It's a stylistic thing really. I have an exercise called Transcending Tone that actually takes you from falsetto to mixed voice to full voice, in one smooth transition(or supposed to be smooth, haha). I think it is because they don't want too much emphasis on the higher notes, they are aiming for that soft pretty approach. As far as acapella, if the high voice was full voice, it would overpower the blend. You'll hear the same b;end approach in Barbershop Quartets. I give my students the choice. If they want a mix, we work on mix, if they want to sing Journey, I give em full voice, if they weant that in your face falsetto to sing Priest, then that's what we work on. Really, the goal of the approach that I use is to give the singer every possible choice from false to mixc, to full, at any volume for dynamics, for every note in their range.

Jaime Vendera
BTW- for anyone interested in private study, I think I am goping to move my practice to Cincinatti Ohio for about a year to give people easy access, before relocating to Florida. I won't be taking on any new students for several months though, because I am working on a project for getsigned.com and another book so I am swamped with work.

PS- Sing how you want to sing. If you want to sing pop but use a more authoratative approach, then work on my exercises and figure out how much of a blend you want to use. Do pop and go for the approach that Sting uses. He's kind of right in the middle but has an awesome voice!!!

Jaime,

Where are you considering moving if you come to Florida? I might just have to look you up!

We used to have a really excellent voice teacher here, but she moved. There is still a "voice teacher" here, but I wouldn't walk across the street to take lessons from her....one of my friends was going to her, and it was a complete waste of time.

I talked to some people at the local community college who are in the chorus, and while some of them are good singers, they are stuck in the whole "this is my range and that's all I'll ever be able to do" mindset.
You would think that at the college level, instructors would know that you can increase your range.


Tim

I had that same experience in college, that's why I developed Raise Your Voice. I'll probably move around Coco Beach. I want quick access to Orlando, although my wife would like to see us move to Myrtle beach in the Carolinas.

JV