Department of Music

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Browsing Department of Music by browse.metadata.advisor "Dasappa, Lauren"

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    Contemporary commercial voice technique, pedagogy, and practices: a scoping review
    (Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2024-03) Heath, Lyudmyla; Rennie-Salonen, Bridget; Dasappa, Lauren; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts & Social Sciences. Dept. of Music.
    ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The popularity of Contemporary Commercial Music (CCM) continues to grow, yet CCM singers face challenges in receiving appropriate training, academic opportunities, and professional support. The world of CCM performing arts is often discriminated against, and considered less artistic, skilful, refined, and healthy by some institutions and pedagogues who favour Classical Music. Considerable research indicates that CCM singers require specific skillsets and versatile voice techniques to suit the wide-ranging stylistic requirements of diverse CCM genres. Consequently, there is a lack of knowledge and education in CCM voice technique, and a lack of consistency in the recent CCM voice pedagogical methods. Voice pedagogues often lack the necessary knowledge and skill to train CCM singers how to sound authentic in different CCM genres. This impacts the quality of CCM teaching and the safety of style-driven vocal effects. There is a need for more coordinated research on CCM voice techniques, as well as empirical evidence and pedagogical frameworks that support various CCM definitions, theories, methods, and principles, in order to provide practical guidelines and recommendations for practice. Using a Scoping Review method, this study aimed to collate and synthesise current peer-reviewed research to provide an evidence-based foundation for further CCM voice pedagogy and performance development, driven by the main research question, “What is known from the peer-reviewed literature about the pedagogy and stylistic application of CCM voice technique?” The results indicate a lack of adequate and appropriate voice instruction for singers who perform in CCM genres. There is a need for recognition and respect for CCM voice skillsets and common terminology in the field of CCM voice training that would lead to clarity, integration, and improved consistency in teaching and learning CCM voice techniques. The results demonstrate the importance of posture, alignment, and cardiovascular fitness for the singer’s body as their instrument. The findings also acknowledge the potential vocal risks of using various CCM voice qualities; however, these risks are heightened in singers who are not adequately trained or cannot sustain the high muscular energy that different CCM voice qualities demand. The results wrestle with the intricate subject of CCM vocal registration and breathing techniques. The study stresses the inefficacy of a one-size-fits-all pedagogical method and advocates for an approach to CCM voice pedagogy grounded in Evidence-Based Voice Pedagogy (Ragan, 2018; Bartlett, 2020). The value of cross-training is recognised, emphasising the pedagogical benefits of training singers across various styles and genres.