How To Politely Tell Someone ..

[bednobs]

my 9 yo daughter is in a choir and we get a lot of practice singing at home. While she is is good at timing and can sing in tune, she does insist on singing in that awful cod-American way with loads of warbly vocal gymnastics.
Not a problem per se - i'm happy for her to sing however she wants as singing makes her happy. However, she's missed out on solos throughout the terms and feels a bit down about it and i think it may partly be to do with her singing style.
While i'd sort of expect the choir to inform her of areas for improvement if they want to, there are a lot of singers and it's more of a have fun choir than an improve your singing choir.
i have tried to gently suggest she sings in her own voice, but i'm mum, and therefore any of my suggestions are automatically rubbished. She wouldnt ask the choir person as she's shy
How can i help her improve and increase her chances of a solo?

[anneasquith]

Treat her to some singing lessons.

[Mamyalynne]

I'd casually ask her (in an almost disinterested way) if the soloists sing in the American way too.

If she says they do then I'd leave it.

[jno]

could you ask the choir person yourself, or is that too intrusive?

[woofgang]

yes difficult....you might ask her about what the choir's style is?...you know out of interest....and talk about how its choir member's skill to adjust their style to the ambiance of the choir.....like being an accompanist is a skill because you have to fit to the singer.....but it may be as simple as there being many better singers?

[sanmac]

What is "cod-American, I've never heard of it?

[bednobs]

perhaps i havent described it right sanmac (i know what i mean of course!) the style beloved by pop idol type wannabes who warble away in fake american accents

[bednobs]

jno - too intrusive. i'm not THAT parent
Woofie - yes you are probably right

[Atheist]

I suspect the 'cod-American' way is derived from black American gospel style. That style is marvellous if done well, but has encouraged a vocal gymnastic over-the-top way of singing where the 'show-off' element drowns out the original emotional style which African music inspired.
Young kids nowadays hear a lot of this stuff, and they copy what they hear. I don't think it's a serious problem to get too worked up about. The world changes.

[Hopkirk]

Do you mean like Mariah Carey and Michael Ball?

[jourdain2]

Singing lessons, with a proper singing teacher. That particular style of singing drives me nuts and is not good to learn (they learn to slur etc.). I sent my talented daughter to a teacher - she won cups and medals and things. When she sang with a group she had the ability to change her style and could still sing classically.

[bednobs]

maybe, but i havent heard either of them sing recently. Its sort of injecting faux-emotion into it too. It's difficult to describe

[bednobs]

i cant really afford singing lessons sadly

[Patsy33]

Tell her she has a good so ring voice, but try to leave the warble out next time she has a chance to sing solo. Tell her its worth a go, just to see if she gets picked next time.

[Patsy33]

^^^^
Singing voice.. :-)

[Atheist]

bednobs; faux-emotion is what singers (and actors) do - it's their job. I know how you feel, but I think we need to accept that times change. Listen to old-fashioned warblers and they often sound ridiculous to our modern ears. Times change.

[Canary42]

The warbling is just another example of the general dumbing down occurring everywhere. The singers can't hold a note like to good old pros so second-best becomes the norm.

[Smowball]

Very difficult! When she sings does she sound American? I mean is that her aim?

[Atheist]

We had the same distaste when the "crooners" (e.g. Sinatra and Crosby) came along.
The Times They are a-Changin'

[Peter Pedant]

this is vibrato innit
OK e vibrato - non e ?

a thousand usual suspects start moaning and some even warbling in vibrato - as they see it ( pun intended). One even protests - "we have banned the word 'cantata' ( group singing) - "a cappella goes to 'organist goes to have a well-earned cuppa'". "we cant use motet - I learned last week that was Latin!" - someone else says a cappella is just one cappellum innit - to wild usuall suspect approval

Singing styles have varied over the centuries - oo-er Mrs - and in hand written scores, from olden days, there was a musical sign for when the composer allowed the soprano to let rip

The da capo aria is a musical form for arias that was prevalent in the Baroque era. It is sung by a soloist with the accompaniment of instruments, ... ( now called improvisation)

By about 1800 - there was much "more come on come on - sing what I have written damn you!" = some improvisations were so good the composers transcribed them and told the arteests they had to do them as well ! - Arteests bazoomz heaved and noses put out of joint

saying they will learn by the themselves is like saying they can teach themselves the piano or French pronunciation or teaching yourself to drive ....

[Peter Pedant]

quite a few classically trained musician performer(*)
the only classical voice is - - annie lennox

oh and just compare - but he admits he did it for the moolah and not to educate the masses

(*) Neil Sedaka - his mum saw the pay check for "o carol" - $2500 or $25 000 and as a yiddische momma - - she thought perhaps it was OK to do boogie-woogie on saturday.