Argument Analysis: The Human Voice

The human voice is a beautifully complex instrument, and an individual vocal style is essential to any singer. I would characterize my own style to be what is most comfortable in my vocal range and allows me to project the most powerful version of my voice. I have experimented with more dramatic styles in the past which strained and damaged my voice, and did not feel like the right fit for my vocal ability or my character. I owe the simplicity of my singing style to my choral upbringing, as well as the fact that I played the flute for five years before joining choir, and was first exposed to musical theory in a more structured setting. Learning to sing in the context of a choir did take away some of the freedoms of soloist work, but a group environment placed a stronger importance on pitch, tone, and vowel formation in order to blend voices which is not mandatory in solo performance.
Through seeking to become more familiar with my voice, I have also become more familiar with myself and the deeper facets of my personality. Choir has given me the opportunity to sing pieces with a wide variety of genres including blues, jazz, pop, sacred, and secular music, each with a differing mood and intrinsic style. Now that I understand how to experiment vocally in a way that does not damage my voice, I have developed as a singer and can implement new techniques I have learned to advance my voice. The exposure to new music has also broadened my music taste, giving me a chance to appreciate the culture and values behind each, and motivated me to strive to continue to seek and apply new experiences while also maintaining my inherent