Voice Types
Frequently Asked Questions: This page contains answers to common questions of students and parents.


Can EVERYONE sing?
What are the voice types of middle school kids?
How do I know what my voice type is?
Is one voice type better than another?
What is a voice change?
Is it normal for voices to change?
I am an 8th grade boy and my voice isn't changing! WHY?
I am a 6th grade boy and my voice in SO LOW! Why?
I am an 8th grade girl. I try to sing louder, but can't... why?
Does SOPRANO always mean girl?
How are voices classified?

Can EVERYONE sing?
YES! Some of us are very hard on ourselves and may not like the way we sound.
And if you are going through a vocal change it may be hard to appreciate the
developing sound and the look forward to the sound that is forming. Your
voice has to travel all the way from your mouth to your ear and it gets
slightly distorted along the way, so you may not be the best judge of you own
voice anyway. The best thing to do is to keep singing. One more fact; anyone
who sings a song that it too high or too low for their voice will sound bad.
Make sure your music is in a key that is good for your voice so you can
shine. Let you teacher help you with that!

What are the voice types of middle school kids?
In middle school the parts are separated in 6th and 7th grade to create
harmony in two part music. Most students can sing both part one and part two.
Students whose voices are very low (boys whose voices are changing) usually
sing the high part an octave lower.
As you get older your part will be based more on you own voice type: for
example higher, lighter voices will be sopranos, girls who can hold a harmony
well and whose voices sound a little darker will sing Alto and the boys are
another story!
Boys in Middle School have several voice types and the change often.
Most 6th grade boys sing what's known as a treble sound. It is unchanged and
higher and they can match pitch with the girls. There are always a few 6th
grade boys who will have a changing voice. A changing voice is called
Cambiata. Next is the Baritone. A Baritone is a changed voice that can sing
the lower parts accurately and consistantly. Most boys can't sing full
baritone parts until the second half of 8th grade and into 9th. (In high
school the boys divide to tenor and basses.)

Voice Types of Middle School Age Kids

Soprano or Part 1 or Treble
Girls – most girls, high, light sound
Boys – unchanged voices, most 6th grade, some others
Boys – low – sing part one an octave down

Alto or Part 2
Girls – some girls, darker sound, able to hold harmony well
Boys – Unchanged voices in 7th grade

Boys
Treble - Unchanged voices
Cambiata – Changing
Baritone – Changed


Examples:
Grade 6 girl could be either part one (soprano) or part 2 (alto)
Grade 6 boy could be either part one treble or part 2
(Grade 6 boys are encouraged to sing high (head voice) for as long as
possible.)

Grade 7 girl could be either part one (soprano) or part 2 (alto) depending on
ability and tone color
Grade 7 boy could sing part one if they are lower and part 2 if they are
unchanged

Grade 8 girl could be soprano if they have a high, light sound
Grade 8 girl could be alto if they have a darker sound and are able to hold
harmony well
Grade 8 boy could be Cambiata (higher of they low part) if they are mid change
In 2 part music these boys sing with the altos
Grade 8 boys could be Baritone if they are changed (lower of they low part)
In 2 part music these boys sing with the sopranos an octave down
Grade 8 boys could be classified as treble if they are still unchanged

(Small numbers of 6th and/or 7th grade boys could be classified as baritone)

How do I know what my voice type is?
We can check your range. Every voice type has a set of notes
that you can sing well, from high to low.

Ranges of Middle School Age Kids

GIRLS
Soprano
A below middle C to G above high C (plus or minus a few notes)

Alto
Aflat below middle C to F above high C (plus or minus a few notes)

BOYS
Treble
A below middle C to F above high C (plus or minus a few notes)

Cambiata
A below middle C to high C (notes come a go)

Baritone
F below middle C to D above middle C (some may be able to go lower)

Boys in 8th grade at the end of the school year may be classified as follows:

Tenor
F to F above middle C

Bass
Low C to middle C

Is one voice type better than another?
No way. They are all important. With out one or another you would be missing
some major parts of the choral music.

What is a voice change?
Voice change has to do with growth. You are getting taller and so are your
vocal chords. It is a simple as that. Soon they will settle into a place
where you will find it easy to sing higher or lower.
All these interesting changes will be happening in your throat with your
vocal chords.

Is it normal for voices to change?
Yes. Is it normal for your feet to be bigger now than when you were 3?

I am an 8th grade boy and my voice isn't changing! WHY?
Who knows? Everyone is different. I could tell you all the average ages for
voice changes, but it is different for everyone. One boy might be squeeky for
a while and another might sound huskey. Another may not even notice the voice
change while another might go for months with the ability to only sing a few
notes on pitch. It is a mystery.

I am a 6th grade boy and my voice in SO LOW! Why?
Your voice changed early. That's all.

I am an 8th grade girl. I try to sing louder, but can't... why?
You are going through your own vocal change. Your vocal chords need to hit
together perfectly to get a clear tone and right now they are probably
swollen and tired from growing and that causes them to not hit perfectly
together, giving you an airy sound. It will get better. Just keep singing.

Does SOPRANO always mean girl?
Nope. Soprano refers to the classification of the voice type. If you can sing
that range, you can sing the soprano part. (usually part 1)
Adult singers are different; soprano refers to a high, female singer whose
voice is completely developed.
Most boys in 6th grade could sing all the soprano parts in the 8th grade
chorus !!

How are voices classified?
Proper classification of the adolescent voice may be considered the first
step toward successful singing with choral groups containing voices who are
experiencing mutation. According to Dr. Irvin Cooper, developer of the well-
known Cambiata Concept, in his book, Teaching Junior High School Music, the
different kinds of voices found in middle-level schools are: soprano girls,
treble boys, boys in the first phase of change (cambiata), boys in the second
phase of change (baritone) and boys changed (adolescent basses).
He believed that girls at this age were neither soprano nor alto in the adult
sense of the word. He described their voices to be "rather thin, breathy,
colorless and inclined to be sometimes shrill". With only a few exceptions he
found most girls to have the same range, from B flat below middle C to top
line F in the treble clef. He called them Soprano I and Soprano II and
divided them equally into two groups each of which contained both experienced
and inexperienced singers.

Classifying the boys' voices usually occurred at the beginning of each school
year in a period of no more than fifteen minutes. He used the following
procedure:

Step 1: He requested all girls in the first several rows to stand and move
to the rear of the room. The vacant places were then filled by boys who had
been sitting in the back several rows after which the girls who had been
standing at the rear were seated in the places vacated by these boys.
Step 2: He asked all boys to sing the chorus of Jingle Bells in unison. He
pitched the key of D major, giving the beginning tone of F sharp. Immediately
it became obvious that the boys were singing in octaves. As the boys
continued to sing he moved among them, touching on the shoulder or leg each
boy who was singing the lower octave thus indicating that he was to stop
singing. The boys singing the lower octave were boys in the second phase of
change and changed voices. Cooper indicated they should sing the baritone
part. The boys singing the upper octave were boy sopranos and boys in the
first phase of change (cambiata).

Step 3: He then instructed those boys who were singing the upper octave in
the key of D to sing the chorus of Jingle Bells in the key of A flat with C
as the beginning note. Again it was apparent the boys were singing in
octaves, except for a few boys who had not discovered their voices and were
singing incorrect pitches. Once again he moved among the boys and touched on
the shoulder of leg those boys who were singing the upper octave and asked
them to stop singing. He continued until all voices singing the upper octave
were eliminated. The boys singing the upper octave were unchanged voices and
were designated to one of the soprano parts. All other voices were cambiata
or uncertain singers. He gave the uncertain singers individual attention to
teach them proper manipulation of their vocal instrument before a correct
classification was made.

The mistake many choral directors make involves improper classification of
boys whose voices are in the second phase of change. Often an attempt is made
to treat these boys as would a high school choral director and divide them
into tenors and basses. This results in some boys whose voices are in the
second phase of change (having been classified as tenors) being mixed with
boys whose voices are in the first phase of change (cambiata). This practice
severely limits the vocal potential of the cambiata because music must be
chosen which seldom goes higher than an E flat or F above middle C and he is
never allowed to use his upper voice which contains some of his most
beautiful tones. It is fine to call boys whose voices are in the first phase
of change "tenors" as long as the boys realize they are not the same as adult
tenors, but one should never place boys in different phases of change all in
the same group. All boys whose voices are similar to high school tenors and
are already in the second phase of change should be combined with the changed
voices and designated to the baritone part.