The singing/acting young adult from a singing instruction perspective.

Any time a young adult wants to begin lessons with a teacher of singing, it is essential that the teacher be aware of the limitations of the student's knowledge, training, and experience. If the singing or speaking voice of this young adult presents any evidence of being vocally disordered, singing instruction should not begin until that person has been examined by a laryngologist who is conversant with the problems of singers. Medical problems or ones related to speech pathology should be left to specialists in those fields. Singing instruction should not begin, or should not resume in the case of a person who has developed a dysphonia while studying, until cleared by a laryngologist who indicates that the problem is due to functional misuse or abuse of the voice rather than to medical causes. Most young adults entering a voice studio, however, do not present symptoms of serious vocal dysfunction. Rather, the speaking and singing sounds they produce often indicate that the vocal mechanism is being used with less than optimal efficiency. The resulting sounds may be lacking in the desirable characteristics of tonal beauty, loudness, expressiveness, and freedom of production, but this does not necessarily indicate that vocal abuse is taking place. At the same time, it must be recognized that when an inefficient voice is used extensively or under stressful situations it often becomes dysphonic. It is essential, therefore, that young adults are encouraged to learn how the vocal mechanism functions and to establish patterns of vocal use that will