Gwyn Mackenzie is that eight-year old who sang so beautifully on Jay Leno's show. I love talent,and the sort of wonderful stage presence that she displayed,along with her maturity...really, beyond her years. So impressed was I, I felt moved to write about it, and obviously many of you saw her and felt much the same way. Yet, there is a controversy about it. I have received several comments,all of which agreeing that she has talent. But we seem to be split right down the middle on whether or not she should be singing an advanced piece such as "Der Holle Rache",otherwise known as "The Queen Of The Night." Some are contending that they much prefer hearing this stellar, yet demanding quality music from a youngster, rather than what is being called "Disney music". I should mention here that almost everyone in this camp qualified their statements with the mention of the fact that they didn't really know much about opera but (like art) they know what they like.Then, there were those who, although they had great appreciation for Gwyn's talents, considered her voice as an instrument. They were concerned that this little girl's vocal health is at great risk since her voice is still growing,and according to one songbird, it won't be settled until the mid twenties. Those who were worried about Gwyn's health all said they studied voice,or were performers, and so I have a tendency to believe they were not just expressing sour grapes.
All of this got me to thinking, and I remembered something I haven't thought of in quite a while. As a child in grade school, not only did I grow up in a family that loved to sing, and encouraged it, but I had some voice lessons. But I was only allowed to go so far. Crestfallen, I watched while someone older than I continued on with voice, and developed a beautiful soprano singing voice,but did not sing opera. She sang in church, and at home, and in stage productions at school. She liked to sing, but had no aspirations of a career. To her it was fun, and she enjoyed the complements she got, but that was as far as it went. Dance was her thing, and that is what she went for,but early on into her career as a dancing instructor, she met a man, fell in love, and got married, and began having babies, at nineteen. From then on, the only time she raised her voice, beyond Christmas carols,and happy birthday, was to argue with her husband, and scream and yell at the kids.She had three children, one right after the other. By the time her oldest was crawling, she had trouble getting up and down, being greatly pregnant with the second, and it just seemed easier to yell at the kid. Ergo, by the time the third one came along, the pattern was set...long before her mid-twenties. She had a powerful voice, and she used it a lot. Loudly. Incessantly, day and night.And, when she wasn't yelling and screaming at husband and children, she would talk on the phone, and a great deal of the time, doing monologues on her problems with her husband and children, and often, she would get so upset, she would scream some more. Years went by and we began to notice that she wasn't hitting the high notes as she used to, when we sang Christmas carols. Almost every winter, she would develop colds, and laryngitis would set in. Then, she started losing her voice without even having a cold, and the doctor would put her on voice rest. After a while, her voice took on a husky quality that she could not seem to get rid of,and when she went to the doctor about it, he told her she had polyps on her vocal cords,and they had to be removed. Well, that sweet high voice is gone now. She can never sing again. What is worse, even her speaking voice is now constantly raspy.
Now, this woman never sang opera. But she did strain her voice so much before her mid-twenties that she sustained damage. Clearly, there is something to this idea that Gwyn's best interests are not being served in allowing her, nay, encouraging her to pursue her singing goals before she attains a certain age.
So, what do you think? Is this child being exploited to her detriment? Shouldn't her parents step in and perhaps consult another voice coach? Let her cut a CD, get their money and take their chances?...or sign her up for the Micky Mouse club?
Personally, I think the first thing I would do, would be to find her another agent, and ask Mariah Carey to write her an age appropriate song!
Or, maybe not.
OUI?
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