Exploring Female Broadway Performers' Experiences of Singing in Mix

Presentation

McAllen, Regina, Forbes, Melissa and Hughes, Diane. 2025. "Exploring Female Broadway Performers' Experiences of Singing in Mix." 54th the Voice Foundation Annual Symposium. Philadelphia, United States 28 May - 01 Jun 2025 United States.
Paper/Presentation Title

Exploring Female Broadway Performers' Experiences of Singing in Mix

Presentation TypePresentation
AuthorsMcAllen, Regina, Forbes, Melissa and Hughes, Diane
Year2025
Place of PublicationUnited States
Web Address (URL) of Paperhttps://voicefoundation.org/view/2025-abstracts/entry/2850/
Web Address (URL) of Conference Proceedingshttps://voicefoundation.org/view/2025-abstracts/
Conference/Event54th the Voice Foundation Annual Symposium
Event Details
54th the Voice Foundation Annual Symposium
Delivery
In person
Event Date
28 May 2025 to end of 01 Jun 2025
Event Location
Philadelphia, United States
Event Venue
The Westin Philadelphia
Event Web Address (URL)
Abstract

In contemporary musical theatre, the ability of performers to sing in “mix” is paramount. This skill enables performers to seamlessly transition their singing voice between the chest and head registers, ensuring vocal consistency and preventing noticeable breaks or shifts in tone. Teaching “mix” can be challenging due to a lack of agreed terminology and understanding, compounded by a dearth of research on contemporary musical theatre voice, particularly research that involves professional performers as participants. This study investigated the lived experiences of female Broadway performers’ experiences of singing in a mix. A qualitative survey of 36 singers who self-identify as skilled in mixed voice yielded detailed descriptions and personal accounts. Using reflexive thematic analysis, survey data were systematically analyzed and interpreted to highlight patterns of meaning, foregrounding participants’ perceptions and experiences. Themes were constructed around technical adjustments, affective responses, and external influences. These findings shed light on the multifaceted nature of the “Broadway mix“ within contemporary musical theatre and its crucial role in shaping the expressive capabilities of performers at the highest professional levels.

Contains Sensitive ContentDoes not contain sensitive content
ANZSRC Field of Research 2020360304. Music performance
Public Notes

There are no files associated with this item.

Byline AffiliationsSchool of Creative Arts
Centre for Heritage and Culture
Macquarie University
Permalink -

https://research.usq.edu.au/item/zy4z2/exploring-female-broadway-performers-experiences-of-singing-in-mix

Log in to edit
  • 17
    total views
  • 0
    total downloads
  • 8
    views this month
  • 0
    downloads this month

Export as

Related outputs

The experience of mixed voice singing by female contemporary musical theatre performers on Broadway
McAllen, R., Forbes, M. and Hughes, D.L.. 2025. "The experience of mixed voice singing by female contemporary musical theatre performers on Broadway." 2025 New Jersey Music Educators Conference. Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States 20 - 22 Feb 2025
Exploring female broadway performers' experiences of singing in mix
McAllen, Regina, Forbes, Melissa and Hughes, Diane. 2025. "Exploring female broadway performers' experiences of singing in mix." Voice and speech review. https://doi.org/10.1080/23268263.2025.2488102
From music performance to prescription: A guide for musicians and health professionals
Forbes, Melissa, Dingle, Genevieve A., Aitcheson, Nick and Powell, Christa. 2025. "From music performance to prescription: A guide for musicians and health professionals." Music and Science. https://doi.org/10.1177/20592043251338013
Addressing the global crisis of social connection: Singers as positively energizing leaders who create belonging in our communities
Forbes, Melissa. 2025. "Addressing the global crisis of social connection: Singers as positively energizing leaders who create belonging in our communities." Voice and speech review. 19 (1), pp. 44-60. https://doi.org/10.1080/23268263.2024.2368961
Becoming singular: Musical identity construction and maintenance through the lens of identity process theory
Forbes, MelissaMelissa, Goopy, Jason and Krause, Amanda E. 2024. "Becoming singular: Musical identity construction and maintenance through the lens of identity process theory." Psychology of Music. https://doi.org/10.1177/03057356241267863
From music performance to music on prescription
Dingle, Genevieve, Forbes, Melissa, Powell, C. and Aitcheson, N.. 2024. "From music performance to music on prescription." EACH24 - ASPIRE's International Social Prescribing Conference. Sydney, Australia 25 - 27 Jun 2024
Musical identity construction and maintenance through the lens of Identity Process Theory
Krause, Amanda E, Forbes, Melissa and Goopy, Jason. 2024. "Musical identity construction and maintenance through the lens of Identity Process Theory." 12th Triennial Conference of the European Society for the Cognitive Sciences of Music (ESCOM12). Melbourne, Australia 03 - 06 Jul 2024 Australia.
“The Full Monty”: Taking a Fully Qualitative Approach to Research By Singers, With Singers, For Singers
Forbes, Melissa. 2024. "“The Full Monty”: Taking a Fully Qualitative Approach to Research By Singers, With Singers, For Singers." Voice and speech review. 18 (2), pp. 166-180. https://doi.org/10.1080/23268263.2024.2329421
The experiential salience of music in identity for singing teachers
Forbes, Melissa, Goopy, Jason and Krause, Amanda E. 2024. "The experiential salience of music in identity for singing teachers." Musicae Scientiae: the journal of the European Society for the Cognitive Sciences of Music. 28 (2), pp. 237-253. https://doi.org/10.1177/10298649231198002
MusicMaking and Civic Imaginationby David A. Camlin
Forbes, Melissa. 2023. "MusicMaking and Civic Imaginationby David A. Camlin." Australian Voice. pp. 77-78. https://doi.org/10.56307/RZFP3910
Interpersonal neurobiology as a lens to understand the experience of group singing for health and wellbeing
Forbes, Melissa. 2023. "Interpersonal neurobiology as a lens to understand the experience of group singing for health and wellbeing." 8th Research Symposium on Social Impact of Making Music. Brisbane, Australia 20 - 22 Nov 2023 Australia.
Examining 'good singing' in the age of The Voice
Krause, Amanda E. and Forbes, Melissa. 2022. "Examining 'good singing' in the age of The Voice." Spheres of Singing 2022. Glasgow, Scotland 04 - 05 Nov 2022 Glasgow, Scotland.
Introducing multi-sited focused ethnography for researching one-to-one (singing voice) pedagogy in higher education
Cox, Dale and Forbes, Melissa. 2022. "Introducing multi-sited focused ethnography for researching one-to-one (singing voice) pedagogy in higher education." Music Education Research. 24 (5), pp. 625-637. https://doi.org/10.1080/14613808.2022.2138842
Examining 'good singing' in the age of The Voice: Implications for voice pedagogy and practice
Forbes, Melissa. 2022. "Examining 'good singing' in the age of The Voice: Implications for voice pedagogy and practice." Australian National Association of Teachers of Singing National Conference (2022): Encompassing the vocal spectrum. Adelaide, Australia 29 Sep - 02 Oct 2022 Adelaide, Australia.
'Swinging through the trees': Vocal jazz improvisation, metaphor and embodied cognition
Forbes, Melissa. 2022. "'Swinging through the trees': Vocal jazz improvisation, metaphor and embodied cognition." Australian National Association of Teachers of Singing National Conference (2022): Encompassing the vocal spectrum. Adelaide, Australia 29 Sep - 02 Oct 2022 Adelaide, Australia.
Mobilising Metaphor: Self-Making, Storytelling, and Consciousness Raising in the Creative Arts
Cantrell, Kate, Batorowicz, Beata and Forbes, Melissa. 2022. "Mobilising Metaphor: Self-Making, Storytelling, and Consciousness Raising in the Creative Arts ." NiTRO: Creative Matters. 41, pp. 1-3.
We studied the 'bibles' of jazz standards - and found sexism lurking in the strangest place
Hargreaves, Wendy and Forbes, Melissa. 2022. "We studied the 'bibles' of jazz standards - and found sexism lurking in the strangest place." The Conversation. 20 Oct 2022, pp. 1-4.
Improvisation on the Move: Metaphors, Wanderings, and Musical Mobilities
Forbes, Melissa and Cantrell, Kate. 2022. "Improvisation on the Move: Metaphors, Wanderings, and Musical Mobilities." 5th Australasian Jazz and Improvisation Research Network 2022 Conference: Space is the Place (AJIRN5). Brisbane, Australia 06 - 08 May 2022 Brisbane, Australia.
Does Reality Television-Style Singing Influence Singing Self-Concept?
Krause, Amanda E., Forbes, Melissa and Lowe-Brown, Xanthe. 2025. "Does Reality Television-Style Singing Influence Singing Self-Concept?" Journal of Voice. 39 (1), pp. 280.e15-280.e24. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvoice.2022.06.024
Course enhancement conversations: A holistic and collaborative evaluation approach to quality improvement in higher education
Forbes, Melissa, Alderman, Lyn and Murphy, Angela. 2022. "Course enhancement conversations: A holistic and collaborative evaluation approach to quality improvement in higher education." Evaluation Journal of Australasia. 22 (4), pp. 221-236. https://doi.org/10.1177/1035719X221120295
Flow state, exercise and healthy ageing: 5 unexpected benefits of singing
Forbes, Melissa. 2022. "Flow state, exercise and healthy ageing: 5 unexpected benefits of singing." The Conversation.
Can E-Flat be sexist?: Canonical keys as marginalizing practice in jazz
Hargreaves, Wendy and Forbes, Melissa. 2023. "Can E-Flat be sexist?: Canonical keys as marginalizing practice in jazz." Reddan, James, Herzig, Monika and Kahr, Michael (ed.) The Routledge Companion to Jazz and Gender. United States. Routledge. pp. 303-321
The influence of vocal performance on singing self-concept
Forbes, Melissa, Krause, Amanda and Lowe-Brown, Xanthe. 2021. "The influence of vocal performance on singing self-concept." International Symposium on Performance Science 2021. Montreal, Canada 27 - 30 Oct 2021
The vocal jazz improvisation act: a phenomenology
Forbes, Melissa. 2019. "The vocal jazz improvisation act: a phenomenology." 3rd Australasian Jazz and Improvisation Research Network 2019 Conference: Body and Soul (AJIRN3). Melbourne, Australia 01 - 02 Jun 2019 Melbourne, Australia.
Facilitating singing groups for people with Parkinson's disease
Forbes, Melissa and Bartlett, Irene. 2019. "Facilitating singing groups for people with Parkinson's disease." 2019 Pan European Voice Conference (PEVOC 13). Copenhagen, Denmark 27 - 30 Aug 2019 Germany.
International perspectives on contemporary commercial music voice pedagogy
Forbes, Melissa, Bartlett, Irene and LoVetri, Jeannette. 2019. "International perspectives on contemporary commercial music voice pedagogy." 2019 Pan European Voice Conference (PEVOC 13). Copenhagen, Denmark 27 - 30 Aug 2019 Germany.
Choose Your Own Adventure: Vocal Jazz Improvisation, Conceptual Metaphor, and Cognitive Embodiment
Forbes, Melissa and Cantrell, Kate. 2023. "Choose Your Own Adventure: Vocal Jazz Improvisation, Conceptual Metaphor, and Cognitive Embodiment." Musicae Scientiae: the journal of the European Society for the Cognitive Sciences of Music. 27 (2), pp. 332-347. https://doi.org/10.1177/10298649211062730
The value of collaborative learning for music practice in higher education
Forbes, Melissa. 2020. "The value of collaborative learning for music practice in higher education." British Journal of Music Education. 37 (3), pp. 207-220. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0265051720000200
'We’re pushing back': group singing, social identity and caring for a spouse with Parkinson’s
Forbes, Melissa. 2021. "'We’re pushing back': group singing, social identity and caring for a spouse with Parkinson’s." Psychology of Music. 49 (5), pp. 1199-1214. https://doi.org/10.1177/0305735620944230
Giving voice to jazz singers’ experiences of flow in improvisation
Forbes, Melissa. 2021. "Giving voice to jazz singers’ experiences of flow in improvisation." Psychology of Music. 49 (4), pp. 789-803. https://doi.org/10.1177/0305735619899137
'It's much harder than I thought': facilitating a singing group for people with Parkinson's disease
Forbes, Melissa and Bartlett, Irene. 2020. "'It's much harder than I thought': facilitating a singing group for people with Parkinson's disease." International Journal of Community Music. 13 (1), pp. 29-47. https://doi.org/10.1386/ijcm_00009_1
Beyond the Resonance Metaphor: Re-Sounding Images, Experiences, and Poetic Reverberations
Forbes, Melissa and Cantrell, Kate. 2022. "Beyond the Resonance Metaphor: Re-Sounding Images, Experiences, and Poetic Reverberations." NiTRO: Creative Matters. 41, pp. 1-4.
Descriptions and evaluations of 'good singing' in the age of The Voice
Forbes, Melissa, Krause, Amanda E. and Lowe-Brown, Xanthe. 2021. "Descriptions and evaluations of 'good singing' in the age of The Voice." Australian Voice. 22, pp. 17-28.
Thematic analysis: a practical guide by B Virginia & C Victoria
Forbes, Melissa. 2022. "Thematic analysis: a practical guide by B Virginia & C Victoria." Evaluation Journal of Australasia. 22 (2), pp. 132-135. https://doi.org/10.1177/1035719X211058251
Editorial
Forbes, Melissa. 2022. "Editorial." Evaluation Journal of Australasia. 22 (4), pp. 203-205. https://doi.org/10.1177/1035719X221121399
‘Tis the season to be jolly: singing Christmas carols together isn’t just a tradition, it’s also good for you
Hargreaves, Wendy and Forbes, Melissa. 2022. "‘Tis the season to be jolly: singing Christmas carols together isn’t just a tradition, it’s also good for you." The Conversation.
Socio-cultural influences on Australian adults’ musical identities
Krause, Amanda E. and Forbes, Melissa. 2021. "Socio-cultural influences on Australian adults’ musical identities." 16th International Conference on Music Perception and Cognition jointly organised with the 11th Triennial Conference of ESCOM (ESCOM-ICMPC 2021). Australia 28 - 31 Jul 2021 https://doi.org/10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199679485.001.0001
Higher degree research supervision beyond expertise: a Rancierean and Freirean perspective on HDR supervision
Hickey, Andrew and Forbes, Melissa. 2022. "Higher degree research supervision beyond expertise: a Rancierean and Freirean perspective on HDR supervision." Studies in Higher Education. 47 (8), pp. 1712-1723. https://doi.org/10.1080/03075079.2021.1957812
An Artist-Level Jazz Singer's Metaphors of Cognitive Embodiment
Forbes, Melissa and Cantrell, Kate. 2021. "An Artist-Level Jazz Singer's Metaphors of Cognitive Embodiment." SEMPRE 2021 Conference: Engaging and Interacting with Education, Music, and Psychology Research. Keele, United Kingdom 22 Oct 2021 United Kingdom.
Learning to make a difference: value creation in social learning spaces by Etienne Wenger-Trayner and Beverly Wenger-Trayner
Forbes, Melissa. 2022. "Learning to make a difference: value creation in social learning spaces by Etienne Wenger-Trayner and Beverly Wenger-Trayner." Evaluation Journal of Australasia. 22 (1), pp. 55-57. https://doi.org/10.1177/1035719X211038767
The jazz singer's mind shows us how to improvise through life itself
Forbes, Melissa. 2020. "The jazz singer's mind shows us how to improvise through life itself." Psyche. 31 August 2020.
'This circle of joy': meaningful musicians’ work and the benefits of facilitating singing groups
Forbes, Melissa and Bartlett, Irene. 2020. "'This circle of joy': meaningful musicians’ work and the benefits of facilitating singing groups." Music Education Research. 22 (5), pp. 555-568. https://doi.org/10.1080/14613808.2020.1841131
The soul of the voice: an interview with Trineice Robinson-Martin
Forbes, Melissa. 2020. "The soul of the voice: an interview with Trineice Robinson-Martin." Journal of Singing. 77 (2), pp. 273-279.
Integrating connectedness learning into institutional program review processes in an Australian regional university
Hammer, Sara, Ayriss, Peter, Basson, Marita, Batorowicz, Beata, Devine, Jo, Forbes, Melissa, Kist, Alexander, McCredie, Tessa, McCubbin, Amanda and Wade, Bill. 2019. "Integrating connectedness learning into institutional program review processes in an Australian regional university." Bridgstock, Ruth and Tippett, Neil (ed.) Higher education and the future of graduate employability: a connectedness learning approach. Cheltenham, UK. Edward Elgar Publishing. pp. 209-229
A tale of two pedagogues: a cross-continental conversation on CCM
Forbes, Melissa. 2018. "A tale of two pedagogues: a cross-continental conversation on CCM." Journal of Singing. 74 (5), pp. 579-584.
If the shoe doesn't fit: a case and a place for collaborative learning for music practice in higher education
Forbes, Melissa. 2016. "If the shoe doesn't fit: a case and a place for collaborative learning for music practice in higher education." Australian Journal of Music Education. 50 (1), pp. 53-62.
The intimacy of distance
Forbes, Melissa and Obino, Bianca. 2014. The intimacy of distance. Toowoomba, Australia.
Playing the changes: an expanded view of higher music education through the use of collaborative learning and teaching
Forbes, Melissa. 2016. Playing the changes: an expanded view of higher music education through the use of collaborative learning and teaching. PhD Thesis Doctor of Philosophy. Griffith University.
Pedagogy, place and performance: the role of touring performing arts in regional Queensland - a review of Opera Queensland’s project Rossini
Hickey, Andrew, Johnson, Laurie, Scollen, Rebecca and Forbes, Melissa. 2016. Pedagogy, place and performance: the role of touring performing arts in regional Queensland - a review of Opera Queensland’s project Rossini. Toowoomba, Australia. University of Southern Queensland.
Creating a functional musician: a performance workshop model
Gearing, Phillip John and Forbes, Melissa. 2013. "Creating a functional musician: a performance workshop model." International Journal of Arts Education. 7 (3), pp. 39-46.
Three perspectives on a collaborative, whole-of-program process of curriculum change
Hammer, Sara, McDonald, Janet and Forbes, Melissa. 2014. "Three perspectives on a collaborative, whole-of-program process of curriculum change." Journal of Teaching and Learning for Graduate Employability. 5 (1), pp. 47-62.
Music in higher education: an emergent social learning environment in a regional university
Forbes, Melissa. 2013. "Music in higher education: an emergent social learning environment in a regional university." 11th Australasian Piano Pedagogy Conference (APPC 2013): Opening Doors: The Complete Musician in a Digital Age. Toowoomba, Australia 02 - 06 Jul 2013 Melbourne, Australia.
Erythrocyte aggregation and metabolic syndrome
Gyawali, Prajwal, Richards, Ross S., Hughes, Diane L. and Tinley, Paul. 2014. "Erythrocyte aggregation and metabolic syndrome." Clinical Hemorheology and Microcirculation. 57 (1), pp. 73-83. https://doi.org/10.3233/CH-131792