How long did it take for your DSs to change their VOICES ??? esp for those who know about SINGING VOICES??

[RTKangaMummy]

My DS is nearly 13 and he is a TREBLE atm

However yesterday when he shouted his voice had gone deeper although his speaking voice is still the same ie childlike rather than teenage

So I was wondering how long the process is for singing voice?

ie before he can sing a proper TENOR or BASS

He can sing ALTO now but he prefers TREBLE so I think he would prefer to bypass ALTO asap iyswim

I think it's up to a year, start to finish
Now is a good time for him to take a break from solo performing, as the unpredictability of what comes out of his mouth might be a bit demoralising for him
I would ask his singing/drama coach for a view RTKM

Thanks Marina

I am meeting his music teacher next Thursday so will ask then

He isn't singing solos atm so we are ok from that pov.

We laid our trebles off for about 6-9 months in my old parish choir RTKM
They rarely complained

He sings at school not at church {cos the church choir mistress is horrible}

They sometimes stay in the choir just take a back seat from serious singing iyswim

And just move down the scale ie to ALTOS and beyond

The thing is he loves singing and will deffo want his voice to be back by summer 2009 for choir tour

We will have to hope he gets a good teenage/adult voice at the end of it iyswim

If he was an accomplished singer before his voice broke, he will be after
Shame about the meanie choir leader at church

oooh that is good news

Hence why the church choir doesn't have many cjhildren in just mainly old ladies

Thanks

I havn't got time to reply fully now but dh is a specialist in this sort of thing so I'll try and get him to do a precis after the weekend.

The whole process takes years but there are physical signs as well as signs to do with voval quiality/range etc.

He doesn't have to stop singing, it used to be thought boys did but current thinking is carry on singing.

Thanks

Do you mean his body changes?

Cos those are well under way iyswim

Although his Adam's Apple hasn't appeared but I guess that happenes at the end

Good news re not stopping singing

He does have to have a "good" voice in summer 2009 though for the tour it doesn't matter where it is {ALTO, TENOR or BASS}

www.changingvoices.com/

Good interesting book.

yes, body changes puberty etc,. There is a "test" singing teachers can use to determine which stage of change a child is in (happens to girls too though not as pronounced obviously) Of course there are some physical signs a teacher can't ask to see!!!

The vocal range gets smaller and vocal tone changes.

They carry on singing at dc's school. Ds's freind was treble, then moved to alto (before any detectable speaking voice change), then tenor and is now bass. Took about a year I think, but that can vary a bit.

Thanks guys

Very interesting

Summer 2009 is the goal and it sounds like he may be able to sing well enough then

Hope so

I want to video him singing Pie Jesu at home this weekend before he can't get the top notes any more

Which will be but also iyswim

I'd thoroughly recommend the booklet "My Voice is Changing" from NYCOS www.nycos.co.uk/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=22&products_id=35 for this stuff - you can buy it online.

We were given a copy before DSs voice started to change, and it was helpful to see what the stages were and how it all happens. I agree it's a strange mixture of and when they can't do something like Pie Jesu any more...

Thanks will order it