For Merit and Excellence

Moving to the Merit level, the voice should have well projected tone, beginnings and endings of notes should be cleanly articulated with no unnecessary “scoops”, intonation should be more controlled with good awareness of vowel production and attention to style. The voice should show a level of flexibility with a clean focused sound. Breathing should be mostly inaudible and breath control should be even across all vocal registers. Students should now be developing the ability to have a good rapport with the audience.

Performance at the Excellence level is demonstrated by a clean focused, forward projected tone, which appears relaxed and effortless. Diction and sustainance of the vocal line should be nearly flawless. Dynamic shading and communication with the audience should be demonstrated and in addition, the performance should display evidence of careful preparation, and understanding of the text and style of the music.

General considerations for the contemporary voice

There should be an accurate sense of pitching, intonation and rhythm which allows for the style of the music to be maintained. There is more opportunity for a flexible vocal approach but there should still be a sense of cohesion with the style. Vocal projection should be evidenced and if the sound is amplified there should be close attention to not over or under-singing into the microphone. The use of the microphone should be seen as an extension of the voice rather than a barrier between the singer and the audience. Vocal production should still be relaxed and there should be no obvious tension or strain around the mouth neck or jaw. For this purpose, students should be guided away from performing Screamo Metal (or similar) which involves raucous and unmoderated vocal control. If students have opted to perform an extract of rap music, this should be fluent, and highly rhythmic with a well controlled tone.