Doctor of Musical Arts, The Ohio State University, 2004, Music

The purpose of this study was to propose an organizational model that would enable a community boy choir organization to provide a continuous curriculum of vocal instruction for the male singer at all stages of his vocal development. The proposed organizational structure included four choirs for male singers: the treble training choir; senior treble choir; changing-voice ensemble; and tenor/bass ensemble. The rationale behind the proposed community boy choir organization rested largely on the realization of a changing-voice ensemble for the male adolescent. Based upon data collected from a review of literature and survey of prominent community boychoir programs, the researcher asserted that a choir for the adolescent male was critical to the success of a continuous choral curriculum for the male singer. The changing-voice ensemble would allow the conductor to address the distinctive physiological, psychological and social challenges of the adolescent male within a homogeneous ensemble, ultimately retaining the adolescent throughout his entire vocal development. Conclusions from this study included: the individual singer and his community boy choir organization profited from both a well-sequenced and uninterrupted curriculum of instruction for the male adolescent singer; the changing-voice ensemble provided the adolescent singer with a sense of self-worth and accomplishment difficult to obtain if overshadowed or lost within a large ensemble of treble or mature voices; frequent testing and monitoring of the male voice was an essential element to the vocal success of the male singer and to the community choir organization; a homogeneous changing-voice ensemble allowed the conductor to better select repertoire that addressed the vocal capabilities of the changing-voice singer; periodical interaction with older male role models encouraged the young adolescent to continue developing his vocal instrument.

Committee: Hilary Apfelstadt (Advisor) Subjects: Music