How to Train a Voice to Sing Tenor
A tenor is a high male vocal part used in musical arrangements. Tenors most often sing opera scores and musicals. Some of the world's most renowned Broadway stars were tenors, such as Michael Crawford, who starred in Andrew Lloyd Webber's "Phantom of the Opera." Training a voice to sing tenor is no easy task. It is an extended process that takes years of practice.
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Instructions
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1
Assess the student's voice to determine if he is capable of singing tenor. Your student may possess the other male vocal part, a baritone. In that case, you will not be able to teach him to sing tenor because he will have a bass-toned voice.
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Determine what vocal the voice is by using a keyboard to play the notes from the "C" below "Middle C" to the "C" above "Middle C," which is the vocal range of a tenor. Instruct your student to try to match his voice to the tone. He probably will not hit all the notes, especially the high ones, if he is not trained. However, he should harmonize with the majority of them.
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Teach the student to read music notes and recognize them on the keyboard. It is not necessary that he knows how to play the keyboard. He just needs to recognize a note when it is played and be able to read sheet music to determine what key to sing in.
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Have the student complete a series of vocal warm-up exercises before each singing lesson. Hit each key on the keyboard within the tenor range one at time, beginning with the low octaves, and have your student harmonize his voice with each note.
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Hit random notes on the keyboard, within the tenor range, and have your student match his voice to them. Hit a low note, then a high note to teach your student how to jump octaves and exercise strength and control on his voice.
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Tips & Warnings
Instruct the student to sing from his belly---not his chest, throat or nose. This allows for better breathing control while singing, which is the key to lending power and endurance to a voice. Record your student's lessons and have him listen to his performances so he can clearly hear and gauge for himself where he needs improvement.
Beware of straining a voice. If your student complains of throat aches, his throat muscles have been exercised enough and should rest. Forcing the throat muscles or pushing them too hard could damage a voice.
