suggested the research question: “How does the mutational process in the voice relate
to other physiological changes in the body during adolescence?”69 Cooksey found that the voice
mutation is dependent upon several other physiological changes that occur in the body during
adolescence. He stated in his review of literature that other fields that evaluate the voice change
guard against using the speaking voice as a predictor of the progression.70 The speaking voice
was an important predictor in McKenzie’s methodology. Cooksey argued that future research
must use electronic equipment to accurately measure pitch deviation in speaking, rather than the
interpretation of an auditioner. 71
At the end of this article Cooksey gave his thoughts on the voice change process. He
stated in the article that his ideas were a combination of previous practitioner’s findings
(McKenzie, Cooper and Swanson), along with current research from outside the field of music
education including: medicine, speech pathology, laryngology and endocrinology. Cooksey said
that combining all facets of this research gives the best picture of the voice change process. In
Junior High School Male Changing Voice: Part II Scientific and Empirical Findings” Choral Journal. 18 no. 3 (Nov.
1977): 5-18.
69 Ibid., 5
70 Ibid., 7.
71 Ibid.
16
the third installment of the article “Developing An Integrated Approach to the Care and Training
of the Junior High School Male Changing Voice,”72 Cooksey described his methodology for
working with the adolescent voice change.
Cooksey said, “the Eclectic, Contemporary Theory of Male Adolescent Voice Change
form(s) a basic framework of integrated concepts which focus(es) upon range, tessitura, register
delineation, and voice quality as primary factors in voice development.”73 These factors form the
foundation for Cooksey’s methodology. He divided the voice change process into five stages.
These stages are: stage I (boy soprano), stage II (midvoice I, or alto), stage III (midvoice II or
cambiata sound), stage IV (new baritone), and stage V (settled voice)74 and gives approximate
age ranges for each stage. More recent studies have found the onset of the voice change to be
earlier than in previous generations.75 The stages of the voice change are described in detail by
Cooksey.
COOKSEY STAGES OF VOICE CHANGE
Stage I is the pre-pubertal stage of voice mutation. This boy still has pure clear tones in
the upper register of the voice and there is no evidence of lowering in speaking or singing pitch.
The boy shows no physical signs of puberty (increased height, facial hair, protuberance of the
larynx), and will sing the soprano part in music. Stage II, or midvoice I, is the initial onset of
puberty. At this stage, the boys voice begins to lower in speaking and singing. The higher tones
72John M. Cooksey,“The Development of a Contemporary, Eclectic Theory for the Training and Cultivation of the
Junior High School Male Changing Voice: Part III Developing an Integrated Approach to the Care and Training of
the Junior High Male Changing Voice” Choral Journal. 18 no. 4 (Dec. 1977): 5-15.
73 Ibid, 5.
74 Ibid, 6.
75
17
of the register are beginning to wane and those still present require great effort to achieve. The
boy will also be showing the early signs of puberty such as increased height, weight, facial hair
and protuberance of the larynx. Stage III, or midvoice II, is the “height of the pubertal period.”76
During this stage the speaking and singing voice become huskier and lower in pitch. The falsetto
range emerges and the voice no longer fits into a traditional part. The voice cannot sing all the
pitches of alto, nor the pitches of tenor. This is the range that Irvin Cooper called the cambiata
voice.77 Cooksey warns that this is a crucial time for voice training and development.78 Stage IV
is the new baritone stage. The boy’s voice begins to take on baritone sound qualities in the lower
register as well as lower pitches of the bass clef. The upper register still retains many of the
qualities of the midvoice II, especially around C4. These voices often have difficulty with the
lower notes associated with a bass part in SATB voicing. It is also important to note that these
voices have limited agility and will have difficulty negotiating fast- moving parts. Stage V is the
settled voice. At this point the voice has finished the downward descent and an adult resonance
has developed. Voices at this stage should be assigned to their appropriate ranges: tenor, baritone
or bass.79 Cooksey, as well as many other music educators, has subscribed to these classifications
for the past thirty years. Cooksey recommends frequent voice testing as well as careful work
during the changing period.
76 Cooksey, “Developing an Integrated Approach,” 7.

77 Irvin Cooper, Letters to Pat [New York: Carl Fisher Inc., 1953].
78 Cooksey, “Developing an Integrated Approach,” 7.
79 Ibid., 7.
18
In 1992 and again in 1999, Cooksey published longitudinal studies 80 to validate the
theories presented in the “Eclectic Approach” to voice change. The outcome of this study was a
book published by Cooksey entitled Working with Adolescent Voices 81 that combined his work
with other experts in the field of laryngology and speech and language pathology. In it, Cooksey
confirms what he stated in the 1977-78 article and the study expanded to include recent research
published since the original articles. It also includes a large section of vocalises to use with
changing voices, and a large list of choral music that is appropriate for the changing voice. Other
than these additions, there is little difference between the methodology of his ‘78-’79 article and
these books.
RECENT VOICE CHANGE RESEARCH
Joanne Rutkowski set out to confirm Cooksey’s ranges and voice classifications.
Rutkowski conducted two studies82 to attempt to verify Cooksey’s work. The first was conducted
in 1981. The researcher had boys sing who were in the various stages of the voice change and
classified their voices using group testing. She discovered the same stages and ranges as
Cooksey, but found some slight differences. Rutkowski found that boys were entering the voice
change at an earlier age than previously reported and some of the ranges were slightly different
than Cooksey’s.83 It is important not to generalize these findings because the sample is small
80
John M. Cooksey, Working With Adolescent Voices [St. Louis, MO: Concordia Publishing House, 1992]. John M.
Cooksey, Working With Adolescent Voices, 2nd ed. [St. Louis, MO: Concordia Publishing House, 1999].
81 John M. Cooksey, Working With Adolescent Voices, 2nd ed. (St. Louis, MO: Concordia Publishing House, 1999.)
82Joanne Rutkowski. “The Junior High School Male Changing Voice: Testing and Grouping Voices for Successful
Singing Experiences.” Choral Journal (December 1981): 11-15. Joanne Rutkowski. “Two Year Results of a
Longitudinal Study Investigating the Validity of Cooksey’s Theory for Training the Adolescent Male Voice” Ed. by
Maria Runfola and Lee Bash. Proceedings Research Symposium on the Male Adolescent Voice [University of
Buffalo: 1984]: 86-96.
83 Rutkowski (1981), 14-15.
19
(N=10). In an attempt to further this research, Rutkowski conducted a longitudinal study to
evaluate the boys voices from the beginning of the voice change through the completion of the
change using Cooksey’s stages and ranges.84 The boys in this study were the same 10 sixth grade
students from the 1981 pilot study. They were classified in sixth grade as either unchanged
voices or midvoice I (stage II). Rutkowski found similar results to her earlier study; this sample
of boys progressed through the voice change as Cooksey’s methodology described. She also
discovered that boys were completing the latter stages of the voice change at an earlier age than
Cooksey’s methodology proposed.85 Rutkowski presented her research at the Research
Symposium on the Male Adolescent Voice in Buffalo, NY in 1982.86
Another study presented at the changing voice symposium in Buffalo was conducted by
Mary Groom. Groom attempted to confirm that the boy’s voice change corresponded with
advancement in body structure (height, weight, etc.). Groom found a great rate of change over
the summer months, which could be explained by previous theories that increased physical
activity and decreased singing activity starts the voice change. With such a small sample, only
three participating middle school choirs, it is difficult to generalize the findings. Groom also
discovered, as did Rutkowski, that boys were entering the voice change at an earlier age than
reported by Cooksey.87
84 Rutkowski, 1984.
85 Ibid., 94.
86 Ibid.
87Mary D. Groom. “A Descriptive Analysis of Development in Adolescent Male Voices During the Summer Time
Period” Ed. by Maria Runfola and Lee Bash. Proceedings Research Symposium on the Male Adolescent Voice
[University of Buffalo: 1984]: 80-84.
20
Another researcher who presented at the Buffalo symposium developed a new method to
teach undergraduate music education majors about adolescent voice change. Baressi88 used
modules of videotape and brochures to teach undergraduates the characteristics of adolescents
and the voice change. The brochures gave information regarding observed stages as well as
ranges and stages of the voice change outlined by Cooksey. The videotapes were used to give
undergraduate students an aural representation of the stages of the voice change. Undergraduate
students who were taught using Barresi’s method were more effective at identifying the stages of
the voice change than those taught by traditional methods of lecture, handouts, and
observations.89 Barresi proposed that this method of teaching undergraduates should be the
preferred practice of choral methods courses. 90
Henry Leck developed another methodology to work with changing voices. Leck is the
conductor of the Indianapolis Children’s Chorus and a well respected children’s choir clinician. 91
He felt that the work of McKenzie, Cooper, Swanson and Cooksey omitted the upper range of
the changing voice and that in order to create the broadest range possible, boys should be
encouraged to sing in the upper falsetto register through the voice change. This allows boys to
keep their upper range as the lower notes develop.92 He warns that a safe classroom culture must
be created so boys will not to be ridiculed by their peers during this process. Leck gives exercises
88 Anthony L. Barresi. “From Uncertainty to Understanding: A New Approach to Instruction About the Changing
Voice” Ed. by Maria Runfola and Lee Bash. Proceedings Research Symposium on the Male Adolescent Voice
[University of Buffalo: 1984]: 155-165.
89 Ibid., 163-164.
90 Ibid., 164.
91Indianapolis Children’s Chorus. “Henry Leck Bio,” http://www.icchoir.org/site/PageServer?
pagename=StaffBioHenryLeck (accessed November 5, 2012).
92Henry Leck, “On the Voice-The Boy’s Expanding Voice: Take the High Road,” Choral Journal 49, no. 11 (May
2009): 50-51.
21
that start the boys in falsetto, and then sing down across the passagio to access the new range of
the voice. He also gives guidelines for selecting repertoire that is appropriate for this type of
singing.
A rebuttal article was published in the Choral Journal regarding Leck’s research. 93
Patrick Freer criticized Leck for his lack of thorough explanation of previous research. He
attempted to clarify many of the assumptions that Leck made and said that Leck had not
thoroughly discussed the work of McKenzie, Cooper, Swanson, and Cooksey. Freer also said that
Leck misunderstood what the previous research stated.94 Leck said that previous researchers
placed time frames on when the voice would change, but according to Freer, Leck failed to see
that these time frames were guidelines, so practitioners would have an estimation of when to
expect the different stages.95 Freer stated that the ages are merely guidelines and that each
individual will experience the voice change at their individual pace. Freer also criticized a
statement made by Leck: “A number of people have attempted to understand the boy’s changing
voice through a system of vocal classifications.”96 Freer countered with the statement: “We do
not seek to understand the changing voice through voice classifications. Rather, the
classifications result from our understanding of the changing voice.”97 Freer concluded the
article by adding that the system in which Leck gathered his data is not typical of the middle
school choral program. He said that the boys in the Indianapolis Children’s Chorus are highly
93Patrick Freer, “On the Voice- Foundation of the Boy’s Expanding Voice: A Response to Henry Leck” Choral
Journal 50, no. 2 (February 2010): 31-33.
94 Ibid.
95 Leck, 51.
96 Ibid, 49.
97 Freer, “A Response,” 35.
22
trained musicians from an early age and that most students going through the voice change have
not had the experiences and training of these students, therefore, teachers must take boys where
they are and build their singing skills. Freer says that this would be difficult to do using Leck’s
methodology, not only from a pedagogical standpoint, but also from a social standpoint.98
In 2009, Freer published a text on the middle school choral program entitled: Getting
Started with Middle School Chorus.99 In this text, he attempts to update best practices of middle
school teaching and voice change techniques. Freer discusses many of the issues that teachers
encounter with a middle school choral program. In the section about voice change, Freer
espouses the teachings of Cooksey. He states that the voice change is a gradual process, and by
closely monitoring the changing voice, boys can be successful throughout the voice change.
Freer also mentions the female voice change, a topic that was largely ignored in research until
the early 1990’s.
Another recent researcher of the adolescent voice change is Janice Killian. A study by
Killian investigated the voice change in fifth and sixth grade students. 100 She found the onset of
the voice change can be as early as the fifth grade. Many of the previous texts have stated that
the voice change occurs in the seventh or eighth grade. This study supports the conclusions that
boys enter puberty at an earlier age and therefore enter into the voice change at an earlier age.
For music educators, this means that voice change is not just a middle school issue, but may also
be affecting elementary music classrooms as well. Killian states that this creates a particular
98 Ibid.
99Patrick Freer, Getting Started with Middle School Chorus, 2nd ed. [Lanham: Rowman and Littlefield Publishers
Inc., 2009].
100
23
problem when selecting literature for elementary choirs. 101 Music teachers must continue to be
flexible when working with children with changing voices, regardless of whether the children are
in elementary or middle school.
A later study by Killian and Wayman102 investigated the voice change differences
between adolescent vocalists and adolescent instrumentalists. Killian and Wayman found that
boys in choir were able to sing a wider range of pitches than students in an instrumental
ensemble. This supports the idea that with careful guidance, students can still have a workable
range during the voice change. Students who do not experience good teaching during the voice
change will likely have a limited vocal range. The authors also found that more than 80% of
sixth grade students were in some stage of the voice change and that a large percentage of
students enter puberty, and therefore the voice change, at a much earlier age than previous
research suggested.103
A study by Fisher104 investigated the difference between ethnicities and the early onset of
the adolescent voice change in fourth, fifth and sixth grade students. Fisher used three groups,
African American, white, and Hispanic as the three ethnic groups. He found that there was no
significant difference between the three ethnicities regarding the early onset of the voice change.
While there was no significant difference, 70% of African American students were classified as
changing voices. Fisher also found that 46% of fourth grade, 62% of fifth grade, and 67% of
101 Ibid, 357-369.

102Janice Killian and John Wayman “A Descriptive Study of Vocal Maturation Among Male Adolescent Vocalists
and Instrumentalists” Journal of Research in Music Education, 58, no. 1 (April 2010): 5-19.
103 Ibid.
104
Ryan A. Fisher “Effect of Ethnicity on the Age of Onset of the Male Voice Change.” Journal of Research in
Music Education, 58, no. 2 (July 2010): 116-130.
24
sixth grade students would be classified as changing voices using Cooksey’s method. 105 This
study provides further evidence that boys are entering the voice change at an earlier age.
Other researchers have investigated the effect of the voice change on other musical skills.
Demorest106 used adolescent boys in a study investigating pitch discrimination. He found that a
decreased register and diminished vocal control in changing voices does not have a significant
affect on pitch perception. Demorest states that if given in the proper register, boys with
changing voices are capable of matching pitch discriminately.107 This seems to disprove a
previous misconception that boys who are engaged in the voice change cannot match pitch
properly.
An earlier study by Killian108 tested student’s pitch matching ability when the pitch was
given by a female model. The boys in the study were classified in three groups: unchanged,
changing and changed. These classifications were not based on previous research, but by
examining the fundamental speaking pitch and basic ranges of the boys. The study found that
boys were more accurate in pitch discrimination when the model was given in their particular
voice range. Killian also found that baritones and unchanged voices were more accurate than
changing voices on all pitches. The author concluded that the difficulty of the boy’s changing
voices in pitch discrimination is likely due to problems created by range. She concluded that
teachers must be mindful of range when teaching adolescent boys. This will reduce the number
105 Ibid.
106Steven A. Demorest and Ann Clements “Factors Influencing the Pitch-Matching of Junior High Boys” Journal of
Research in Music Education, 55, no. 3 (Fall 2007): 190-203.
107Ibid.
108Janice Killian, “Operant Vocal Octave Choir and Pitch Accuracy Among Changing-Voice Boys and Junior High
Girls.” Texas Music Educators Association Clinic-Convention. San Antonio, TX (1985).
25
of adolescent boys that are labeled as non-pitch matching, when the culprit is likely the voice
change process.109
While it is important to understand the physiology of the voice change, another aspect of
the voice change that is sometimes overlooked is the psychological experience during the
change. There is a small amount of research that pertains to the boy’s perception of the voice
change. A book published by Martin Ashley 110 investigates the masculinity issue that many
singers encounter. In the current culture, it is not always considered masculine to sing, and this
creates a problem for music educators who are charged with changing the culture in their
particular school. Ashley discusses the problems boys encounter when singing and offers advice
on how to counteract these issues. He encourages educators to create a classroom environment
that is safe for boys to sing in the high register, but also encourages new voice development.111
VOICE CHANGE PERCEPTION
Caroline Stuple investigated boy’s perception of the voice change.112 She interviewed
seven boys who were at various stages of the voice change (most were completed with the voice
change at the time of the interview) and found that many of the boys felt angst during the voice
change. All but one of the boys was engaged in choral singing at some point during their middle
school years. The boys were frustrated during the voice change process. They felt inadequate
when they were unable to sing pitches in their particular voice part, because the range did not fit
their voices at the time. It is also important to note that each individual boy’s experience was
109 Ibid.
110Martin Ashley. Teaching Singing to Boys and Teenagers: The Young Male Voice and the Problem of Masculinity.
[Lewiston, NY: The Edwin Mellen Press, 2008]: 165-167.
111 Ibid.
112
Caroline Stuple, “Chorus: The Male Changing Voice- The Student’s Experience.” Teaching Music 15, no. 1
(August 2007): 36-41.
26
unique. Some experienced the change as Cooksey described it, in five gradual stages, and others
as Cooper described in the Cambiata Concept, as three gradual stages. 113 This creates an
additional problem for music educators because each boy experiences the voice change
differently and also at different times. The choral director must constantly be assessing their male
students to avoid frustration as was experienced in Stuple’s sample.
A similar study by Killian114 investigated boys’ perceptions during the voice change.
Killian interviewed adult men and boys and singers and nonsingers regarding the voice change.
The study found that boys who had had previous singing experience remembered in greater
detail the voice change. Singers were also more aware of what was happening and stated that it
affected how they sang and spoke. Singers also noticed the voice change themselves more than
nonsingers. While many spoke fondly of the voice change, the predominant comments during
interviews were negative regarding the voice change. The researcher found it unusual that men
would speak fondly of the entire process, while giving negative remarks about the individual
steps.115 This supports the perception that the voice change can be a traumatic process for boys if
not handled properly by singing teachers. Therefore, it is imperative that teachers be well versed
in the techniques that teach students how to sing properly through the voice mutation.
There are several articles that deal with best practices for changing voice students. A
study by Killian116 took what teachers practice as a foundation for a study. The recommendations
found in Killian’s survey included accommodation strategies and recommended voicings. Many
113 Ibid.
114
Janice N. Killian, “Perceptions of the Voice-Change Process: Male Adult versus Adolescent Musicians and
Nonmusicians.” Journal of Research in Music Education 45 (1997): 521-535.
115 Ibid.
116
Janice N. Killian “Choral Directors’ Self-Reports of Accommodations Made for Boys’ Changing Voices” Texas
Music Education Research, (2003): 2-10.
27
teachers suggested rewriting parts, only using treble voices, singing an octave lower, gender
specific choirs, and assigning boys non-singing tasks. These are techniques that have been used
with changing voices since the early twentieth century. The appropriate voicings included: two
part treble, TTB117 , three part mixed, SAB,118 and SATB.119 Many of the teachers surveyed
advocated having the boys sing an octave lower. This was met with strong disdain from the high
school teachers who saw this as a problem for future singing. The most widespread activity was
to rewrite parts or select music that fits the ranges of the singers, 120 which has been a
recommended technique by the major practitioners in this field (McKenzie,121 Cooper,122
Swanson,123 and Cooksey.124)
There are other philosophies regarding the adolescent voice change. The American
Boychoir School is a prominent institution that teaches male students throughout the voice
change process. An article by Kennedy 125 interviewed boys about their experience with the voice
change. The study showed results that were similar to earlier studies on students’ perception of
117 tenor I, tenor II, baritone/bass

118 soprano, alto, and baritone
119 soprano, alto, tenor, and bass
120 Ibid.
121 McKenzie, 25.
122 Cooper& Kursteiner, 29.
123 Swanson, Ages Eight to Eighteen, 85.
124 Cooksey Working with Adolescent Voices, 14.
125Mary Copeland Kennedy, “It’s a Metamorphosis: Guiding the Voice Change at the American Boychoir School,”
Journal of Research in Music Education 52, no. 3 (Autumn 2004): 264-280.
28
the voice change126 and confirmed that there is a physical as well as a psychological process that
takes place during the voice change. Kennedy recommends the following guidance for music
educators:
1. Each individual experiences the voice change in their own particular way. Frequent voice
testing is key to ensuring success throughout the voice change.
2. Exploring the extreme ranges of the voice during the voice change typically leads to larger
ranges of adult males. This must be done with care and nothing should be damaging to the
voice.
3. Gender specific choirs are necessary for success during adolescence. This creates a safe
environment for boys to have voice failures.
4. Singers must be taught healthy vocal technique. This ensures safety of the voice as well as
good habits for future singing.
5. It is imperative to help boys negotiate the voice change process if future singers are to be
created. 127
These suggestions are valuable to those who work with changing voices. Especially those who
cannot recall their particular voice change experience, or female conductors who did not
experience this level of change during adolescence.
BEST TEACHING PRACTICES OF CHANGING VOICE ADOLESCENTS
Another vein of best practice literature deals with the need to create a desire to sing and
the importance of keeping boys excited about singing. An article by Fowells128 describes the
adolescent voice as a “vocal chameleon.”129 The voice is capable of doing remarkable things if
stimulated properly. He states that the largest problem with adolescent singers is not physiology
126Martin Ashley. Teaching Singing to Boys and Teenagers: The Young Male Voice and the Problem of Masculinity.
[Lewiston, NY: The Edwin Mellen Press, 2008]
Janice N. Killian, “Perceptions of the Voice-Change Process: Male Adult versus Adolescent Musicians and
Nonmusicians.” Journal of Research in Music Education 45 (1997): 521-535.
Caroline Stuple, “Chorus: The Male Changing Voice- The Student’s Experience.” Teaching Music 15, no. 1 (August
2007)
127 Kennedy “It’s a Metamorphosis,” 270.
128 Robert M. Fowells, “The Changing Voice: A Vocal Chameleon,” Choral Journal (September 1983): 11-17.
129 Ibid., 11.
29
but motivation, and states that teachers must create a safe environment for boys to succeed and
fail without ridicule. Fowells suggests that students be seated in sections that coincide with their
vocal development. He classifies students as unchanged, changing or changed voices. He also
recommends that students should sing a part that is melodic. This coincides with Irvin Cooper’s
philosophy of the cambiata which uses melodic voice parts. Fowells also supports the use of the
upper range of the voice as well as the falsetto, which creates the widest range possible for the
singers and ensures that all are able to sing.130
A study conducted in 2000 surveyed successful middle school teachers in the
southwestern division of ACDA.131 The book cites suggestions and best practices from teachers
that average 16 years of teaching experience in middle/junior high choirs. It gives strategies for
voice testing and classification, recruitment, appropriate vocal exercises, performance
suggestions, and appropriate repertoire. The teachers in this study stated that they did not feel
prepared to teach middle school choir based solely on their undergraduate training. This book is
an attempt to give young teachers insight into experienced teachers best practices.132
A recent article by Dilworth133 gives overarching strategies that are successful for middle
school voices. Dilworth recommends an understanding of the voice, frequent voice testing, voice
appropriate exercises, incorporating analogy and movement into the rehearsal, as well as other
techniques for success.134 Many of the ideas presented by Dilworth reflect previous research
130 Ibid., 14-17.

131 American Choral Director’s Association.
132Terry J. Barham. Strategies for Teaching Junior High and Middle School Male Singers-Master Teachers Speak.
[Santa Barbara Music Publishing, Santa Barbara, CA 2001].
133Rollo Dilworth “Working with Male Adolescent Voices in the Choral Rehearsal: A Survey of Research-Based
Strategies,” Choral Journal 52 no. 9 (April 2012): 22-33.
134 Ibid.
30
regarding best practices for middle school voices. Implementing analogy and movement is an
area that has not been the focus in previous research. Dilworth cites instances where previous
researchers have used sports analogies as a means to connect to singing. The use of analogy
creates a transfer of one known activity to a relatively unknown activity. For example, it is an
accepted practice to incorporate movement into the middle school rehearsal. This allows energy
to be released and allows students to focus on singing. 135 Many of the suggestions of Dilworth
and others hinge on a gender specific classroom. This has been a proposed practice by many
pedagogues for changing voices, and an article by Zemek quantifies that idea.
Zemek136 looked at literature that supports the need for gender specific classes for
changing voices. Separate classes create a safe environment where students are free to fail
without ridicule from the opposite sex. He discussed the need to have gender separate choirs so
that teachers can focus on changing voices. He also discussed the problem of an overabundance
of female singers in comparison to male singers. This creates a scheduling problem because of
class size and limits the selectivity of choirs that include boys.137
FEMALE ADOLESCENT VOICE CHANGE
The most prominent scholar on the changing female voice is Lynne Gackle. Gackle
recently published a book, Finding Opehlia’s Voice, Opening Ophelia’s Heart: Nurturing the
Adolescent Female Voice. 138 The previous notion of the female voice change was that the voice
135 Ibid., 29.

136
Michael D. Zemek “Where’s the Evidence? Finding Support for Separating Middle and Junior High School
Choirs by Gender,” Update: Applications of Research in Music Education 29, no. 15 (July 2010): 15-21.
137 Ibid.
138
Lynne Gackle, Finding Ophelia’s Voice, Opening Ophelia’s Heart Nurturing the Adolescent Female Voice,
31
changes in quality/timbre not in range.139 Gackle found that girls experience many of the same
symptoms of voice change as boys including: “lowering of speaking frequency, increased
breathiness and huskiness of tone, more frequent voice cracking/breaking, noticeable register
breaks, decreased range capabilities, insecurity of pitch, changes in tone quality, and discomfort
when singing.140 Gackle found that the female voice change is also activated by the onset of
puberty. This is more accurately measured by the development of menarche, the onset of
menstruation, and thelarche, breast development. 141 Gackle gives exercises that aid students in
proper singing through the voice change. While the female voice change is not as drastic in terms
of range, Gackle’s research shows that there is a significant female voice change process.
STUDENTS OF IRVIN COOPER’S VOICE CHANGE RESEARCH
The next collection of studies was written by students of Irvin Cooper on the best
practices for students involved in the voice change. An article by Coffman142 pertains to
changing voices in the elementary music program. He was seeing evidence of early puberty long
before Killian verified it with research.143 Coffman discussed the difficulty of elementary
teachers who are often inexperienced when working with adolescent changing voices. He argued
that it is imperative for students to be allowed to sing in their natural comfortable range, and
cautioned against teachers that encouraged boys to sing in the upper falsetto once the voice
began to change. He purports that this creates a disparity between the falsetto voice and the
139 Freer, Getting Started, 40.

140 Gackle, 11-12.
141 Ibid., 15.
142 Wesley S. Coffman, “The Changing Voice-The Elementary Challenge,” Choral Journal (October 1987): 5-7.
143
32
newly developing voice. 144 Coffman instead encouraged teachers to have students sing in the
newly developed range, cambiata, and if necessary rewrite parts to accommodate the new voice.
This will create the most successful program for future development.145
An article by Adcock 146 pays particular attention to the appropriate ranges for unchanged,
changing and changed voices. The author makes composite ranges from studies by Cooper,
Cooksey and Adcock’s own research, and notes that there is very little difference between the
three studies. Adcock also encourages music educators to avoid unison and SAB literature
because it is better practice to sing multi-part music that allows the changing voices to have more
options that fit the limited range. This also gives an adult sound and will keep students engaged
and encourage their future participation in singing. 147
Don Collins states that boys enter the voice change at different ages depending in which
part of the United States they live. 148 Some attribute this to climate factors and others to the
ethnicity of the people of that particular area. He encourages teachers not to assume that high
school age boys have already completed the voice change.149 Collins continues to describe
methods that have been previously discussed when working with changing voices, these include:
properly classifying the voices, selecting range appropriate literature, and rewriting parts to fit
144 Coffman, “The Elementary Challenge,” 6.

145 Ibid., 6-7.
146 Eva Adcock, “The Changing Voice-The Middle/Junior High Challenge,” Choral Journal (October 1987): 9-11.
147 Ibid.
148 Don L. Collins, “The Changing Voice-The High School Challenge,” Choral Journal (October 1987): 13.
149 Ibid., 13.
33
the changing voice. Efforts such as these by the conductor will minimize the problems that the
voice change poses to choral ensembles.150
THE CAMBIATA VOCAL INSTITUTE OF AMERICA
An article by Don Collins 151 explains the tenets of the Cambiata Vocal Music Institute of
America. The Cambiata Institute was founded by Collins in 1979 as a means to promulgate the
philosophy of the Cambiata Concept. The CVMIA 152 is focused in five areas of changing voices.
These include: public and private schools, church music education, private vocal studios,
American boychoir tradition, and choral music education teacher training.153 The Cambiata
Institute continues today as a vibrant organization to promote the teachings of Irvin Cooper and
to bring awareness of other methodologies for working with adolescent changing voices.154 The
CVMIA has recently been relocated from Conway, Arkansas to the University of North Texas,
under the supervision of Alan McClung. In 2010 the institute hosted its first middle school honor
choir camp and started a composition competition for music for changing voices.155
THE CAMBIATA CONCEPT
The next section of the review of literature focuses on the methodology of the Cambiata
Concept and writings of Irvin Cooper and others. Don Collins, a well known and respected
choral music educator regarding the adolescent voice, was a student of Irvin Cooper at Florida
150 Ibid., 14-15.

151 Don L. Collins “The Changing Voice-A Future Challenge,” Choral Journal (October 1987): 19-20.
152 Cambiata Vocal Music Institute of America
153 Collins “Future Challenge” 19-20.
154 AlanMcClung, “Cambiata Institute of America for Early Adolescent Vocal Music,” University of North Texas,
http://music.unt.edu/about/divisions-and-centers/41 [accessed July 30, 2012].
155 Ibid.
34
State. Collins has written several articles 156 and a choral methods textbook in which he continues
the philosophy of the Cambiata Concept. In Teaching Choral Music, 157 Collins gives choral
music educators techniques that encourage the newly developing voice. Collins also uses many
of Cooksey’s findings regarding ranges and time periods that boys encounter in each phase of the
voice change.158 Collins, like Cooper, encourages teachers to have specific parts for changing
voices, rather than trying to force a part that is not appropriate for their range. This allows the
boys to contribute to the overall vocal sound without causing damage or embarrassment to their
voices or to themselves.159
Collins also has a section in the text that pertains to motivation of the adolescent singer
and training the uncertain singer. 160 Collins encourages teachers to break down barriers that
inhibit students from singing. Barriers may include family lack of interest, peer pressure, or
genuine lack of confidence. He states that this can be solved by having students quickly engaged
in the singing process as a means to realize the joy it brings. It is also imperative to have the
students sing music that they can connect with and enjoy. If the music is not interesting to the
boys it will be difficult to keep them singing through the voice change.
Collins also gives techniques to use with the uncertain singer. He states that it is first
imperative to determine if the student understands high/low pitches. He also encourages teachers
to use simple melodies to teach, rather than individual pitches on the piano. By steady work and
156Don L. Collins, “The Changing Voice-The High School Challenge,” Choral Journal (October 1987). Don L.
Collins, “The Changing Voice-A Future Challenge,” Choral Journal (October 1987). Don L. Collins, “Rehearsal
Break: Preferred Practices in Teaching Boys Whose Voices Are Changing,” Choral Journal (November 2006).
157 Don L. Collins, Teaching Choral Music, second Edition Prentice Hall Upper Saddle River, NJ 1999.
158 Ibid., 196-198.
159 Ibid.
160 Ibid., 202-203.
35
practice, most students are capable of determining pitch. Collins warns that the worst action
taken by teachers is to ignore the students because this will create a student who does not enjoy
or participate in singing.161 Many of the other techniques that Collins uses to classify changing
voices will be discussed when reviewing the writings by Cooper.
COOPER’S PUBLICATIONS ON CHANGING VOICE
Cooper’s first published article about the changing voice was in the Music Educator’s
Journal in 1950. In this article, Cooper firmly states that it is not the boys with changing voices
that are the problem, but rather the teaching practices that are presented to them. 162 Cooper
discovered this while on a camping trip as a scoutmaster during his time in Montreal, Canada. He
observed boys in middle school being relegated to non-singing tasks while their voices changed.
This, after all, was the traditional practice in the 1940’s in Canada. While on this camping trip,
Cooper noticed the boys singing “raucously” around the campfire. At that point he discovered
that the boys were capable of singing, and rushed to his home to have the boys sing around the
piano. He discovered that boys were incapable of singing in the previously determined pitch of
the music he wanted them to sing, but were successful when they were allowed to select a
comfortable range. At this point he discovered the core philosophy to the Cambiata Concept. He
states “No attempt should be made to make the voice fit already existing music. The music
should be made to fit the voice.”163 Cooper embarked on his life’s work: to understand the
changing voice and the ways to teach boys to sing throughout the voice change. 164
161 Ibid., 203-204.

162 Irvin Cooper, “The Junior High Choral Problem,” Music Educators Journal 37 No. 2 (1950): 20.
163 Don L. Collins, The Cambiata Concept [Conway, AR: Cambiata Press 1982]: 2-3.
164 Ibid.
36
Cooper discovered that teachers in middle school classrooms were programming music
that was outside the range and tessitura the boys were capable of singing, and therefore their
voice cracked. Many boys who were not able to cope with the range were labeled as
“nonsingers” and were often discarded in musical pursuits. Cooper debunked some traditional
fallacies when working with adolescent boys. He disregarded the notion that the boys’ voice
“breaks.”165 He instead offers, that if proper range and tessitura are maintained during singing,
their voices are capable of beautiful singing.
Cooper discounted the notion that SAB music is appropriate for changing voices because
the range of the baritone part is often both too high and too low for a changing voice. By
programming this music, conductors are asking students to sing music they are physically
incapable of singing, which creates frustration in the teacher and the young singer.166
The term Cambiata comes from the Italian word nota cambiata, which translates as
changing note. This term was expanded to mean changing voice. Cooper changed the term to
cambiata from “alto-tenor,” because he felt the boys’ range was neither alto nor tenor and
labeling the voice as that was counterintuitive. He also affirmed that the label cambiata gave the
boys a sense of pride, rather than being labeled as an alto, a female classification.167
COOPER’S METHODOLOGY
Cooper proposed that to solve the problem of the adolescent voice change for singing,
four things had to take place: the teacher must, “(a) identify each boy’s voice according to
quality and range, classifying it accurately as soprano, cambiata or baritone, (b) organize the
165 Cooper, “The Junior High Choral Problem,” 20.

166 Ibid., 21.
167 Ibid.
37
boys into part groups, (c) integrate these groups with girls’ voices and, (d) select singing material
within the vocal ranges of these various parts.”168 These steps summarize Cooper’s methodology
for working with the changing voice.
Cooper not only wrote about the changing voice, but also created a color film that
showed him working with a demonstration choir, using the Cambiata Concept. This film is titled
The Changing Voice169 and shows Cooper working with a local junior high school choir from
Tallahassee, FL. There is only one copy of this film known to exist, and is located at Texas A&M
University in Commerce, Texas. In the film, he demonstrates the proper voice placement of
students on the standing risers and the position of the piano. The film also shows Cooper
teaching the students his arrangement of “Santa Lucia.” He discusses the issues that are reflected
in his book such as placement of singers on risers, the sequence to teach music to adolescent
choirs, and demonstrates the rote learning process for adolescent voices.
CLASSIFYING VOICES
Cooper had an innovative process when classifying voices. He stated that boys must be
tested in groups so as not to misclassify the cambiata voices. He described the cambiata voice as
an “aural illusion.”170 He continued by saying that many confuse timbre with pitch when
classifying the cambiata voices. When heard individually, the teacher is often confused with the
octave in which the boys are singing, but by testing in groups it is clearly discernible who is a
soprano, a cambiata, and a baritone. 171
168 Ibid.
169 Irvin Cooper, The Changing Voice, 16 mm film, [Tallahassee, Florida: University Broadcasting Services, 1965].
170 Irvin Cooper, Changing Voices in Junior High: Letters to Pat [New York: Carl Fisher, 1953]: 18.
171 Ibid., 18-19.
38
Cooper advocated keeping the process of classifying boys simple and fast, so as not to
lose the boys’ interest.172 He would have them stand in a row and instruct them to sing a well
known song (“Jingle Bells,”173 “Way Down Upon the Swanee River,” or “Old Folks at
Home.” 174) For example, when students sing “Jingle Bells,” pitch the song in the key of D major
to begin. The boys will immediately select the octave that is comfortable to them. When the
lower octave is determined, tap those singers and seat them. This is the baritone section. The
changing voices will often be singing an interval between the baritone and upper octave singers.
The same process is repeated, but in the key of A♭ major. At this point the teacher will tap the
boys that are singing in the upper octave. These are the sopranos, or boys who have not entered
the voice change. The boys left are the cambiate.175 The difficulty of identifying the changing
voices has been lessened by the process of elimination. This process of classifying boys is the
most effective means of voice testing.176
Cooper’s first text on the topic of changing voices was an informal type of
correspondence. Changing Voices in Junior High: Letters to Pat,177 centers on a new middle
school teacher and her experienced master teacher “Uncle John.”178 In this text Pat writes to
Uncle John concerning the initial stages of starting a choral position at a middle school. She asks
about range, voice classification, arranging of music, riser lineup, and various other topics.
172 Ibid., 20.

173 Irvin Cooper and Karl O. Kursteiner, Teaching Junior High School Music, 32.
174 Cooper, Letters to Pat, 19.
175 Plural for cambiata.
176 Cooper & Kursteiner, Teaching Junior High, 31-34.
177 Irvin Cooper, Changing Voices in Junior High: Letters to Pat [Carl Fisher New York 1953].
178 Ibid.
39
Cooper uses this as an informal way to share his methodology of the Cambiata Concept. He
instructs Pat about his method for identifying the various voice parts found in middle school
choir.
Cooper warns Pat of the many difficulties she will face when selecting literature for the
singers. He informs her that adolescent singers are capable of singing well if the music is
appropriate for their voices. He states that the vast majority of adult literature is outside the range
of adolescent voices. Cooper states, “Grade of difficulty is not the issue; it is strictly a matter of
range.”179 He continues along this vein by stating that any music outside the correct tessitura he
recommends will not be successful, regardless of technical difficulty of the piece.180
Cooper gives valuable advice about the placement of the boy sopranos. The unchanged
voice in middle school is often as problematic as the changing voice. This is likely due to the
social stigma; these boys do not consider themselves as masculine as those who have entered or
completed puberty. Cooper gives the reader different formations that keep the boy sopranos from
looking as if they are in the girl’s section.181 The text is easy to read and concise, and is an
excellent means of sharing the Cambiata Concept because the book is easily read quickly. This
type of writing showed Cooper’s commitment to sharing his methodology to help teachers and
boys involved in the voice change.
The adolescent voice change is a topic that has been problematic for music educators for
many years. By attempting to understand the historical methodologies used to teach these
179 Ibid., 12.

180 Ibid.
181 Ibid., 29-30.
40
students, future educators are able to continue to refine teaching techniques to enhance this stage
of learning.
41
CHAPTER 3
EARLY LIFE AND CAREER
Irvin Cooper was born on August 16, 1900, in Nelson, England to John R. Cooper182 and
Amilia Cooper.183 The youngest of four boys, Irvin Cooper came from a musical family, but his
brothers did not feel that music was a proper career. 184 In spite of this, Cooper became a
musician. He began his education at the Lancaster Royal Grammar School, 185 a boys boarding
school that has a historic past. The school was founded during the 13th century and has proved
the foundation for many successful boys in England. Cooper served in the Royal Air Force from
1918 to 1919 before embarking on his musical career.186 While not much is known about
Cooper’s early life, it is reasonable to believe that education was important to the Cooper family.
According to an interview with his wife Winnifred, Irvin Cooper’s earliest dream of being
a musician was to become a concert pianist. This unfortunately never came to fruition because
Cooper, being a man of small stature, reportedly had “short stubby fingers.”187 Cooper did have
an appointment as the accompanist for the famed orchestral conductor of the London
182 Irvin Cooper, McGill Graduate Application, 1943, received on January 25, 2013.
183 State of Florida, Office of Vital Statistics Certificate of Death for Irvin Cooper. Retrieved March 28, 2013.
184 Winnifred Cooper, interviewed by Don Collins, Sarasota, FL, no date, likely 1970’s.
185 Irvin Cooper, curriculum vitae, received on December 13, 2012.
186 Ibid.
42
Philharmonic, Sir Thomas Beecham.188 He was appointed to this position while a student at the
Royal Academy of Music in Manchester England.
His education was different from modern music educators. As was typical in the 1920’s,
Cooper taught music for some time without a completed bachelor’s degree. He enrolled at
McGill University in Montreal and graduated with a Bachelor of Music degree in 1925. 189 The
bachelor’s degree allowed Cooper to eventually become the Supervisor of Music for the
Protestant School District in Montreal. Montreal had a Protestant School District and a French
School District. The Protestant District was English speaking and the French School District was
French speaking.190 Cooper would earn his master’s degree and doctorate from L’Universitie de
Montreal.191 He attempted a Music Doctorate degree at McGill University, but records show that
he did not complete the requirements for the degree.192 While in the doctoral program at McGill
University, Cooper was a student of the famed Anglican hymn composer and organist Healy
Willan.193 According to an article printed in the Montreal Gazette, Cooper completed his
doctorate sometime between April of 1945 and December of 1945 from L’Universitie de
Montreal.194
188 Ibid.
189 Irvin Cooper, McGill Transcript, 1943, received on January 25, 2013.
190 http://www.relocatecanada.com/montreal/educate.html
191 Cooper Curriculum Vitae
192 McGill Transcript
193 John Cooper, interviewed by Don Collins, Sarasota, FL, no date, likely, 1970’s.
194
“Leaving for New York.” Montreal Gazette. April 17, 1945.
“Music Plans Postponed.” Montreal Gazette. December 11, 1945.
43
In 1925, while still in England, Cooper answered an advertisement for a teaching position
in the Montreal Protestant School District in Canada. 195 The Montreal job was originally filled
by a different person who did not show up for the post, this led the school district to send out a
desperate call for music teachers. Cooper was hired and in October of 1925 boarded a ship in
Liverpool, UK and began the journey to Montreal.196 While in transit to the docks, Irvin Cooper
shared a rail car with the Scaife family. The patriarch of the family noted to Cooper that it would
be a cold journey to Canada if Irvin did not find a hat to wear. The man was his future father-in-
law, and his daughter Winnifred Scaife, with whom Irvin Cooper would cross paths repeatedly
on the ship during the journey. Once they arrived in Canada, the Scaifes returned to their home in
Toronto and Cooper left to start his position as a high school choral and band director at West
Hill High, a part of the Protestant School Board system of Montreal.197 Irvin Cooper and
Winnifred Scaife continued to correspond during their separation, occasionally seeing one
another in person. The two were married in September 1927.198
Cooper began his post in 1925 and remained a teacher until 1940. During his time as a
teacher he was known for the “shows” he directed, which were entirely made up of his students.
Cooper’s family discussed his love for Gilbert and Sullivan.199 He often would arrange and adapt
Gilbert and Sullivan’s music to make it more vocally practical for the young students,200 a skill
that would be useful in the future when he began composing and arranging for changing voices.
196 Ibid.
197 Ibid.
198 Ibid.
199 Ibid.
200 Ibid.
44
A newspaper announcement from the Montreal Gazette in 1936 advertised a performance
of Gilbert and Sullivan’s “Yeoman of the Guard.”201 The announcement stated that the program
would be comprised of seniors from West Hill High School and would also include a full
orchestra. Special sets and costumes were prepared for the performance and the article
encouraged the local citizens to attend. Irvin Cooper was the director and conductor of the
performance. Another Gilbert and Sullivan performance took place in 1938. West Hill High
performed “H.M.S. Pinafore” and the performance was well received with successful reviews.202
The newspaper review discussed the excellent theater department that existed at West Hill High.
It noted that the theater was the primary focus of excellence for the school until Irvin Cooper
began producing Gilbert and Sullivan operettas.203 The writer notes that the students were the
focus of the performance and not outside musicians. Cooper was committed to having the
students performing in the primary roles, and not in subsidiary roles.204
The reviewer described the performance as having, “a musical freshness that was as
enjoyable as it was unusual,”205 and continued to praise the students on their ability to sing well
and act well. This was a great achievement when using high school students in the primary
roles.206 The author also praised the chorus and described them as, “large, agile and well
trained.”207 No mention was given of the orchestra other than that it was a full orchestra
201 Sing “Yeoman” Tomorrow, Montreal Gazette, April 23, 1936.

202 “West Hill Players in “Pinafore” Give Fine Musical Performance” Montreal Gazette, February 24, 1938.
203 Ibid.
204 Ibid.
205 Ibid.
206 Ibid.
207 Ibid.
45
conducted by Irvin Cooper. This display of excellent performance personified Irvin Cooper as a
teacher who put the development of his students first. A performance of this difficulty with
mostly West Hill students speaks well of his teaching ability.
MUSIC EDUCATION PHILOSOPHY
Cooper felt that everyone should have a thorough understanding of music to contribute to
the overall culture. He felt that music education should begin in the schools and continue into the
concert hall.208 In a meeting with the Montreal Women’s Club, Cooper discussed how a “tiny
motif” becomes a great symphony.209 He used the piano and recordings as a means of
demonstrating his points. Cooper stated in his lecture that programmers should “remember that
the audience comes to be entertained, and not to listen to musicians doing their practicing.”210
The lecture reveals Cooper’s vision of having music appreciation societies that encourage and
support the performance and education of western art music.211
Cooper was involved in other civic organizations and often worked with community
theaters in productions of musicals and operettas. In 1939, one of Cooper’s own compositions
was performed in a wartime show titled “Chin Up.”212 The song, “Look For the Rainbow,” was
sung by Ross Hamilton playing the male character “Majorie.” “Chin Up,” was designed to
provide entertainment during wartime and took place at His Majesty’s Theatre on Christmas Day.
The show featured the lighter side of military life and included pantomime, impersonations,
208 Cooper and Kursteiner, Teaching Junior High Music, 1-2.

209 “Design of Minuet is Lecture Theme,” Montreal Gazette. November 30, 1937.
210 Ibid.
211 Ibid.
212 “Song in ‘Chin Up’ By Irvin Cooper.” Montreal Gazette. December 21, 1939.
46
dancing, and singing.213 Cooper was involved in variety shows that performed for mobilized
military units that featured several local actors and singers. 214 Students and recent alumni from
West Hill High performed two songs from a new recording by R.C.A. Victor in the show.215 It is
unclear if Cooper conducted the students, but it is possible he conducted his choir in singing his
composition and other pieces.
In 1942 Cooper, as Director of Music for the Montreal Protestant School Board,
announced a series of international goodwill concerts. He felt that music should play an integral
role in mending international differences during the war. The project was an extension of a
previous festival by the Provincial Festival of School Music that was held in the Forum, a large
venue in Montreal.216 The festival was organized and executed by the Provincial Association of
Protestant Teachers and was organized as a non-competitive event that featured students’
performance. Cooper provided a comment for the newspaper article:
....during last Saturday’s Festival, an English boy sat side by side with three other
youngsters-Czech, Polish and Belgian respectively. They were all in the string section of
the orchestra and during an eight-bar rest, each counted the beat in his native tongue. At
the conclusion of the rest, they came in together ‘as a single man’.217
Cooper and others found this festival to be a great opportunity to showcase the diversity of the
Montreal Protestant School District and promote peace between nations through music. 218
213 Ibid.
214 “Second Variety Show Listed for Wednesday.” Montreal Gazette. December 18, 1939.
215 Ibid.
216
“Goodwill Concert Projects Planned, Will Be Inaugurated in Local Schools Next Year as International Gesture.”
Montreal Gazette. May 29, 1942.
217 Ibid.
218 Ibid.
47
Another major event that took place before the “Goodwill Concerts” was an elaborate
program that combined schools from several provinces entitled the Provincial Festival of School
Music. On May 23, 1942, Cooper, along with the music supervisor from Quebec, organized a
mass concert that took place in the Forum.219 The concert included elementary choir, high school
girls choir, high school boys choir, high school mixed choir, combined chorus, orchestra, and
band.220 It was broadcast in Canada and The United States. The students performed a variety of
music from all eras of musical history, also including a combined choir piece composed by Irvin
Cooper.221 This was another example of Cooper’s diligence in providing the students of the
Protestant School District with opportunities to create music.
In June of 1942, an article was published in the Montreal Gazette that discussed a
controversy created at the Provincial Festival of School Music. 222 Some citizens were concerned
that “O Canada” was sung at the music festival and “God Save the King,” the official Canadian
national anthem, was not. This angered many people and Irvin Cooper was compelled to give an
unofficial statement. Cooper stated that “O Canada” was used as a Canadian patriotic song, and
was a counterpart to the “Star Spangled Banner,” which was sung as a tribute to the United
States, where the program was also broadcast.223 He said that “O Canada” was not a replacement
for “God Save the King.”224 Cooper goes on to say: “...any song which the public accepts for use
on formal and state occasions and which fosters a spirit of patriotism and national unity can
219 “Elaborate Program Scheduled for School Festival Tonight.” Montreal Gazette. May 23, 1942.
220 Ibid.
221 Ibid.
222 “Debate on Anthem Brings Statement.” Montreal Gazette. June 10, 1942.
223 Ibid.
224 Ibid.
48
justly be termed a national anthem.”225 The broadcasters at NBC in New York had announced
that “O Canada” was Canada’s national anthem. This was done by people in New York and was
not a reflection of the beliefs of the music festival.226
Cooper further stated that “O Canada” is a justifiable song for a national anthem. He felt
that Canada should create their own identity through the national anthem. He stated in the article:
If we, as British Canadians, insist in the old imperial fashion in saying that what was
good enough for my grandfather is good enough for me and for my neighbor as well,
regardless of what he found good, we shall never foster unity among Canadians....If the
performance of any national song inspires such respect in an audience that it rises to its
feet, such an expression is surely well-founded and worthy of recognition.227
It is unclear if this event contributed to the debate of the Canadian national anthem, but Cooper
defended his actions in programming the piece, and he also felt that it was an acceptable song on
behalf of the Canadian people.
In October of 1942, Cooper conducted an interview with the Montreal Gazette on his new
theory of adolescent voice change.228 In this article, Cooper described how the old theory of
resting the boys voice creates a lack of interest in singing later in life. He stated that this has
created thousands of boys who were no longer interested in singing, and if they did come back
had lost the previous instruction they would have gained in singing.229 Cooper conducted an
experiment at Devonshire School in Montreal with “quite exceptional success.”230 Cooper
225 Ibid.
226 Ibid.
227 Ibid.
228 “Cooper Introduces ‘Teen-age’ Singing.” Montreal Gazette. October 19, 1942.
229 Ibid.
230 Ibid.
49
described the range of the changing voice and called them “alto-tenors,”231 subscribing to the
system espoused by Duncan McKenzie. 232 In his first book Letters to Pat,233 Cooper adamantly
opposed the term “alto-tenor,” and stated that it did not accurately describe the range of the
changing voice.234 The article also mentioned the arrangements of Cooper by Gordon Thompson
Publishing of Toronto for the changing voice. 235 The article concluded by discussing how this
new method would greatly impact music education for future changing voices. 236 From this point
on, Cooper made understanding the changing voice his focus as well as teaching adolescent boys
to sing.
In 1944, Cooper, along with other teachers, presented Gilbert and Sullivan’s
“Gondoliers” with 7th grade students from Herbert Symonds School in Montreal. The students
included girls and boys in the process of voice change and was accompanied by a professional
orchestra. Cooper adapted the musical parts to ensure that the ranges were appropriate for
changing voices. This production is an extension of the methodology that Cooper championed in
1942. Cooper described the event and students voices as, “an entirely new type of voice with a
very high tone range of unsuspected versatility.”237 No follow up review can be found, but it can
be assumed that the experiment worked because of the continued development of the Cambiata
Concept.
231 Ibid.
1956].
233 Irvin Cooper, Letters to Pat [New York: Carl Fisher Inc., 1953].
234 Ibid, 4.
235 ‘Teen-age Singing.’ Montreal Gazette. October 19, 1942.
236 Ibid.
237 “Pupils to Present ‘The Gondoliers.’” Montreal Gazette. April 4, 1944.
50
Later, in April of 1944, Cooper and 4,500 Catholic and Protestant students presented a
patriotic concert in honor of the war effort. The Loan Rally included students from 55 schools
performing at the Forum in Montreal. Cooper conducted a choir of 2,500 7th grade boys and
girls for this performance.238 The concert was well received by the audience and further
strengthened Cooper’s resolve to teach adolescents.
In an article posted in the February 10, 1944 Montreal Gazette, Cooper advocated for
music education. He described school music as, “one of the most important media of
international communications.”239 In the article, Cooper also discussed the need for music in the
post war reconstruction. He revealed the plans for Montreal to host the Music Educator’s
National Conference in 1946 and revealed the planning of an international music festival. 240 A
letter from Irvin Cooper to Dr. Cyril James, found in the McGill University Archives, discussed
how Dr. James invited the MENC241 leadership to hold the conference in Montreal.242 Also
discussed in the 1944 Gazette article was a summary of the music courses that were available to
students in public schools in Montreal. Students had the option to obtain credit in high school
ensembles, as well as the general music course. Cooper had junior high school students sing with
the Willingdon Elementary string orchestra as a demonstration for the MENC leadership of the
music that was taking place in public education in Montreal.243
238 “4,500 Pupils Will Join in Loan Rally.” Montreal Gazette. April 24, 1944.
239 “School Music Stressed.” Montreal Gazette. February 10, 1944.
240 Ibid.
241 Music Educator’s National Conference, an American music education organization.
242 Manuscript-March 20, 1944.
243 February 10, 1944 Montreal Gazette article.
51
In April of 1945, Irvin Cooper travelled to New York to take part in the War Emergency
Council on Music Education. Cooper was the only Canadian music educator included in the
meeting that was arranged by the United States government. The committee agreed to take part
in the 1947 International Festival of School Music that was to be held in Montreal.244 An article
in the Montreal Gazette later that year, announced the postponement of the International Festival
of School Music to 1949.245 The article does not discuss why the festival was postponed.
While the International School Music Festival was postponed, the program did take place
in April of 1947. It is unclear why the festival took place in 1947 as opposed to 1949 as
originally announced. Irvin Cooper was the president of the organization committee and was also
the founder of the festival. In 1946, the festival received a $3,000 dollar grant from the Quebec
government to help fund the event.246 In October 1946, local hotels pledged their support for the
festival by opening rooms to travelers and students. The biggest surprise came from Canada’s
Minister for Air, the Honorable Colin Gibson, who allowed the participants in the festival to use
the sleeping quarters at St. Hubert Airport for students.247 The use of the air force base was likely
due to Cooper serving in the Royal Canadian Air Force from 1942-1945.248 This relieved a major
problem that the festival committee was trying to solve. 249
The International Festival of School Music began on April 24, 1947 and included 12,000
children and over 1,000 performers from the United States. The concerts included 59 school
244 “Leaving for New York.” Montreal Gazette. April 17, 1945.
245 “Music Festival Plans Postponed Until 1949.” Montreal Gazette. December 11, 1945.
246 “Plan Festival of School Music to be Given at Forum in April.” Montreal Gazette. November 4, 1946.
247 Ibid.
248 Cooper Curriculum Vitae
249“Plan Festival of School Music to be Given at Forum in April.” Montreal Gazette. November 4, 1946.
52
choruses, 44 bands and 42 orchestras.250 An article in the Ottawa Citizen described the festival as
“one of the finest ever staged.”251 The article states that students from 80 Canadian and United
States towns participated in the festival. The festival included a parade of more than 20 bands
who marched through the Montreal streets to begin the festival. 252
Another article in the Ottawa Citizen described the music that was to be performed on the
night of April 26, 1947. Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue was performed by an all Montreal student
orchestra, with William Stevens as the piano soloist. The article also mentioned that students
from the United States enjoyed visiting Montreal. Over 1,000 students from the New England
states were in attendance at the festival and openly discussed their appreciation for Montreal. The
finale of the festival took place on April 27, 1947. The headline in the Ottawa Citizen on April
28, 1947 read, “Festival Finale Impressive Event.”253 The final night of the festival included a
mass choir, combined band,and combined orchestra of all the schools that participated. The
Ottawa Citizen estimated that 12,000 students took part in the finale concert.254
The final concert was presented in three stages, one for each ensemble. The final eight
pieces of the eighteen piece concert were broadcast by the Canadian Broadcasting
Corporation. 255 The final choral number included children from 59 schools from Canada and the
United States. The choir sang six pieces, one of which was the French-Canadian folk song
250 “Montreal Band Festival Gets Underway.” Lewiston Evening Journal. April 25, 1947.
251 “Kern, Gershwin Music at Montreal Festival.” Ottawa Citizen. April 26, 1947.
252 Ibid.
253 “Festival Finale Impressive Event.” Ottawa Citizen. April 28, 1947.
254 Ibid.
255 Ibid.
53
“Marianne S’en va-t-au Moulin.”256 The band, composed of students from 44 schools played
“Colonel Bogey March” and John Phillip Sousa’s “Semper Fidelis,” among other selections. The
orchestra played the “Overture” to Giacomo Rossini’s The Barber of Seville and Giuseppe
Verdi’s “Grand March” from Aida.257 The combined event included quality literature for all the
performance ensembles, a tenet of Irvin Cooper’s teaching. The final number was conducted by
Irvin Cooper and was a combined effort of all the ensembles of Mascagni’s “Light Divine” from
Cavalieria Rusticana.258 By all accounts, the International Festival of School Music was an
overwhelming success. The next weeks however would provide an unforeseen problem that
nearly tarnished the success of the festival.
The members of the Montreal chapter of the American Federation of Musicians were
upset with the recordings that were made during the International School Music Festival. Irvin
Cooper, a member of the Federation, resigned immediately in protest upon receiving a request to
appear at a formal hearing. Cooper told the Montreal Gazette he: “expected to answer the
summons in the interests of education and in the hope that a satisfactory understanding can be
reached between educational and union authorities regarding future recordings.”259 The
Federation accused the festival committee of making recordings with the intent to sell them,
without giving the union musicians their proper royalties.
The Music Guild of Montreal (also known as the American Federation of Musicians)
conducted a hearing on May 6, 1947, to discuss the recordings of the International Festival of
256 Ibid.
257 Ibid.
258 Ibid.
259 Ibid.
54
School Music.260 In a “trial” that lasted from 3 p.m. to 5:30 p.m., Cooper assured the guild that
the recordings made at the festival would not be used in commercials sales, but were produced
for educational purposes.261 A compromise was reached between Irvin Cooper and the guild
when Cooper explained that he had no knowledge of the recordings of the festival. The
committee also refused Cooper’s earlier attempt to resign from the guild and reinstated him with
the label member in “good standing.”262 The events of this dispute created international news
when members from the United States Congressional U.S. Labor Committee attended the
hearing. Members of the House of Representatives Carroll Kearns, from Pennsylvania, and
Richard M. Nixon, from California, were in attendance to find out “why the guild refused the
recordings.”263 The members of Congress were quoted as saying: “they could not understand
why the A.F. of M (American Federation of Musicians) had not shown more common sense in
treating the whole controversy.”264 The general feeling from newspaper articles at the time was
that the Musicians Guilded acted badly. This feeling was certainly reflected in an article in the
Windsor Daily Star on June 28, 1947. The article written by Isabel Turnbull began: “The long
arm of J. Caesar Petrillo [head of the Orchestra Guild] stretched into Canada threatening to
disrupt the Internal Festival of School Music held recently in Montreal, and attended by 12,500
children from all parts of Quebec, several Ontario points and New England States.”265 Turnbull
reflected on what Irvin Cooper said regarding the use of recordings for educational purposes, but
260 “Dr. Cooper and Guild Shake Hands as Music Festival Dispute Ends.” Montreal Gazette. May 7, 1947.
261 Ibid.
262 Ibid.
263 Ibid.
264 Ibid.
265 Isabel Turnbull, “School Festival,” The Windsor Daily Star. June 28, 1947.
55
stated that no recordings were produced. The article mentioned plans for another international
festival to take place in Denmark in 1950.
The International Festival of School Music was Irvin Cooper’s crown jewel as the
Supervisor of Music in Montreal. In 1947, Cooper resigned his position as Supervisor of Music
and was invited by Stanstead College in Quebec, to revitalize their curriculum. According to his
son John, Irvin Cooper left Montreal as Supervisor of Music because of “politics.”266 Cooper was
also charged with leading the department at Stanstead College for a year until it was “back on
track.”267 Stanstead College was a well known boarding school for junior high and high school
boys. During his time at Stanstead, Cooper had a heart attack. According to his son John, doctors
were afraid that Cooper would not survive the event, but fortunately he did. 268
Cooper stayed at Stanstead for one year and moved his family to Toronto to be an editor
for the publisher Gordon V. Thompson. Cooper worked for Thompson for two years but
according to his family, did not enjoy the work.269 Thompson was more interested in the success
of publishing rather than advocating for music education, and Cooper felt that many of the
decisions were based on monetary philosophy rather than music education philosophy.270
In 1949, Cooper was presenting at a conference at Hartley College when he met Karl
Kursteiner, the Dean of Florida State University School of Music. At this conference, Kursteiner
was impressed by Cooper’s Cambiata Concept and his success with teaching adolescent voices.
Kursteiner persuaded Cooper to take a trial teaching position at Florida State for a summer to
266 John Cooper, e-mail message to author, March 7, 2013.

268 John Cooper, interviewed by Don Collins, Sarasota, FL, no date, likely 1970’s.
269 Ibid.
270 Ibid.
56
gauge his interest in the job. Cooper obliged and vowed that he would never spend another
summer in north Florida. After the summer session, Kursteiner offered Cooper a full time
position, but Cooper declined. He said there were three reasons why he did not like Florida State
University. According to Cooper’s wife those reasons were: “it was too hot, he didn’t like the
politics or how they treated Negroes.”271 Kursteiner continued to ask Cooper to reconsider and,
eventually in 1950, the Coopers left Toronto and he took a position at Florida State University in
Tallahassee.
Cooper was not only engaged in being Supervisor of Music in Montreal in the 1930’s and
1940’s, but was also a lecturer at McGill University. According to Cooper’s registration
application to McGill in 1943, he had been a lecturer since 1926, the year after receiving his
Bachelor of Music degree from the same institution. 272 According to the McGill University staff
card for Irvin Cooper, he was an, “Instructor of Singing” from 1926-1928; Instructor for Piano
1930, 1936 and 1946; Lecturer in Theory of Music 1929 and 1946; Fellow Elective of Music
1930; Lecturer in Harmony and Counterpoint 1931-1944.273
Cooper also conducted the McGill Chorus and Orchestra during his tenure. In 1931 he
was the director of the Operatic and Choral Society, and during the same year the society
performed Gilbert and Sullivan’s Pirates of Penzance and “added considerably to the prestige of
the Society on the Campus.”274 Cooper was also heavily involved in the creation of the McGill
Concert Orchestra. The orchestra was created to accompany the Operatic and Choral Society on
271 Ibid.
272 Cooper Graduate Application. October 15, 1943.
273 Cooper, Irvin Cooper Staff Card from McGill University. October, 15, 1943.
274 Ibid.
57
performances, but developed into a stand alone ensemble. In 1933, the orchestra was
commended for its performance in “The Yeomen of the Guard.”275 In 1945, he reorganized the
McGill Choral Society to make the society integral to the music department at McGill.276
Cooper’s ability to balance many things while still providing a quality education, and
developing a groundbreaking methodology that changed music education, is a remarkable feat.
His influence would continue to grow as he became Professor of Music Education at one of the
largest schools of music in the United States.
COOPER’S YEARS AT FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY
In 1950, Irvin Cooper accepted a position as Professor of Music Education at Florida
State University in Tallahassee, Florida. 277 He was charged with teaching undergraduate and
graduate courses in choral music education as well as supervising graduate research. Not only
did he teach classes in Tallahassee at the main campus, but also taught extension courses in
Sarasota, Florida and St. Petersburg, Florida.278 In October of 1950, Cooper taught an extension
class at Mirror Lake Junior High School in St. Petersburg, Florida.279 Teachers that attended the
course were given the opportunity of earning three graduate or undergraduate credits. 280 This
course was a part of the extension courses that Cooper was assigned when he started at Florida
State.
275 Old McGill, 1933.

276 Old McGill 1945.
277 “New Music Professor is Native of Canada.” Fsview and The The Florida Flambeau, October 31, 1950.
278 Ibid.
279 “Mirror Lake School to Have Music Class.” The Evening Independent, October 16, 1950.
280 Ibid.
58
Cooper lead an active life of guest conducting and presenting workshops during his
tenure. In November of 1950, he represented music education at Florida State in “A Career in
Music” forum that was held to give “vocational guidance” to undergraduate students.281 The
forum was supervised by Dr. Karl Kursteiner and was presented by many faculty from the music
school. The topics presented were: “music education, music performance, church music, music
teaching, music composition, music librarianship and music therapy, and criticism.”282 In the
same month, Cooper also received acclaim from fellow music educators after a demonstration of
training junior high boys changing voices at a music educator’s convention in Harrisburg,
Pennsylvania.
In March of 1951, Cooper was the guest conductor of the junior high chorus of Florida
district number four of the Florida Vocal Association in Daytona, Florida. In April of the same
year he was the conductor of the Northeastern Vermont Festival.283 On April 18th and 19th,
Cooper demonstrated the “organization and training” of junior high students at the national
convention of the Music Educator’s National Conference (MENC).284 To conclude the spring of
1951, he was the guest conductor and adjudicator for the Vermont State Music Festival. At this
festival Cooper conducted 1,500 high school students in a performance of his composition, “God
Gave Us Song” at the conclusion of the festival.285 Dr. Cooper was actively sought after as a
281“Career in Music Will Be Discussed Next Wednesday.” Fsview and The The Florida Flambeau, November 10,
1950.
282 Ibid.
283 Ibid.
284 Ibid.
285 Ibid.
59
clinician for changing voice choirs, as reflected by the 1951 schedule. Through these
engagements he put into action the Cambiata Concept.
COOPER’S COMPOSITIONS
Cooper was not only known as a clinician but also a composer for adolescent voices. In
1951, he had three songs published, which he described as appropriate for changing voices
because of how the parts were written. He called them “Melody part-songs.”286 The part writing
was done to “...provide interesting singing material for all voices. Too often the inner voices of a
chorus merely fill a supporting role for the more fortunate sopranos...In these songs, every part
has an independent tune of its own to sing.”287 Cooper believed it was imperative for music to be
created specifically for changing voices rather than attempting to have the voices fit music
written for adults or changed voices.
In 1953 Cooper gave junior high demonstrations at the junior high glee clubs at
Seabreeze High School.288 He gave comments to the choir in lieu of a rating and gave a
demonstration to teachers on how to properly work with adolescent voices. Later in 1953, he
gave a demonstration at the 19th Annual Convention of the Florida State Music Teachers
Association.289 The conference of Florida music teachers was an excellent place to give
demonstrations on working with the troublesome adolescent voice. In 1955 at the Midwinter
Music Clinic at the University of Wisconsin, Cooper states “the teen-aged boy who is going
286 “Cooper is Composer of 3 New Songs.” The Fsview and The Florida Flambeau, June 22, 1951.
287 Ibid.
288“11 High Schools Receive Superior Rating in District Vocal Festival.” Daytona Beach Morning Journal, March
14, 1953.
289 “400 Musicians Meet for Teachers Convention.” Fsview and The The Florida Flambeau, October 30, 1953.
60
through a change of voice is not a dead duck when it comes to singing.”290 According to an
article in the Eugene Register-Guard, Cooper had classified 400,000 juvenile voices by 1955, an
incredible feat for any educator. Finally, in 1955, he gave a clinic at the Florida Agricultural and
Mechanical University in Tallahassee. This demonstration included many high school students
and teachers from throughout the state.291
Cooper continued his workshop and judging activities throughout his career. Other places
where Cooper judged include the district 2 festival in Sarasota, Florida in 1961292 and again at
the district 2 festival at Riverview High School in Sarasota in 1965. 293 Cooper’s ability to
properly assess the ability of junior high students made him a common adjudicator for district
festivals in Florida.
Cooper conducted a significant workshop at Converse College in Spartanburg, South
Carolina in 1962. The workshop was designed for junior high teachers and students and was
sponsored by the local Music Educator’s National Conference chapter.294 In the two day
conference he addressed issues such as voice classification procedures, introduction to four part
singing, discussions for teachers, and instructional materials for teachers. The workshop used
Cooper’s own writings and compositions as demonstration tools for the participants.295 In 1963,
Cooper presented a workshop for the sisters at Rosarian Academy. The workshop included
290 “Teen-Age Voice Not a Total Loss.” Eugene Register-Guard, September 8, 1955.
291 “FAMU Music Clinic Scheduled on May 7.” St. Petersburg Times, April 4, 1955.
292 “District 2 Chorus Music Festival Scheduled Here Friday, Saturday.” Sarasota Journal, March 8, 1961.
293 “Riverview Hosts Vocal Festival.” Sarasota Herald-Tribune, March 23, 1965.
294 “Converse Music Workshop To Aid Junior High Teachers.” The News and Courier, October 8, 1962.
295 Ibid.
61
similar topics to those presented at the Converse College event. 296 In 1968, he conducted a
workshop at Florence State University in Florence, Alabama. This was a two day conference
designed for junior high and high school teachers, organized in the same fashion as the Converse
College and Rosarian Academy, but included new materials recently published by Cooper. 297
These newly published materials included his sight-singing method book, The Reading Singer,298
and his college textbook Teaching Junior High School Music.299
In 1963, Cooper received a grant from the Florida State University Research Council to
travel to England to study the differences between the American adolescent voice change and the
British adolescent voice change. Cooper worked and gathered data in the “Midlands, southwest
England, London, Edinburgh, and the counties of Lancashire and Yorkshire” area for 8 weeks
before returning to the United States.300 The purpose of the study was to determine if boys in the
British boychoir tradition enter the voice change at the same age as American students (12-15
years of age). Cooper was allowed to work with boys in cathedral choirs as well as boarding
school choirs in the specified areas of Great Britain. He found that boys in Great Britain
experienced the same voice change issues as adolescent boys in the United States. 301
Cooper found that many of the music masters in England still subscribed to the traditional
method of allowing the boy’s voice to rest during the changing process. Music teachers, when
296 “Music Workshop Held at Rosarian Academy.” The Palm Beach Post, September 28, 1963.
297 “Choral Workshop Scheduled.” Times Daily, December 21, 1968.
298 Irvin Cooper, The Reading Singer, [Boston, MA Allyn and Bacon Inc.: 1964].
1965].
301Irvin Cooper, “A Study of Boys’ Changing Voices in Great Britain.” Music Educator’s Journal 51 (November
1964): 118.
62
asked about boys ages 12-15 responded, “We don’t use boys at that age, their voices are breaking
and thus unusable.”302 Cooper demonstrated for these teachers his method of classifying and
working with voices in the proper range. His process worked as it did in Canada and the United
States, and demonstrated to British music teachers that boys during the voice change can sing
beautifully if given music in the proper range. 303 He realized that not all teachers would change
their method, but by teaching his Cambiata Concept he encouraged them to include changing
voices in their singing program. He also admitted that this was a pilot study and that the findings
could not be generalized to the entire boy population of Britain. 304 The connection between
Canadian, American, and British boys does add validity that this method. When introduced and
executed properly, it does encourage boys to sing through the voice change. Cooper was given an
honorary doctorate from the University of Manchester upon his return from England in 1963.305
After his return from England in 1965, Cooper and Kursteiner’s book, Teaching Junior
High School Music, was released. This book was intended to be used as a textbook for
undergraduate music education majors as it taught the Cambiata Concept through general music
courses in junior high school programs.
COOPER’S INFLUENTIAL STUDENTS
Dr. Irvin Cooper was highly revered by his students and his colleagues. In an interview
with Dr. Clifford Madsen of Florida State University, Madsen describes Cooper’s influence on
his career as a role model and mentor.306 Cooper also had other prominent music educators that
302 Ibid, 119.

303 Ibid.
304 Ibid, 120.
305 John Cooper, interviewed by Don Collins, Sarasota, FL, no date, likely 1970’s.
306 Clifford Madsen, phone interview with author, March 11, 2013.
63
studied with him during his time at Florida State University. These students include: Don
Collins, founder of the Cambiata Press and Cambiata Institute; John Cooksey (now deceased), a
prominent voice change researcher, Ava Adcock, music educator; and Wesley Coffman (now
deceased), music educator, along with countless others that were influenced by Irvin Cooper. Dr.
Alice-Ann Darrow of Florida State University is the current Irvin Cooper Professor of Music.
Darrow chose Cooper as her namesake because “Dr. Cooper had such a wonderful reputation
among his former students. It seems everyone truly loved the man.”307 The named professorship
is provided by the central administration of Florida State University and was designed to honor
great professors of various departments.308
Dr. Irvin Cooper died on November 26, 1971, after a brief battle with prostate cancer. He
passed away at Extended Care of Tallahassee Nursing Home and was buried at Roselawn
Cemetery in Tallahassee, Florida. 309 He was survived by his wife Winnifred, sons Donald and
John, and daughter Gweneth. A scholarship was established in his honor by the sisters of the
Sigma Alpha Iota music sorority of Florida State University. The scholarship is no longer in
existence but continued for some time after its inception.310 In 1972, Cooper was honored at a
Florida State and University of Florida football game by the FSU Marching Chiefs as a
renowned music educator. 311 His legacy continues through implementation of the Cambiata
Concept and in the teaching of junior high boys, who might otherwise still be excluded from
music education.
307 Alice-Ann Darrow, e-mail message to author, March 8, 2013.

308 Clifford Madsen, phone interview with author, March 11, 2013.
309 Irvin Cooper, “Death Certificate,” Florida Bureau of Vital Statistics, March 28, 2013.
310 John Cooper, e-mail message to author, March 7, 2013.
311 The Florida State Marching Band
64
CHAPTER 4
THE CAMBIATA CONCEPT
The Cambiata Concept is a methodology that was created by Irvin Cooper as a means to
keep adolescent boys singing through the voice change. Cooper developed this method in
response to the traditional theory that boys should not sing through the voice change.
Historically, there have been two schools of thought regarding the voice change process. In 1841,
Manuel Garcia II, published a treatise on singing. Garcia said that once the voice begins to
change, adolescents should not be allowed to sing. He stated: “If one impoverishes the vocal
organ by the practice of singing, or by any excesses whatsoever, one exhausts the plant before it
is fit to give fruit; one causes decay to succeed childhood.”312 Garcia went on to state that
students should not seriously study voice until the mutation is complete, which he described as
between the ages of seventeen to nineteen.313 Garcia’s approach of resting the voice during the
voice change was challenged by a 19th century contemporary Sir Morell Mackenzie, a prominent
laryngologist and voice physiologist. Mackenzie argued that the male voice changes gradually
and should therefore be mildly exercised during the mutation.314 Garcia’s philosophy became the
most commonly practiced in Europe and remained the method of dealing with changing voices
for nearly a century.
312Manuel Garcia, Excerpts from A Complete Treatise on the Art of Singing trans. Donald V. Paschke [Donald V.
Paschke 1970]: 29.
313 Ibid.
314Deso A. Weiss, “The Pubertal Change of the Human Voice (Mutation)” Folia Phonmtrical, no. 3 (1950):
127-128.
65
While resting the voice during the voice change was common practice in nineteenth
century European choirs, North American music educators did not subscribe to this method.
American and Canadian methodology has encouraged boys to sing throughout the voice change.
Since boys were encouraged to sing throughout the voice change, American and Canadian
educators were more concerned with how to teach the changing voice, rather than discouraging
boys from singing.315 This desire to keep boys singing during the voice change was Cooper’s
inspiration for the development of the Cambiata Concept.
Cooper discovered the need for a new philosophy of teaching changing voices while
working as Supervisor of Music in the Montreal, Quebec public schools. Cooper was observing
music teachers and noticed that the boys of junior high school age were not involved in the
music making process. Canadian educators, much like European teachers, felt that it would be
detrimental to have boys sing during the voice change.316 Cooper accepted this practice, but a
boy scout camping trip changed his philosophy. He noticed that boys that were relegated to
silence during music classes, were raucously singing around the campfire. He was convinced that
adolescent boys were capable of singing on pitch without causing damage to the voice. He
decided to test his hypothesis further and invited this group of scouts to his home to sing more.317
Cooper sat at the piano and played an elaborate introduction for the boys. He described
the event later: “I thought I would show out a bit.”318 After the elaborate introduction, Cooper
was greeted by unpleasant singing by the boys. He said that a few of the boys were near the
315Ryan A. Fisher, “British and American Theories of the Changing Male Voice: An Historical Overview,” Journal
of Historical Research in Music Education 31, no. 1 (October 2009): 42.
316 Don Collins, The Cambiata Concept. [Conway, AR: Cambiata Press, 1981]: 2.
317 Ibid, 2.
318 Ibid, 2.
66
melody, but most were considerably off pitch. Cooper then discovered that when allowed to
select the range themselves, boys were capable of singing beautifully, but had difficulty when
placed in a range unaccessible to their changing voices. With this knowledge, he created the
foundation of the Cambiata Concept. “No attempt should be made to make the voice fit already
existing music. The music should be made to fit the voice.”319 This idea would lead to a
methodology that is called the Cambiata Concept.
Cooper felt that the primary problem of teaching junior high music was not the students,
but the teacher. He felt that the boys’ changing voice was the most prominent problem in music
choral music education.320 Cooper expounded on the problems of junior high by discussing the
difficulty of scheduling, lack of budget, the lack of respect for junior high directors compared to
high school directors, and a lack of teacher training in adolescent voices in teacher preparation
programs.321 Many administrators are reluctant to segregate junior high music classes by
“singers” and “nonsingers.” Cooper believed this creates a problem with scheduling and also
creates division between the students. The teacher is often reluctant to take all students, “singers”
or “nonsingers,” because it creates a difficult teaching situation. What is often left is a select
choir of boys and girls, and students who have lacked training or were vocally undeveloped are
left out of music instruction.322
Cooper also combatted the notion that junior high directors are not as talented as high
school directors. Junior high teaching positions are often viewed as “stepping stone” positions,
319 Ibid, 3.
320 Irvin Cooper, Letters to Pat [New York: Carl Fisher Inc., 1953.]: 5.
321 Ibid, 6-7.
322 Ibid.
67
rather than lifelong careers.323 Cooper felt that this was misguided and if adolescent music
instruction was to improve, it must be seen as a successful career path. Cooper also realized the
lack of teacher training in junior high music by academic institutions. He stated that
undergraduate students are “talked” to about the “problem,” but are not given practical or hands-
on experience when dealing with changing voices.324 The Cambiata Concept sought to solve
these difficult problems of junior high music programs.
Cooper felt that the foundation for music instruction should be through a strong general
music program. While he advocated for the improvement of general music instruction, he did not
condemn performing ensembles. He correctly predicted that if music education does not include
a larger population of the school future funding would be in jeopardy. Cooper suggested that
students involved in the select ensembles should also receive general music instruction.325 By
teaching general music to all the population, music becomes an equal subject to math, science,
history, and literature. He firmly believed that singing is important to the general music program.
“Singing should be the core of the junior high school general music program.”326 Cooper felt that
singing is a necessary expression of the human spirit, and therefore must be taught to students. 327
Cooper discussed three parts of the junior high singing program: “learning to read music
vocally, class singing, and special performing groups such as choirs or ensembles.”328 In order
323 Ibid.
324 Ibid, 6-9.
1965], 2-3.
326 Ibid, 11.
327 Ibid, 11.
328 Ibid, 12.
68
for students to be able to sing they must be placed in the proper range and part for singing. He
claimed that unison singing is a fruitless activity for changing voices. Most of the voices that are
engaged in the changing process are not capable of singing the range required for unison songs.
Therefore, conductors must have vocal parts that are range appropriate for changing voices in
order for boys to succeed.329
Cooper divided junior high voice parts into four groups: sopranos (including unchanged
boys voices), cambiata (first change), baritones (boys in the second change) and bass (boys
changed voice). The ranges for these parts are shown below.330
Figure 1
Cooper felt that the music must be made to fit the voices, and directors must not select music that
is beyond these ranges. He stated that there will be exceptions to these ranges, but overall the
majority of voices will follow this pattern.331 Once teachers understand the ranges set forth by
Cooper, they can select music that adheres to these ranges.
Cooper suggested several criterion that should be considered when selecting music for
changing voices. These categories include: vocal range, the way individual parts are written,
329 Ibid, 12-13.

330 Ibid, 15.
69
intervallic progressions, articulation speed, appropriateness of text, and the musical integrity of
the piece. He advocated for interesting choral parts for adolescent voices. He found that
traditional voice writing was boring and more difficult to sing for young students to learn. To
remedy this problem, Cooper wrote melodic voice parts for all singers that were easier to learn
and retain. He said, “Each part while contributing to the over-all sonority should have something
quite individual to say, and phrases should move with some purpose to their own logical cadence
points.”332 Cooper also warned teachers against music that contains odd intervals in the voice
writing such as the major 6th, augmented intervals and the minor 7th. These intervals, according
to Cooper, are very difficult for changing voices to sing and should be avoided.333
Cooper also suggested that teachers be cognizant of articulation speed of choral literature.
The female voices are flexible for this age, but the changing voices of the boys are not. Long
melismatic passages should be avoided in order for the boys to be successful.334 The
appropriateness of text and the overall value of the music are interdependent on one another.
Choral music of high quality has excellent melodies that are married to excellent texts.
Conductors must be aware of the text that adolescents are expected to sing, and the director
should make an effort to find music with text that is approachable to junior high students and is
also a text that is relatable to them. By doing this, teachers will also select music that has
integrity. The choral literature of junior high should be held to the same standard as that of high
school or collegiate music. 335
332 Cooper and Kursteiner, Teaching Junior High School Music, 26.
333 Ibid, 26-27.
334 Ibid, 27.
335 Ibid.
70
VOICE CLASSIFICATION
The next step in the process of teaching adolescent changing voices is the classification
of voices. Once appropriate literature has been selected, the ensembles are poised for success.
Cooper preferred to test boys in a group setting. The boys were lined up and asked to sing a
familiar song (“My Old Kentucky Home,”336 “Way Down Upon the Suwannee River,”337 or
“Jingle Bells.”338). Cooper would have the boys sing a song (for instance “Jingle Bells”) in D
major. As they were singing, he would walk around the boys and tap those that were singing in
the lower octave. These boys were seated and were labeled as “baritones.”339 Those that
remained sang again, this time in the key of A♭major. As Cooper listened to the boys sing, those
that were singing in the upper octave were tapped and asked to sit. These voices were identified as
unchanged voices. The remaining singers were labeled as cambiata and were seated in their section.
By using a process of elimination to classify the boys, the elusive cambiata voice was not lost.340 This
means of classifying is perhaps the most important aspect of the Cambiata Concept.
Cooper did not classify girl’s voices as soprano or alto, but rather as Blue and Green, or any
other nomenclature that the teacher desired. The seating arrangement for the junior high choir had the
girls in the back of the ensemble, the baritones on the left of the conductor, the cambiata voices in the
middle and the unchanged voices on the right upper row in front of the girls. This allowed the
cambiata voices to “float” with the baritones and unchanged voices if necessary. At this point, Cooper

338 Ibid, 32.
339 Ibid.
340 Ibid, 32-33.
71
suggested singing a song in four part harmony. This gets the students singing and instantly engaged in
the music making process. Cooper suggested that the song should be taught by rote as a means to get
the students singing quickly. A recurring arrangement in his books is the song “Santa Lucia.”341
Another topic to which Cooper gave great attention is the “Out of Tune Singers.” He argued
that there are few monotone singers, but rather those that have poor tonal memory. His justification
was that any boy that is capable of speaking with a raised or lower inflection has some understanding
of pitch. Many of these singers have been labeled as “nonsingers” and therefore must be convinced of
their new classification. Cooper suggests using the phrase “Good morning” with an upward inflection
to begin getting students on track with contour. He often would pitch this exercise in different keys as
a means of determining the boy’s voice type. If this initial exercise did not work, Cooper had students
simulate a nonmusical activity to access the upper register of their voice. This simulation has the boy
calling out to a friend over a noisy playground. The teacher urged the student to use their voice louder
and higher as a means to get the voice out of the narrow range it is trapped in. This was a temporary
exercise to get students to explore their voice. 342
As a third measure, Cooper exerted pressure on the diaphragm of the student as an attempt to
get more air pressure behind the vocal cords. This was useful if the student was slightly flat on the
upper pitch, and needed more air pressure to attain the correct pitch. The final exercise was having the
boy emulate a siren. This allowed the boy to not think of the activity as singing, but instead just
making sound. If the boy was capable of an ascending and descending siren, the other exercises
341 Ibid, 39-42.

342 Ibid, 49-50.
72
should be attempted. Cooper pointed out that these skills were not always retained. It likely took
several repetitions of these exercises, but if done correctly most boys gained pitch awareness.343
The Cambiata Concept is the foundation for many methodologies that have come since
Cooper first started teaching. It is a method that is still practical and useful in the current choral
classroom. The methodology is clear and concise and has been quantified by Cooper and other
teachers in the field.
FOUNDING OF THE CAMBIATA PRESS
In 1971, Don Collins founded a publishing company to promote the teaching philosophy and
music of the Cambiata Concept. The original intent of the company was to publish a work by Collins
himself that other publishers would not publish. He wrote a sacred folk musical for SSCB344 and
originally sent the piece to Word Publishing and then to Carmichael Publishing. Carmichael held the
manuscript for a year without publication so Collins decided to publish the work himself.345 Most
music for changing voices during the late 1960’s and 1970’s was in collections of pieces, many
published by Irvin Cooper and others. Don Collins felt that octavos were needed for American
educators. The octavo written for changing voices became the primary output of the Cambiata Press.
Collins knew the music education market would support a publishing company that strictly
focused on publishing music for junior high choirs. He borrowed money from a church friend and
printed 10,000 copies of five songs. He gave out 5,000 copies of each to advertise for the publishing
company. Collins described the response from music teachers as “a barrage” of orders for the
343 Ibid, 50.

344 soprano, soprano, cambiata, baritone.
345 Don Collins, interviewed by author, February 26, 2013.
73
pieces. 346 Eventually the Cambiata Press reached an agreement with music dealers as a means to
increase the volume of music that was distributed. The publishing company was successful
throughout the 1970’s and into the early 1980’s. In the 1980’s, composer Joyce Eilers, and others,
popularized a different voicing for developing choirs. This voicing, SAB347 was similar in range to
what Cooper had developed but put the boys together on one part instead of splitting the changed
voices from the changing voices.348 The Cambiata Press in a response published three part music that
was SCB349 to reduce the number of parts that were required by the developing singers and also
continued to publish four part music for junior high choirs.350 The Cambiata Press is still in existence
and focuses on publishing music for changing voices using the teachings of Irvin Cooper.
Another organization that was founded by Don Collins to spread the teachings of the
Cambiata Concept was called the Cambiata Institute. The Institute was originally founded as a means
to help Collins travel to workshops. The Cambiata Institute would pay for Collins “honorarium” if the
organization presenting the workshop would provide travel, meals, and lodging.351 According to
Collins, at the time the Institute was founded, the majority of junior high teachers were using SAB
music.352 The Institute also functioned as a way for Collins to get workshops to teach the Cambiata
Concept. The workshops, conducted by Collins, were the primary means of teaching the Cambiata
Concept after Cooper’s death.
346 Ibid.
347 soprano, alto, boys
348 Ibid.
349 soprano, cambiata, baritone
350 Collins, interviewed by author, February 26, 2013.
351 Ibid.
352 Ibid.
74
The Cambiata Institute changed locations in 2010 from Conway, Arkansas to Denton, Texas at
the University of North Texas. This happened because Collins approached Alan McClung, Associate
Professor of Music Education at University of North Texas, to inquire about possible music education
Ph.D students who would be interested in continuing the Cambiata Concept. McClung decided to lead
the Institute himself and has created a vision for the renamed Cambiata Institute of America for Early
Adolescent Voices.353 The new Institute is committed to carrying the Cambiata Concept forward and
making it a common practice of middle and junior high teachers.354
In an interview Alan McClung, said that the future vision of the Institute is to provide teachers
with as many resources as possible to succeed in middle/junior high school teaching.355 This will be
achieved through conferences that focus on developing choirs and practical teaching strategies for this
age group. These conferences will include honor choirs of middle school boys, selected performance
choirs, interest sessions, and publisher reading sessions of middle school literature.356 The Institute is
also committed to encouraging prominent choral composers to write music that is designed for
developing voices. The Cambiata Institute of America for Early Adolescent Voices will host the North
Texas Middle School Boys Honor Choir every two years, and at this performance will debut the five
winners of the composition competition for the Institute. McClung expects that after ten years of
conventions, twenty-five new compositions appropriate for middle school boys voices will be
published as a collection. This will give teachers a good starting point for programming concerts and
teaching boys in the process of the voice change how to sing. 357
353 Cambiata Institute Website: http://music.unt.edu/about/divisions-and-centers/41

354 Ibid.
355Alan McClung, interviewed by author, Dallas, TX, March 15, 2013.
356 Ibid.
357 Cambiata Institute Website: http://music.unt.edu/about/divisions-and-centers/41.
75
The Cambiata Concept is a viable and successful method of teaching boys to sing through the
voice change. The Cambiata Institute of America for Early Adolescent Voices is an organization that
will carry these methods forward and new music will be created that is relevant to students and
engaging for them during this time.
76
CHAPTER 5:
ANALYSIS OF SELECTED COMPOSITIONS AND SIGHT-SINGING METHOD
One aspect of the Cambiata Concept that makes it unique is Cooper’s publishing of music
appropriate for changing voices. Irvin Cooper was a composer in addition to being a music
educator.358 His ability and eagerness to compose music for changing voices was a major reason
his methodology has continued to be used. Other researchers such as Cooksey, Swanson, and
McKenzie, offered techniques for adapting existing music to fit the changing voice. Cooper’s
core philosophy was, “music must be made to fit the singer, not the singer made to fit the
music.”359 The following analysis will investigate the ranges, tessitura, voice-leading, and
treatment of the cambiata voice in Cooper’s compositions and arrangements.
Cooper composed and arranged many songs and collections of songs for changing voices.
For this study, the author analyzed ten songs by Cooper. His compositional output was divided
into an early, middle, and late period. For this study, three pieces were selected from his early
and late period and four from the middle period, which was his most prolific. The periods were
divided by the publication dates of the pieces to be analyzed. The earliest piece was published in
1942 and the latest piece was published in 1976, five years after his death. The compositions
were divided into three types: arrangements of folks songs, adaptations of traditional choral
music, and original compositions by Cooper.
358 Winifred Cooper Interview.

359 Don Collins, The Cambiata Concept, [Cambiata Press, Conway, AR 1980]: 72.
77
EARLY COMPOSITIONAL PERIOD
The early period of publication spanned from 1942 to 1954, the middle period from 1956
to 1962, and the late period from 1965 to 1971. Each published collection of songs for adolescent
voices included a detailed methodology for working with the changing voice, designed to give
teachers successful methods to teach the pieces contained in the songbook. In the foreword,
Cooper discussed the history of the voice change, proper ranges, tessitura, classification
procedures, and other information that was helpful to novice teachers.
An arrangement of “Santa Lucia” was published in 1942 in a collection of songs for
adolescent boys entitled Teen-Age Songs.360 This piece was chosen for this study because it was
used in a demonstration in Cooper’s book Letters to Pat361 and also in the color film created by
Cooper, The Changing Voice.362 In the film, Cooper states that this piece is to be taught by rote as
a means to get students to sing immediately. This was intended to be done early in the school
year, before students have received much instruction. It should be noted that Cooper labeled the
changing voices in the piece as “alto-tenor’s” not “cambiata.” This was likely before he
developed the nomenclature he would later use for the changing voice. It is also possible that the
publisher wished to use the most common name of the time, hence the labeling of “alto-tenor.”
Cooper also used the labels soprano and alto, while in later publications only the voice part
soprano was used when describing the girls’ voices.363
360 Irvin Cooper, Teen-Age Songs, [Toronto, Canada: Virgil Thompson Publishing, 1942]: 12-13.
361 Cooper, Letters to Pat.
363 Cooper, Teen-Age Songs,12-13.
78
The piece is intended to be sung a capella,364 but a chordal arpeggio is provided to be
played during the learning process as a means to help students retain pitch as demonstrated in
Figure 2.
Figure 2 (measures 1-6)
The melody is placed in the highest voice and is also where Cooper placed the text. The lower
three parts, alto, alto-tenor and baritone, are singing pitches on a neutral syllable “ah.” The
baritone voice is singing the tonic-dominant pitches, until measure 17 where it changes to tonic
364 Without instrumental accompaniment.
79
and subdominant pitches. In measure 29-32 it changes back to a tonic-dominant alternation until
the end of the piece. The “alto-tenor” voice has a descending ostinato figure that begins on E4,
D4, C4. In measure 17, the ostinato changes from descending to ascending. The changing voice
remains in a range from G3-E4, the interval of a major sixth. This coincides with Cooper’s
proposed range and tessitura for changing voices.
Cooper, when describing the type of music that should be used in teaching developing
voices, warned about fast rhythmic passages. The arrangement of “Santa Lucia” uses dotted
eighth note and sixteenth rhythms typical of folks songs. This supports this author’s reasoning
that the piece was intended to be taught by rote, rather than having the students read the music.
As seen in Figure 2, Cooper leaves the voicing assignment open to other arrangements of
singers. He also gives various keys that are appropriate depending upon the voicing of the choir.
This is to ensure proper range and tessitura.
80
The next piece (see Figure 3) that was chosen for analysis was taken from the collection
of songs entitled, Tunetime for Teentime.365 The song is an original composition by Cooper
entitled “Gloria.” It is a short piece, only thirteen measures long, but demonstrates an imitative
entrance style that was common in western music. The piece is pitched in A-major, a common
key for changing voices according to Cooper,366 and begins with the Cambiata voice singing. The
vocal parts in this book are labeled soprano, soprano, cambiata and baritone. This corresponds
with Cooper’s traditional writings on voicings for developing choirs. The piece is harmonically
and rhythmically simple. The harmonies are tonic and dominant chords with many diatonic
passing tones between voices. The rhythm is also simple using quarter, half and dotted half-
notes. Cooper wanted to showcase the ability of the changing voice by having the piece start
with them. As he stated in the color film The Changing Voice, the Cambiata voice is often the
loudest and most eager to sing. 367 Cooper moves the melody to different voice parts throughout
the piece to allow other parts to sing the melody.
The final piece of the early period is an adaptation of Bach-Gounod “Ave Maria.” This
piece is a combination of a melody written by Gounod, a nineteenth century French composer,
and J.S. Bach’s Prelude in C major. The piece was originally intended for solo voice with piano
accompaniment. Cooper took the existing melody and piano accompaniment and set it to
SSCB368 voicings, and changed the key to make the ranges fit the voices. The piece has the same
chordal structure of the original piece by Bach-Gounod, but the melody is passed from one voice
365 Irvin Cooper, Tunetime for Teentime [New York, New York, Carl Fisher Inc., 1952].
368 soprano, soprano, cambiata and baritone
81
to another. Throughout the piece, Cooper moves the melody from one voice to another every two
measures. This is done to keep the voices within their proper range and ensure that all voices
sing the melody at different times of the piece. The piece has some large intervals, especially for
the Cambiata voice.
Figure 4 (measure 11)
In measure 11, shown in figure 4, the Cambiatae have a descending minor sixth interval and later
in measure 16 a descending octave. These two large intervals would likely require special
attention when performing this piece with young singers.
Cooper stretches the range of the top soprano part in measure 31 by having them sing and
sustain a G2, the top pitch in their range according to his writings.369 He also employs melodic
variation of the accompaniment in measure 33 of the Cambiata part. The changing voices briefly
sing the same melody as the piano accompaniment which produces a doubling effect. This song
presents an opportunity for developing voices to sing music of the great composers adapted for
82
their voices. This piece ends the analysis of Cooper’s early period and leads to his most prolific
time, his middle period.
THE MIDDLE COMPOSITION PERIOD
The middle period of Cooper’s publications span from 1956 to 1962. This time period
corresponded with his time as Professor of Music at Florida State University in Tallahassee,
Florida. Four pieces were analyzed from this time period. The first piece examined was a second
arrangement of “Santa Lucia”(see figure 5). 370 This piece was taken from a collection of songs
intended for students in grades 6 and 7. In the foreword Cooper discussed the problem for
teachers during grades 6 and 7 of working with a few boys in the voice change. He believed this
often kept teachers from performing traditional literature. They needed something appropriate for
the changing voice. 371 Cooper adhered to his Cambiata Concept and provided arrangements for
teachers of these students.
“Santa Lucia” was selected to compare to the earlier arrangement of Cooper. The first
arrangement is a four part setting of the folk song, but the later arrangement is a three part
setting; baritone is optional if those voices are not present.
370 Irvin Cooper, Songs for Pre-Teentime, [New York, New York, Carl Fisher Inc., 1956].
371 Ibid, 1-4.
83
The melody is given to the highest voice part, labeled soprano. It is assumed that all girls would
sing this soprano part and the cambiata and baritone would sing other parts. The vocal writing is
similar to other pieces, the cambiata voices have mostly stepwise motion and the baritones have
major third, perfect fourth and perfect fifth intervals. The non-melodic parts sing the text in this
song, which is different from the earlier arrangement. In the first arrangement the lower three
voices sang on a neutral syllable “Ah.” The rhythm is also much simpler than the earlier version
using only quarter, dotted quarter, eighth, and half notes. Because of these two issues, it is
assumed that this piece was intended to be taught through students reading the music, rather than
learning by rote, which was probably his intention with the earlier arrangement. The piece
adheres to Cooper’s ranges and tessituras set for changing voices.
The next piece analyzed is a unison folk song entitled “Michael Finnigan,” three
measures of which are shown in figure 6.
84
This piece was also taken from the Songs for Pre-Teentime, which was intended for early junior
high school. The song is unique because it is a unison song for all changing voices. In his
writings, Cooper warned that special care must be taken when singing unison music with
changing voices. The music must be set in a way to avoid the changing voices from singing out
of the appropriate ranges. 372
“Michael Finnigan” is in strophic form and includes four strophs. The range is from B♭3
to E♭5 with an optional E♭4 for the lower voices. Eighths and quarter notes comprise the
melody at a brisk tempo. There are no melismas that changing voices would have difficulty
singing. The piece follows the guidelines Cooper set out at the beginning of the foreword of the
book..
The next piece examined from the middle period is an adaptation of W.A. Mozart’s “Ave
Verum Corpus,”373 a portion of which is shown in figure 7.
372 Cooper and Kursteiner, Junior High School Music, 33.

373 Irvin Cooper, Cantate Deo [New York, New York, Carl Fisher Inc., 1960]: 28-32.
85
The piece was scored in four parts, SSCB, and has a similar harmonic structure to Mozart’s
original piece. Cooper provides a piano reduction for rehearsal, but states that the piece should
be performed a capella, which is different from Mozart’s original accompanied piece. The
melody stays in the top soprano voice throughout the piece. The lower voices, soprano II,
cambiata, and baritone, vary rhythmically from the original. It is assumed that this is to create a
more interesting line for the individual voices to sing. The piece conforms to Cooper’s prescribed
ranges for developing voices, but does use larger intervals in the cambiata voices, including
diminished fourths and perfect fifths. This piece allowed teachers to have their choirs sing music
from the standard choral repertoire that was typically relegated only to older, changed voices.
86
The final piece analyzed from the middle period is a round composed by Cooper titled
“Baseball,”374 shown in figure 8.
The three voice piece is twelve measures long and contains tonic and dominant harmonies. The
text and music were written by Cooper and it was an attempt to engage boys in singing about a
topic they were interested in outside of school.375 The range for the round is from B♭3 to B♭4.
The largest interval that is sung is an octave in m. 4 from B♭3 to B♭4. The rhythms are
relatively simple.
The middle period of composition for Irvin Cooper established him as a composer for
changing voice music. He composed and published music similar to his early period of
arrangements of folks songs, adaptations of traditional choral music, and new compositions. His
final period of composition is similar to the first two, with single octavos also being published
outside of song collections.
LATE COMPOSITIONAL PERIOD
The late era of Cooper’s compositions took place from 1965 to 1971. This period
included collections of songs as well as some individual octavos. The first piece analyzed comes
from a collection entitled The Junior High Choral Concert.376 This includes songs that are
374 Irvin Cooper, Descants for Junior High Singing [New York, New York, Carl Fisher Inc., 1962]: 19.
375 Ibid.
376 Irvin Cooper, Junior High Choral Concert, [New York, New York, Carl Fisher Inc., 1965].
87
appropriate for programming during traditional choral concerts. The piece analyzed, “Hail
Poetry,”377 (see figure 9) is adapted from the Arthur Sullivan Pirates of Penzance operetta.
It is voiced for SSCB and is a capella, with the melody in the highest soprano voice. The
cambiata range is from G3 to G4 with minimal interval leaps. The baritone part has many leaps
of an octave, but otherwise functions as a typical bass part. The piece does not contain much
chromaticism, which helps make it more accessible to changing voices. The piece is short and is
given a 50 second performance time. It might be difficult for teachers to use this as a piece in a
concert because of its brevity.
The second piece analyzed from this era is much longer. “Rolling Down to Rio” from
Choral Music for Changing Voices,378 is an arrangement of Edward German’s well-known song.
377 Ibid.
378 Irvin Cooper, Choral Music for Changing Voices, [New York, New York, Carl Fisher Inc., 1969].
88
This piece has more difficult rhythms and faster moving passages when compared to the other
pieces analyzed. Cooper repeatedly uses sixteenth notes and combines those with a fast tempo
(allegro). The piece is scored for SSCB and the highest soprano part has the melody. The
cambiata range is from G3 to G4 and is in strophic form. This piece is the most challenging that
has been analyzed because of the tempo and length, and would require a choir of high ability.
89
The last song analyzed was an arrangement of “Fairest Lord Jesus,” also known as
“Silesian Melody.” This piece was published by the Cambiata Press in 1976, after Cooper’s
death. This piece is scored for SCB379 and was a separate octavo. This hymn arrangement is
accompanied by piano and places the melody in the Cambiata part.
The piece is simpler than others examined, but has dissonances in measures 6, 7 and 13,
including minor seconds in passing tones that resolve to consonance. This is not abnormal, but is
exaggerated because of the slow tempo taken by this piece. It would be difficult for developing
voices to sing this dissonance without rehearsal.
The soprano voice sings a descant throughout the piece, mostly made up of broken triads.
The melody is in the middle register with the Cambiata voices spanning the range from A3 to A4.
The baritone part is typical of bass parts, singing mostly tonic and dominant chord changes. The
379 soprano, cambiata, baritone
90
piece is in strophic form and contains three strophes. The piece might be useful for directors of
church choirs that contain changing voices.
SUMMARY
The music arranged and composed by Irvin Cooper for changing voices separates the
Cambiata Concept from other methodologies regarding the voice change. Not only did Cooper
write music specifically for changing voices but he also wrote a sight-singing methodology for
use in the junior high/middle school choir.
The Reading Singer,380 is a sight-reading method by Irvin Cooper for developing voices.
This text is a sequential method appropriate for a general music class or a choral class in the
junior high or middle school classroom. The foreword of the text gives the teacher an overview
of how to use this book within the classroom setting. It gives the proper vocal ranges for
soprano, cambiata and baritone voices. Cooper discusses the need to use solfege syllables as an
effective method to teach music literacy. He stated,
At various times the author has worked with numbers, letters and music syllables for
designating pitch, but has found that use of music syllables is the only procedure which
does not break down when simple modulation occurs or when the minor mode is
used.381
The musical syllables used in his text are “do, re, mi, fa, sol, la, ti, do’,” but are spelled
differently to “anglicize” their enunciation. These alternate spellings are, “doh, ray, me, fah, soh,
lah, te, doh’” where the “e” of “te” sounds as the word “fee.”382 Cooper also uses Curwen hand
signs to show students pitch direction and aid in pitch learning. Rhythm is taught by having
380 Irvin Cooper, The Reading Singer, [Boston, MA, Allyn and Bacon, Inc. 1964].
381 Ibid, 2.
382 Ibid, 2.
91
students clap rhythms using the “clap-shake” method.383 Students clap on the given note and
keep the hands clasped for notes longer than one beat, pulsing the beat.
Cooper used movable “doh” as the foundation for the text. The first lesson of the text
began with the pitches “doh” and “soh.”384 Various exercises use these two pitches, but they are
not placed on the musical staff. The staff was not introduced until Phase Two of the text and
instead graphic notation shows pitch direction to students. He also avoided rhythmic notation
until Phase Three. Cooper added one additional pitch/syllable per lesson until all 7 pitches had
been introduced. As more pitches were added, completing the octave, Cooper was specific with
the key in which the tonic is placed. It was imperative that teachers not place the tonic in a range
that is outside of the composite unison ranges stated in the foreword. The minor mode is not
introduced until lesson 9. Cooper used a “lah” based minor, where the tonic begins on the “lah”
syllable.385
In Phase Two of The Reading Singer, Cooper introduced notation and the musical staff.
He introduced the first line of the staff as “doh” or tonic. Each lesson showed the pitches used in
the previous graphic notation and then transferred to the new notation. Cooper does not use
rhythmic notation but uses whole notes to designate pitch. Pitches that are held longer than a beat
are tied to show duration. Cooper also introduced different meters during this phase, using 3/4
and 4/4 meters for the exercises. In Phase Three, Cooper integrates pitch and rhythm into the
383 Ibid, 4.
384 Ibid, 7.
385 Ibid, 21-22.
92
methodology. 386 Each exercise builds sequentially adding different meters, pitches, and rhythms
until the most common elements have been covered.
Phase Four removes musical syllables from the exercises and students are expected to
read and interpret which syllables are appropriate by looking at the musical notation. This phase
also introduces compound meter, 6/8, as part of the exercises used. Phase Five introduces key
signatures and students must discern what is the tonic pitch. It also introduces treble and bass
clef symbols and separates the voices into parts, creating multi-part sight-reading exercises. 387
The first multi-part exercises were written for two parts, but quickly expanded to three and four
part writing. Students mimic the type of music they sing in the choral rehearsal. The last exercise
of the book introduces students to fugues and syncopation. This is a brief lesson but gives
students an introduction to complex musical ideas.
The writings, compositions, and exercises produced by Irvin Cooper are integral to the
success of the Cambiata Concept. They allow teachers to use the techniques of Cooper’s method,
and materials during this stage of vocal development. During Cooper’s career there was not a
great deal of music or sight-reading materials written specifically for this age group. Therefore,
by providing the method and materials, Cooper gave teachers the tools to be successful in
teaching adolescent voices. It became the foundation for many other pedagogues to build upon.
386 Ibid, 39.

387 Ibid, 64-65.
93
CHAPTER 6
CONCLUSION
Irvin Cooper and the Cambiata Concept made an impact on the music education of
adolescent boys in the United States and Canada. Cooper challenged Garcia’s 388 traditional
method of resting the voice during the voice change. He agreed with Sir Morrell Mackenzie389
that boys’ voices change gradually and that by properly exercising the voice throughout the voice
change, boys were able to successfully sing once the change was complete. Cooper’s discovery
of this method through empirical evidence provided the foundation for later researchers to
investigate the voice change.
One of the earliest researchers of the adolescent voice change was Duncan McKenzie.
McKenzie founded the “alto-tenor”390 plan as a method for working with changing voices. He
also felt that the adolescent voices changed gradually and stated that boys should sing the alto
part until their voices were low enough to sing the tenor part.391 Many critics of this plan state
that naming the changing boys a voice part that is traditionally associated with women is
counterproductive to the masculinity of the boys, and also leads to confusion as to the timbre
388 Garcia, The Art of Singing.

389 Weiss. “The Pubertal Change of the Human Voice (Mutation).
1956].
391 Ibid, 3.
94
produced by changing voices.392 The “alto-tenor” plan did not provide specific music to be
performed with these voices, but rather adapted previous music for performance, which created a
gap in instruction for teachers of adolescent changing voices.
Another researcher that followed Irvin Cooper was Frederick Swanson. Swanson
disagreed with Cooper and McKenzie that the voice dropped gradually. He found that the voice
dropped quickly, going to its lowest notes, and gradually added notes to the top of the range. This
created a span of pitches that were not possible for adolescent boys until the change was
complete.393 Swanson also discovered the link between the onset of puberty and the development
of the changing voice. By comparing the development of pubic hair growth and stages of the
voice change, Swanson hypothesized that, as boys enter and complete puberty, the voice change
follows.394 This became the foundation, and the first example of quantitative examination of the
adolescent voice change.
The next important researcher influenced by Cooper’s research was John Cooksey. He
was a student of Cooper during his tenure at Florida State University. Cooksey expanded the
stages of voice change from three (boy soprano, cambiata, and baritone) to five stages (boy
soprano, midvoice I, midvoice II, new baritone, and baritone).395 Cooksey believed in a more
gradual descent of the voice and gave specific ranges for educators to evaluate their students
during the process. Cooksey found this through quantitative methods using modern technology
393 Swanson, The Male Singing Voice Ages Eight to Eighteen, 68-76.
394 Ibid, 72-74.
395John M. Cooksey,“The Development of a Contemporary, Eclectic Theory for the Training and Cultivation of the
Junior High School Male Changing Voice: Part III Developing an Integrated Approach to the Care and Training of
the Junior High Male Changing Voice” Choral Journal. 18 no. 4 (Dec. 1977): 5-15.
95
that was not available to earlier researchers. Cooksey’s method is commonly used by most
modern educators.
The final researcher who was indirectly influenced by the work conducted by Irvin
Cooper examined the female voice change. Cooper was the only early researcher that gave
specifications for females in the methodology. He felt that girls should use the entire range of
their voice and not be relegated to a particular part, only using a partial range.396 This inclusion
of the girls in the Cambiata Concept led to later researchers of the female adolescent voice
change. Lynne Gackle found that a girl’s voice does change in quality and timbre, but not in
pitch like boys’ voices. This creates problems for girls during adolescence that should be
addressed by educators. Gackle’s research found that it is because of the female voice change
that girls often experience breathiness of tone, lack of breath support, and lack of agility, along
with other symptoms.397 She believed that by understanding what female changing voices are
experiencing during this time, teachers are better able to teach without causing damage to the
voice.
Perhaps Irvin Cooper’s greatest contribution is the legacy of teachers and choral
professionals that studied with him during his tenure at Florida State University. Two well-
known students of Cooper regarding voice change research are Don Collins, formerly of
University of Central Arkansas, and John Cooksey, formerly of the University of Utah. Don
Collins became the founder of the Cambiata Institute and founder and operator of the Cambiata
Press, located in Conway, Arkansas. Both organizations still exist and promote the teachings of
396 Cooper and Kursteiner, Teaching Junior HIgh School Music, 36.
397
Lynne Gackle, Finding Ophelia’s Voice, Opening Ophelia’s Heart Nurturing the Adolescent Female Voice,
96
the Cambiata Concept to current teachers of changing voices. The Cambiata Press was a primary
publishing company for music for changing voices during the 1970’s through the 1980’s, and
published the music of Irvin Cooper after his death. Cambiata Press’ publications were vital to
many teachers of changing voices at a time when little music existed for these students.
John Cooksey was one of the most well-known researchers in the field of adolescent
voice change. His findings differed slightly from Cooper, but many of his techniques were
similar to the Cambiata Concept. In his book, Working with the Adolescent Voice,398 Cooksey
describes a similar classifying procedure to Cooper.
Ask the boys to sing “America” as a group in the key of C. Listen for voices singing in
the octave below C4. As you walk around, touch the shoulders of the boys who are
singing in the lower octave, and afterward, ask them to stand together and sing the song
through again. Listen again. Some midvoice IIA’s will sing pitches just above C3, so
these boys may be assigned to a baritone part......When in doubt, check their ranges.399
While the ideas of Cooksey are somewhat different from Cooper, especially in number of stages
of the voice change, it is reasonable to assume that Cooksey was greatly influenced by Cooper’s
philosophy and methodology of working with changing voices.
The impact of Irvin Cooper and his teaching are yet to be determined. It is clear to see
how his philosophy influenced many educators who used his techniques and developed their own
method, inspired by his. Cooper’s method, started in Canada as a supervisor of music, was
transformed as he became Professor of Music at Florida State University in the 1950’s. The
development of materials to be used by classroom teachers including textbooks, 400 practical
398 John M. Cooksey, Working the Adolescent Voice, [St. Louis, MO: Concordia Publishing House, 1992].
399 Ibid, 17.
400 Cooper and Kursteiner, Teaching Junior High School Music.
97
guides,401 a sight-singing method book,402 and countless musical selections, allowed teachers to
teach boys who otherwise would have been left out. Cooper’s influence will continue through the
Cambiata Institute of America for Early Adolescent Vocal Music, now located in Denton, Texas,
by encouraging teachers and students to continue to sing during this difficult transformation. It is
a fitting legacy of the visionary/teacher, Irvin Cooper.
401 Irvin Cooper, Changing Voices in Junior High: Letters to Pat.

402 Irvin Cooper, The Reading Singer, [Boston, MA: Allyn and Bacon, 1964].
98
BIBLIOGRAPHY
99
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Adcock, Eva, “The Changing Voice-The Middle/Junior High Challenge.” Choral Journal
(October 1987): 9-11.
Ashley, Martin. Teaching Singing to Boys and Teenagers: The Young Male Voice and the
Problem of Masculinity. Lewiston, NY: The Edwin Mellen Press, 2008.
Barham, Terry J.. Strategies for Teaching Junior High and Middle School Male Singers-Master
Teachers Speak.[Santa Barbara, CA: Santa Barbara Music Publishing: 2001]
Barresi, Anthony L.. “From Uncertainty to Understanding: A New Approach to Instruction About
the Changing Voice” Ed. by Maria Runfola and Lee Bash. Proceedings Research
Symposium on the Male Adolescent Voice University of Buffalo: 1984: 155-165.
Coffman, Wesley S., “The Changing Voice-The Elementary Challenge” Choral Journal (October
1987).
Collins, Don L., The Cambiata Concept. Conway, AR: Cambiata Press 1982.
___________. “The Changing Voice-The High School Challenge” Choral Journal (October
1987).
___________. “The Changing Voice-A Future Challenge” Choral Journal (October 1987):
19-20.
___________. Teaching Choral Music, second Edition Prentice Hall Upper Saddle River, NJ
1999.
___________. “Rehearsal Break: Preferred Practices in Teaching Boys Whose Voices Are
Changing,” Choral Journal (November 2006).
___________., interviewed by author, February 26, 2013.
Cooksey, John M. “The Development of a Contemporary, Eclectic Theory for the Training and
Cultivation of the Junior High School Male Changing Voice: Part I Existing Theories”
Choral Journal. 18 no. 2 (Oct. 1977): 5-13.
___________. “The Development of a Contemporary, Eclectic Theory for the Training and
Cultivation of the Junior High School Male Changing Voice: Part II Scientific and
Empirical Findings” Choral Journal. 18 no. 3 (Nov. 1977): 5-18.
100
___________. “The Development of a Contemporary, Eclectic Theory for the Training and
Cultivation of the Junior High School Male Changing Voice: Part III Developing an
Integrated Approach to the Care and Training of the Junior High Male Changing Voice”
Choral Journal. 18 no. 4 (Dec. 1977): 5-15.
___________. Working with Adolescent Voices, [St. Louis, MO: Concordia Publishing, 1992].
___________. Working with Adolescent Voices. 2nd edition St. Louis, MO: Concordia
Publishing, 1999.
Cooper, Irvin. “The Junior High School Choral Problem.” Music Educator’s Journal. 37 no. 2
(Nov.-Dec. 1950): 20-21.
___________. “A Study of Boys’ Changing Voices in Great Britain” Music Educator’s Journal.
51 (Nov. 1964): 118-120.
___________. Changing Voices in Junior High: “Letters to Pat.” New York: Carl Fisher, 1953.
___________. The Changing Voice, 16 mm film, Tallahassee, Florida: University Broadcasting

Services, 1965.
___________. curriculum vitae, received on December 13, 2012.
Cooper, John, e-mail message to author, March 7, 2013.
Cooper, Winnifred, interviewed by Don Collins, Sarasota, FL, no date, likely 1970’s.
Cooper, Irvin and Karl O. Kursteiner, Teaching Junior High School Music Boston, MA: Allyn
and Bacon Inc., 1965.
Darrow, Alice-Ann. e-mail message to author, March 8, 2013.
Demorest, Steven M and Ann Clements. “Factors Influencing the Pitch-Matching of Junior High
Boys.” Journal of Research in Music Education. 55 no. 3 (Fall 2007): 190-203.
Dilworth, Rollo “Working with Male Adolescent Voices in the Choral Rehearsal: A Survey of
Research-Based Strategies,” Choral Journal 52 no. 9 (April 2012): 22-33.
Fisher, Ryan A. “British and American Theories of the Changing Male Voice: An Historical
Overview.” Journal of Historical Research in Music Education. 31 no. 1 (Oct. 2009)
37-47.
101
Fowells, Robert M., “The Changing Voice: A Vocal Chameleon” Choral Journal (September
1983): 11-17.
Freer, Patrick, “Adapt, Build and Challenge: Three Keys for Effective Choral Rehearsals for
Young Adolescents,” Choral Journal 46 no. 5 (November 2006): 48-55.
___________. Getting Started with Middle School Chorus, 2nd ed. Lanham: Rowman and
Littlefield Publishers Inc., 2009.
___________. “On the Voice-Foundation of the Boy’s Expanding Voice: A Response to Henry
Leck.” Choral Journal 50 no. 7 (Feb. 2010): 29-35.
___________. “The Successful Transition and Retention of Boys from Middle School to High
School Choral Music” Choral Journal 51 no. 5 (December 2010): 8-17.
___________. “Weight Lifting, Singing, and Adolescent Boys” Choral Journal 52 no. 4
(November 2011): 32-41.
Gackle, Lynne, Finding Ophelia’s Voice, Opening Ophelia’s Heart Nurturing the Adolescent
Female Voice, Dayton, OH: Heritage Music Press, 2011.
Garcia, Manuel. Excerpts from A Complete Treatise on the Art of Singing trans. Donald V.
Paschke, 1970.
Gerber, Casey L., “Ear Training and Music Reading Methods Used by Philip C. Hayden: Music
Literacy Through Rhythm Forms” PhD diss., University of Mississippi, 2008.
Groom, Mary D.. “A Descriptive Analysis of Development in Adolescent Male Voices During
the Summer Time Period” Ed. by Maria Runfola and Lee Bash. Proceedings Research
Symposium on the Male Adolescent Voice University of Buffalo: 1984: 80-84.
Hale, Roger H., “John M. Cooksey: Choral Music Educator and Conductor” PhD diss., Florida
State University, 2009.
Howe, Sondra Weiland, “Luther Whiting Mason: Contributions to Music Education in

Nineteenth-Century America and Japan” PhD diss., University of Minnesota, 1988.
Kennedy, Mary Copeland, “It’s a Metamorphosis: Guiding the Voice Change at the American
Boychoir School,” Journal of Research in Music Education 52, no. 3 (Autumn 2004):
264-280.
102
Killian, Janice, “Operant Vocal Octave Choir and Pitch Accuracy Among Changing-Voice Boys
and Junior High Girls.” Texas Music Educators Association Clinic-Convention. San
Antonio, TX 1985.
___________. “Perceptions of the Voice-Change Process: Male Adult versus Adolescent

Musicians and Nonmusicians.” Journal of Research in Music Education 45 (1997):
521-535.
___________. “A Description of Vocal Maturation Among Fifth-and Sixth-Grade Boys.”

Journal of Research in Music Education. 47 no. 4 (Winter 1999): 357-369.
___________. “Choral Directors’ Self-Reports of Accommodations Made for Boys’ Changing

Voices” Texas Music Education Research, (2003): 2-10.
Killian, Janice N. and John B. Wayman. “A Descriptive Study of Vocal Maturation Among Male
Adolescent Vocalists and Instrumentalists. Journal of Research in Music Education. 58
no. 1 (Apr. 2010): 5-19.
Leck, Henry H. “On the Voice: The Boy’s [Expanding] Voice: Take the High Road.” Choral
Journal. 49 no. 11 (May 2009): 49-60.
Marwick, Arthur, The Nature of History, New York: Alfred A Knopf, 1971.
McKenzie, Duncan. Training the Boy’s Changing Voice New Brunswick, New Jersey: Rutgers
University Press, 1956.
Madsen, Clifford. phone interview with author, March 11, 2013.
Pemberton, Carol A., Lowell Mason: His Life and Work Ann Arbor, MI: UMI Research Press,
1985.
Phelps, Roger, Ronald H. Sadoff, Edward C. Warburton, and Lawrence Ferrara, A Guide to
Research in Music Education, 5th ed. Lanham, MD: The Scarecrow Press, 2005.
Rutkowski, Joanne. “The Junior High School Male Changing Voice: Testing and Grouping
Voices for Successful Singing Experiences.” Choral Journal (December 1981): 11-15.
___________. “Two Year Results of a Longitudinal Study Investigating the Validity of

Cooksey’s Theory for Training the Adolescent Male Voice” Ed. by Maria Runfola and
Lee Bash. Proceedings Research Symposium on the Male Adolescent Voice University of
Buffalo: 1984: 86-96.
103
Spurgeon, Alan L., “George Oscar Bowen: His Career and Contributions to Music
Education” PhD diss., University of Oklahoma, 1990.
Stuple, Caroline M. “The Male Changing Voice-The Student’s Experience.” Teaching Music,
15 no. 1 (Aug. 2007): 36-41.
Swanson, Frederick, “The Proper Care and Feeding of Changing Voices.” Music Educators
Journal 48 no. 63 (Nov. 1961): 63-65.
___________. Music Teaching in the Junior High and Middle School, New York:
Appleton-Century-Crofts, 1973.
___________. “The Vanishing Basso Profundo and Fry Tones.” Choral Journal (May 1977):
5-10.
___________. “Changing Voices: Don’t Leave Out the Boys.” Music Educators Journal 70 no.
47 (Jan. 1984): 47-50.
___________. The Male Singing Voice Ages Eight to Eighteen. Cedar Rapids, IA: Igram Press,
1977.
Weiss, Deso A., “The Pubertal Change of the Human Voice (Mutation),” Folia Phoniatrica et
Logopaedica, no. 3 (1950): 125-159.
Zemek, Michael D., “Where’s the Evidence? Finding Support for Separating Middle and Junior
High School Choirs by Gender,” Update: Applications of Research in Music Education
29, no. 15 (July 2010): 15-21.
104
VITA
EDUCATION
Ph.D Music Education

Emphasis in Choral Conducting
Date of Graduation May 10, 2013
University of Mississippi, Oxford, Miss.
M.M. Music Education

Emphasis in Choral Conducting
Date of Graduation August 7, 2010
Florida State University, Tallahassee, Fla.
B.M. Music Education

Minor in Piano Performance
Date of graduation May 10, 2007
Auburn University, Auburn, Ala.
TEACHING EXPERIENCE
Mississippi University for Women ▪ Columbus, Miss.
Assistant Professor of Music Education and Director of Choral Activities, August 2013 - Present
Direct music education program, teach method courses, and supervise student teachers
Direct choral activities, coordinate with department and faculty, conduct ensembles
Teach other related music courses such as conducting and voice
University of Mississippi ▪ Oxford, Miss.

Instructor of Music Appreciation, August 2010 - May 2013
Taught two sections of Music Appreciation
Curriculum spanned the history of music from Ancient Greeks to Modern Music
Received exemplary evaluations from students and administrators

Assistant Conductor for Women’s Glee, August 2011 – May 2013
Conducted ensemble in various repertoire (Schubert, Szymko, Powell, etc.)
Taught vocal technique through vocal tone exercises
Assisted in selection of choral repertoire and concert planning
Oxford University United Methodist Church ▪ Oxford, Miss.

Interim Minister of Music, February 2013 – Present
Coordinated music for worship and anthems
Conducted Fauré Requiem with choir and orchestra
Coordinated various volunteers for worship and special services
105
Bethlehem United Methodist Church ▪ New Albany, Miss.
Minister of Music, August 2011 – January 2013
Coordinated music for worship
Conducted the choir in weekly anthems
Coordinated various volunteers for worship and special services
Oxford Civic Chorus ▪ Oxford, Miss.

Interim Conductor for Civic Chorus, January 2013 – May 2013
Conducted ensemble in various repertoire of American choral music
Worked closely with governing board regarding musical and business decisions
Collaborated with Rosephayne Powell on commissioned piece
Oxford Civic Chorus ▪ Oxford, Miss.

Assistant Conductor for Civic Chorus, August 2012 – December 2012
Conducted ensemble in various repertoire
Taught sectional rehearsals
Assisted in other activities that were outside of music performance
Mandarin High School ▪ Jacksonville, Fla.

Director of Choral Activities, August 2007 - June 2010
Coordinated a program of over 160 students in a variety of sacred and secular music
Taught a variety of choirs from beginners to advanced singers
Prepared students for a variety of performances and choral competitions
RELATED PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

Choral Graduate Assistant, August 2010-Present
Assisted choral department in conducting and performance tasks
Involved in logistical aspects of the choral department
Assisted with the Ole Miss Choral Music Festival
PROFESSIONAL AWARDS
ACDA Semifinalist in National Undergraduate Conducting Competition, March 2007
Conducting Master class with André Thomas, Alabama Music Educator’s Association Conference, January 2004
PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS
American Choral Director’s Association (2003-present)
Music Educator’s National Conference (2004-present)
Florida Music Educator’s Association (2007-2010)
Alabama Music Educators Association (2003-2007)
PRESENTED RESEARCH
February 2013. Irvin Cooper: Choral Music Educator and Founder of the Cambiata Concept. Paper presentation at
Mid-south Music Education Research Symposium at Ole Miss. Oxford, MS.
January 2013. Irvin Cooper: Choral Music Educator and Founder of the Cambiata Concept. Poster presentation at
the Missouri Music Educators Conference. Osage Beach, MO.
January 2012. Rehearsal Frame Analysis of a High School Choral Director. Poster presentation at the Missouri
Music Educators Conference. Osage Beach, MO.
May 2012. The Beginning History of the Alabama Christian Movement for Human Rights Choir. Poster presentation
University of Mississippi Music Education Poster Session. Oxford, MS.
May 2012 A Study of the “Cowboy’s Lament” Poster presentation University of Mississippi Music Education Poster
Session. Oxford, MS.
106

Egrove Egrove

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Egrove Egrove

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Egrove Egrove

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

University of Mississippi

Electronic Theses and Dissertations Graduate School

A Historical Study Of Irvin Cooper: Choral Music Educator And

Follow this and additional works at: https://egrove.olemiss.edu/etd

Part of the Music Education Commons

Phillip Holland Stockton

teachers to guide boys through the voice change.

indebted to him for his service.

invaluable in the research process.

him a friend and educator in the field of adolescent voice change.

Lee for their willingness to allow me to complete this project.

HISTORIC VOICE CHANGE PRACTICE IN EUROPE..................................................8

EARLY VOICE CHANGE RESEARCH IN THE U.S.A.................................................10

COOKSEY’S STAGES OF VOICE CHANGE................................................................17

RECENT VOICE CHANGE RESEARCH.......................................................................19

VOICE CHANGE PERCEPTION....................................................................................26

BEST TEACHING PRACTICES OF CHANGING VOICE ADOLESCENTS...............29

FEMALE ADOLESCENT VOICE CHANGE..................................................................31

STUDENTS OF IRVIN COOPER VOICE CHANGE RESEARCH................................32

THE CAMBIATA CONCEPT............................................................................................33

III EARLY LIFE AND CAREER...........................................................................................41

COOPER’S YEARS AT FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY.............................................57

V ANALYSIS OF SELECTED COMPOSITIONS AND SIGHT-SINGING METHOD.....77

VIII CURRICULUM VITAE..................................................................................................105

those who work with boy’s changing voices.

A contemporary of Duncan McKenzie, Irvin Cooper, was also a proponent of singing

composed a great deal of music for adolescent changing voices.

adolescent voices and is still in practice today.

that studied the changing voice.

Swanson, to make the most comprehensive methodology currently in practice.

middle school choirs.15

implications for the Cambiata Concept.

of prominent music educators, 2) voice change methodologies, 3) quantitative research regarding

HISTORICAL STUDIES OF PROMINENT MUSIC EDUCATORS

teachers have a more thorough understanding of teaching practices and successful

into the methods in practice today.

HISTORIC VOICE CHANGE PRACTICE IN EUROPE

predominant method of dealing with changing voices for nearly a century.

into the twenty-first century.

EARLY VOICE CHANGE RESEARCH IN THE UNITED STATES

research to be discussed later.

adolescent voice during the voice change.

notes until the passagio55 is bridged.56

Pictorial Analysis of pubertal development,62 which is a series of pictures depicting the

adolescence through pubic hair acquisition.63

In 1977, John M. Cooksey published “The Development of a Continuing, Eclectic

working with the adolescent voice change.

COOKSEY STAGES OF VOICE CHANGE

during the changing period.

76 Cooksey, “Developing an Integrated Approach,” 7.

RECENT VOICE CHANGE RESEARCH

Cooksey’s methodology proposed.85 Rutkowski presented her research at the Research

Symposium on the Male Adolescent Voice in Buffalo, NY in 1982.86

modules of videotape and brochures to teach undergraduates the characteristics of adolescents

preferred practice of choral methods courses. 90

the early 1990’s.

in elementary or middle school.

101 Ibid, 357-369.

on how to counteract these issues. He encourages educators to create a classroom environment