By THIRSTY
Joan
Lader received a special Tony Award in 2016 for her work as one of the most sought-after
vocal coaches and voice therapists on Broadway. For more than thirty years, Broadway
stars have looked to her to help them keep their vocal instruments in good
health. However, singers of all kinds, including stars like Patti LuPone, Hugh
Jackman, Sting and Madonna, among many others, have relied on her legendary
expertise and advice.
In
addition to her professional practice, Lader is a member of the Artistic Advisory
Board for the Manhattan School of Music new Musical Theatre program
and a guest lecturer at colleges and universities that include Columbia
University, Pace University, Yale, The Voice Foundation in Philadelphia, The
Pacific Voice Foundation in San Francisco and Berklee College of Music.
Stay Thirsty Magazine was honored
to visit with Joan Lader in New York City for this Conversation to learn more
about her important work.
STAY
THIRSTY: You received a special Tony Award in 2016 for your
dedication to the Broadway community. Your nomination was supported by Tony
winners Hugh Jackman, Patti LuPone and Kristen Chenoweth, to name just a few.
How do you feel about your role in helping some of the greatest Broadway stars
preserve their vocal abilities?
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| Joan Lader |
JOAN LADER: I was
fortunate to be one of the three Tony honorees recognized for Excellence in the
Theatre. We represented three behind the scenes disciplines: Seth Gelblum was a theatrical attorney
at Loeb and Loeb and Sally Ann Parsons founded Parsons-Meares with her late
husband. She heads the most prestigious costume shop on Broadway. Recognition as
a voice therapist and teacher was beyond anything I could have imagined. I feel
so fortunate to be part of the theatrical community doing this work for so many
years. It is extremely rewarding to be in a position to help artists who are so
dedicated to their craft. And above all, I’m so honored to be part of the
creative journey with these performers. They are all so different in their
talents and temperaments, which is certainly a contributing factor to what
makes the work so interesting.
STAY
THIRSTY: You have worked with singers and actors with injured
voices as well as Broadway, opera, pop and rock singers during your storied
career. What have you learned from some of today’s greatest talents? What gives
you the most personal satisfaction in your work?
JOAN
LADER: I think the question has to do with the differences in
working with injured singers vs. healthy singers. There is a difference between
vocal therapy (rehabilitation) and training (habilitation). If a singer
develops nodules, polyps, cysts, is suffering from reflux or has some
thickening of the vocal folds, the job is to try to restore the larynx to a
healthier state. Often these singers are referred back to their original voice
teachers following therapy. Training involves working on endurance,
stamina, flexibility and perfecting different vocal qualities. Pop/Rock
singers are very different from Broadway singers and certainly different from
opera singers. I love delving into all of these genres. I do a lot of
cross-training which involves singing in many different styles and many different
types of music.
STAY
THIRSTY: How do you go about helping a performer sustain his or
her voice when they have to give eight Broadway performances per week? How
important is diet and sleep to your secrets of vocal success?
JOAN
LADER: That’s such an important question. Vocal health and
hygiene are the first topics to be addressed when dealing with a professional
singer, especially when they will be performing eight shows a week. It’s
best to think of these performers as “vocal athletes.” If you compare them to a
football player or a boxer, they all have a team. In sports, there is the trainer
and the orthopedist and for singers, it’s the otolaryngologist. In sports,
there are physical therapists and for singers, there are vocal therapists. Both
rely on coaches, massage therapists, osteopaths, chiropractors, etc.
The three major areas I
investigate before vocal training are: sleep (how much sleep do you need and do
you get it?), hydration (systemic/ drinking water and surface/steaming) and medical
history, including medications, is extremely important to investigate. Where do
you feel tension in your body, e.g., neck, shoulders, jaw, larynx and what can
we do about it? How would you describe the level of stress in your life?
Training varies depending on
the needs and the knowledge of the student. Although, imagery is extremely
helpful for many students, I think it’s essential that they have some
understanding of basic anatomy and physiology. A solid technique is essential
for Broadway performers who are asked to do so many more things than just sing
e.g. speak, shout, cough, cry, dance, etc. Warming up should be done carefully,
slowly and methodically. There are many areas to be covered during a basic
warm-up. Warm-ups should include exercises that increase range, smooth
transitions between registers, facilitate and inform students moving from head
to chest register or thick folds to thin folds and most important, enable them to
produce any sound, with the least amount of effort.
STAY
THIRSTY: Does your guidance to a singer about their voice
change based on the genre of their work, i.e., Broadway, opera, rock n’ roll,
etc.? On whether they are male or female?
JOAN
LADER: General guidance is basically the same. However,
each quality has a specific recipe involving the parts of the larynx, the vocal
tract and support. Although many teachers work differently with male and female
singers, I actually don’t. They have the same anatomical parts and are asked to
produce similar qualities. Personalities, however sometimes complicate matters.
There may be some truth to John Gray’s theory that “Men are from Mars, Women
are from Venus.”
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| Tony Award Inscription |
STAY
THIRSTY: As performers age, what really happens to their
voices?
JOAN
LADER: I’m actually about to present a paper on the “aging
voice.” The body begins the aging process at a young age, often by the fifth
decade and then beyond. However, people age at different ages and different
rates. Genetic makeup may be a determining factor. It’s interesting, that as
women age, their voices often deepen. Conversely, men’s vocal folds may become
thinner and the pitch will rise.
Dr. Steven Zeitels, a famous
otolaryngologist from Boston, has been doing extensive research on the
rejuvenation of vocal folds. He states that “as vocal membranes are used more,
they become fibrous and stiff resulting in a diminished amplitude of
vibration.” Other contributing factors to the aging singer’s voice may be due
to arthritis, cartilages that begin to ossify, bowing of the vocal folds,
dryness, reflux, loss of muscular tone and tension or simply from lack of
stamina which is exacerbated when a singer doesn’t continue to exercise their
instrument or practice repertoire. Watching Tony Bennett, Marilyn May, Barbara
Cook, Barbra Streisand and Plácido Domingo are examples of people who continue
to perform, and with great success in their 70s, 80s and 90s.
STAY
THIRSTY: Can you teach someone to be a great singer?
JOAN
LADER: I certainly can teach someone to sing “better,” with
greater ease, volume and range, but there’s so much more involved in becoming a
“great singer.”
STAY
THIRSTY: You are on the Artistic Advisory Committee of
Manhattan School of Music’s (MSM) new Musical Theatre Program and a member of
its Steering Committee. What do you expect to achieve with this new course of
study at MSM?
JOAN
LADER: I am hopeful that this program will provide students
with the tools to enter this demanding artistic field. It’s exciting to have a
new conservatory program in New York City; nothing compares to actually being
exposed to theater here. The curriculum appears to be diverse, and well-structured.
The faculty is experienced and is as excited about the school as the students
are. The facility is beautiful and I hope that the program will continue to
thrive.
STAY
THIRSTY: How important is it for MSM students to interact with
Broadway veterans and what advice do you have for aspiring Broadway
actor/singers regarding their voice?
JOAN
LADER: MSM students must live and breathe theater if this
is really the career they want to pursue. They should immerse themselves in its
history, both past and present, and, if opportunities arise to talk with,
interact with or perform for theater veterans, they should leap at the chance.
The advice I
give all aspiring actors and singers is basically the same. Take the time to
understand, play, protect your instrument and answer these key questions: 1) How
does your voice work? 2) What do you need to know to keep it healthy? 3) Can
you tell when a problem arises? 4) Do you have a team you can rely on for help
(voice teacher, coach, otolaryngologist)? 5) Can you imagine doing anything
other than performing?
If your answers
to these questions are all “Yes,” journey on!
(Joan Lader Tony Award photos courtesy of The American Theatre Wing.)
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