Most of my studio consists of teenage girls who for the most part are
pursuing musical theatre. I have one 15 year old who is active in a
community/equity house which offers a second stage for young people. The
bulk of the shows and revues they produce feature belting. This girl is not
interested in belting, wants to learn healthy technique, but ends up
performing with them because she's so bitten by the bug she doesn't want to
miss out on one of the few performing opportunities we have locally. She is
driven and disciplined and works very hard at whatever she does.
After missing about 2 months of lessons due to scheduling conflicts, colds
and my children's 8 week bout of rotavirus-like stomach flu, she came in a
few days ago for a lesson. She said she'd started doing these little revues
with the group and they'd asked her to belt all the way through them. She's
also auditioning for Sweet Charity and The Wiz and had been working things
through on her own. But she's afraid because she's in pain, and tastes BLOOD
when she sings in the revue. Her mother noticed what she thought was blood
on the outside of Chelsea's throat and when she tried to wipe it away,
realized it was something under the skin. Chelsea tells me that sometimes
when she's belting, it looks like she's bruised at the base of her throat.
It goes away when she stops singing.
Of course, when she told me all these things, I went out to the car where
her dad was waiting and gave him the name of the closest thing we have to a
singer-aware ENT in town and told him she needed to be seen. I mean, blood
and bruising, for heaven's sake! I also told him, no matter what, I wanted
to see her more often if she was going to continue this kind of performing.
I feel terrible that when she started rehearsing and performing these revues
I wasn't able to see her for lessons. I didn't know she was doing it, or I
would have found a way! I always ask them what they're up to, what auditions
are coming up so I can help them. But 15 year olds don't always think to
tell you. Aaargh!
What I noticed during the lesson before she told me about the bruising, was
that she looked, rather than sounded, fatigued, wasn't stopping to breathe
even for speech and was stuck in a pattern of leading with her throat. I
think she was unconsciously assuming a different posture to try to avoid the
pain in her throat. Or, she was showing me what she'd picked up in rehearsal
from others who were belting. She normally uses her body very well, has a
rather good mix for a fifteen year old and has never had any pain in
singing.
So what might this be? I know what caused it, but is it hemorrhaging? Dr.'s
John and John?
Laura Sharp
PS: Shame on the people running the youth theatre group for placing those
vocal demands on kids without making darn sure they weren't hurting any of
them!
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