Langston Lynch Thesis Submission, Music Project Title: Vocal Beauty Masked as Science: Why Voice Pedagogy Rejects Gospel Singing Abstract: The purpose of this thesis is to interrogate American Voice Pedagogy's general rejection of vocal techniques heavily used in gospel music. Moans, slides, raspiness, glottal stops, and chest voice are vocal textures heavily incorporated into African American Gospel singing. They are also widely discouraged by American voice pedagogues under the guise that they cause vocal injuries such as polyps and nodules, which make it singing more difficult and sometimes painful. This thesis argues that the discouragement of traditionally African American vocal techniques (TAATs) is actually the conservation of Eurocentric vocal beauty standards masked as a scientifically validated concern. There are two major factors this thesis theorizes to be the cultural motivation behind the pedagogical rejection of TAATs. (1) As American vocal pedagogy is modeled after Italian singing techniques, Italian vocal beauty standards produce voice teaching and vocal hygiene practices encouraged in voice lessons, thus excluding vocal habits from other cultural groups such as African Americans. (2) Traditionally African American singing styles such as gospel singing are perceived as inferior to Italian classical singing because of the blackface minstrels of 19th century America used black skin to symbolize lower entertainment, antithetical to the more elite classical style. As a traditionally African American art form, gospel singing is rejected from academic sphere on the basis of anti-black racism. Vocal health science simply awards these vocal and aesthetic beauty standards with empirical support. The project contains an interview section with seven gospel singers who provide their own personal experiences using TAATs as well as their understanding of vocal health. The purpose of these interviews is to test the science supporting the rejection of TAATs against actual experience from gospel singers. The section sets out to answer the following questions: Can gospel singers who use TAATs have healthy voices? Is vocal health truly married to Italian singing? The results of the study show that TAATs are not as harmful as voice pedagogues often make them out to be, thus strengthening the argument that the science deprecating them is actually designed to preserve Italian culture and whiteness. This research provides a unique contribution to voice pedagogical literature because it prioritizes the vocal health practices of gospel singers despite these practices deriving from standard pedagogy. It also allows for the possibility that TAATs have been negatively distorted in order to perpetuate a racist agenda.
"},{"label":"Degree","value":["Bachelor of Arts with Departmental Honors"]},{"label":"Administrative Note","value":"Drupal Node ID: 24346