Contrasting to this, Your Daddy’s Son (McDonald, 1990) in fact proved that you don’t necessarily have to be of one particular background to be able to technically sing a song. My voice was well suited to this song and although I would never be cast as the role because of my appearance, in terms of vocal timbre this does not apply. Similarly it suggests the reverse of this; you don’t have to be of a specific appearance to sing classically as this song is classical in style but written for a black character, despite the white European history behind classical more legit singing. In fact historically it has been found that black sounds were previously frowned upon and in the Victorian era scores of African singers were ‘reformed to sound more …show more content…
Physically the female voice is higher as the vocal tract is overall smaller than that of a male (Zerffi, n.d.), but there are numerous more ways in which this can be altered unlike that of racial differences. There are also still exclusions to this rule however. Even In popular music there are clear examples of singers who are often mistaken for the opposite sex based on how they sound, such as Tracy Chapman who is known for her lower pitched voice which is commonly mistaken to be male. The reasoning I found behind why there is more ambiguity between male and female sounded voices is because of the pitches and vocal registers found within voices. There have always been overlap’s between difference registers such as soprano and alto and vocal techniques such as lowering the larynx make changes to the vocal timbre which creates more similarities. This particular vocal timbre created the most changes in my voice which added versatility because I uncovered entirely new ranges in my voice and reached notes I never knew I could hit. The song I chose was purposefully rocky and therefore I performed in yet another new style and instead of simply altering the key to sit comfortably in my voice I kept it as low as possible to keep with the lower registers of a male voice. The result was that the song only moved up the most minimal amount of 1 semitone, and was still in …show more content…
When people don’t hear what they expect to hear from a performer it, from my experience, made them uncomfortable to think that I didn’t sound how they expected, and that my perceived identity was in fact being warped through the use of my voice. Maybe the way to think about this is that the voice although, as Connors writes, it comes from us, it is not part of our body. It is separate once the sound comes away from us and into a space and therefore can assume an identity of its own. The counterproductive side of it is that the way I look will still always restrict how I am cast even if my voice is capable of more, however the results of project do continue to raise questions both ethically and culturally about if this should be the case and perhaps shows such as Hamilton (Miranda, 2015) with its colour blind casting and purposeful ethnic reversals, and Miscast (MCC Theater, 2016), the gender bending cabaret show could help change this within the musical theatre
“Tricky business, fathers and sons. In my case, a lot needed settling,” (7) acknowledges author Craig Lesley in his personal narrative Burning Fence: A Memoir of Fatherhood. This book delves into relationships between fathers and their sons. The introspective writer employs flash-forwards and flashbacks, effectively keeping the reader enrapt and drawing connections between the generations of Lesleys. Near the end of the book, the writer inserts effective concluding thoughts he holds towards his father. While the memoir displays an unhealthy view of unforgiveness, it portrays the importance of a father figure in a child’s life.
For many years, black people have been enslaved, undermined and most importantly discriminated. Since 1963, when Martin Luther King gave the “I Have a Dream” speech up till Ta-Nehisi Coates’s 2015 “Letter to My Son”, bigotry is still evident. Both King and Coates speak of the horrors black people have endured, which as a result superiorizes (exalts/elevates) the white race. King believes that white people’s “destiny is tied up with [black people’s] destiny”, and that white people’s “freedom is inextricably bound to [their] freedom”(3). Coates describes this in an interesting way; he believes that the enslavement of black people has become a tradition in America, “it is heritage” (8). Therefore, without the bodies of the black people producing tobacco, cotton and being abused for a magnificent, profitable
Everyone has heard of the hit musical Hamilton and the ingenious strategy of casting people of color in the roles of our nation's, very white, founding fathers and mothers. The Deaf West Theatre Company’s version of Spring Awakening also addressed the need for social change by casting both hearing and deaf actors who used sign language to tell the story, as well as the first person to appear on Broadway in a wheelchair. Shows like Hamilton and Spring Awakening illustrate how far we have come in making the already diverse theatre community an accurate representation of the diversity of America today.
Have you ever made assumptions based on just one side of the story? John Steinbeck once wrote, “You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view... until you climb into his skin and walk around in it.” One of the major themes in the novel Little Brother by Cory Doctorow is that seeing a scenario from a different point of view can influence a person’s actions. Following a terrorist attack on San Francisco, different actions are taken by characters depending on what they perceived.
Also when you are talking from your diaphragm your voice will be lower than your normal voice but will start sounding romantic and seductive. When you finish talking to women they will remember you because they like the way you talk. Also to help you have a deep sexy voice practice lowering your voice, smiling and talking at the same time. This blend will make your voice to be attractive, charming and appealing to women and most of them will want to spend more time with
Although the poem in “Mother to Son” and “If I can stop from breaking” both narrators have a hard life and use it to teach others a lesson, they both use figurative language to demonstrate a great of integrity, however, the lesson they taught is not the same.
My group’s umbrella topic focuses on race. My group will be discussing race and diversity in the media and in populated areas. I decided to question what effect the lack of diversity has had on theatre. With the world’s eyes on the actors on stage, the theatre has a large influence on its audience. The media and populated areas, such as cities, also have that power of influence. Growing up my childhood consisted of the theatre. I have a connection to the stage and off the stage. In my time working with my school’s theatre, I have seen a lack of diversity. I have experience and an interest in theatre. In my time of exploring the theatre culture, I did not come across much diversity. Two years ago I listened to the musical Hamilton:
Diana Baumrind’s theory on parenting was defined by four different types. The types are, authoritative style, authoritarian style, permissive style, and uninvolved style. My parents have an authoritative style. Authoritative is when the parents give certain limits and restrictions but keep it to a minimum and are usually pretty reasonable, providing reasoning for their decisions. This type of parenting style expresses tenderness and warmth. When the rules come into conflict with something, authoritative parents bend the rule more often than other types of parents.
Twenty-three, that's the percent of children who lived in fatherless homes in the U.S. in 2015 (Home). Scientists have done countless programs, research, and experiments to understand the impact fatherless families and fatherless children go through and what it could mean for their future. When there is an absent father the children’s rates for; drug and alcohol abuse, suicide, educational neglect, and poverty go up tenfold (Parentless).
The first strictly female-based shows were released in the 1950’s. These musicals attracted more female-based audience members and ticket sales rose exponentially. Musicals such as The Sound of Music and My Fair Lady showed how women were an important part of life, whereas musicals such as Spring Awakening, Aida, and Wicked showed extreme women empowerment. Gender inflicts and shapes every aspect of the musical. ”Gender is a constitutive element of Broadway musical theatre, fundamental to the musical’s architecture, and as vital a building block as music, lyrics, orchestration, spoken text, choreography, and dance, lights, sets, costumes, and props. It shows from the very beginning the role to be played” (Wolf, p.6)
Despite the great variety of shows and productions across the globe, racial inauthenticity continues to be a common phenomenon in theatre, musical theatre and classical music, as it is part of a long-withstanding system of stereotyping and typecasting. This essay aims to briefly unpack the historical relationship between race and performance, to illustrate how such cases of questionable casting have occurred in recent productions, and to examine how our current sociopolitical circumstances directly affect casting decisions in the western world. In the nineteenth century, minstrel shows emerged as a popular source of entertainment in North America. For these performances, the white male performers would cover their faces in burnt cork or paint,
American children who grow up and mature without a father figure are four times more likely to live a life in poverty, seven times more likely of becoming pregnant as a teen, two times more likely to commit a crime and end up in prison, and two times more likely to dropout of high school (Parent 113). Child development is dependent on the role and part that the father plays in the child’s life. Child development becomes slower and prolonged, when a father is absent throughout a child's lifetime. Children depend on both their mothers and fathers in order to become successful in school and life. Children primarily need their fathers support and role, in order to avoid distress and developmental issues.
At the end of 2015, there were nearly 250 million people living in countries other than their homelands. These “international migrants” make up approximately 3.3% of the world’s population (Taylor). These statistics lead an individual to wonder: what could entice so many of the world’s people to leave their homes for an entirely new nation? There are many reasons for migration, both by choice and by necessity. These concepts are highlighted both by research concerning today’s society and in Isaac Singer’s short story “The Son From America.”
A major problem in our society today is the absence of fathers in the home and in the lives of their children. I believe that growing up in a two parent household gives a child the best chance to be successful. My theory is that the absence of a father greatly affects the outcome of the child’s life and limits their opportunity for success. For the sake of this argument success will be measured by education level, mental state and crime. I will explore what effects, if any, the absence of a father has on these factors of success.
Melissa, Bell. Empowerment Through Play: The Role of Theatre in Maintaining the Female Voice. New York: ProQuest, 2008.