To help find out, Dr. Amelia Rollings of Western Kentucky University conducted a study that has been published in the Journal of Voice called "The Effects of Heel Height on Head Position, Long-Term Average Spectra, and Perceptions of Female Singers." (Available free at this link until March 31st.)
For her study, she asked 30 university voice students to sing an excerpt of “Climb Ev'ry Mountain” from THE SOUND OF MUSIC while barefoot and again while wearing 3.8 to 4 inch high heels (Mossimo Vivian Pointy Stiletto heels from Target, if you must know). Dr. Rollings then measured their head angle, analyzed the acoustic output of their sound, and had the students fill out a questionnaire about what they felt while singing.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, the results show that every single participant significantly changed the angle of her head when singing in high heels compared to singing barefoot. The acoustic data indicated "significant spectral energy differences" between barefoot and high-heeled singing (meaning there was a notable change in tone quality). And the questionnaire revealed that 70% of the singers were most comfortable—and felt they sang their best—while barefoot.
So, does this mean that singers should never wear heels while singing? Not necessarily.
Dr. Kurt-Alexander Zeller, co-author of What Every Singer Needs to Know About the Body, believes singers can perform in high heels, but to do so requires some extra attention and practice. He writes:
 |
| Luckily, snowshoes are pretty flat. |
"Adding height to the heel of a shoe will change the arc of the arch through which the weight of the body is delivered to the floor; the heel of the shoe becomes an extension of the heel of the foot. The ankle joint must rebalance so that it still remains the fulcrum at the apex of the arch, which will of course be taller and narrower. (The higher the heel of the shoe, the taller and narrower the arch.) The ankle joint must adjust so that weight is still being delivered equally back through the heel of the foot and subsequently the heel of the shoe to the ground, and also forward through the ball of the foot to the ground. (If too much weight is thrown onto the balls of the feet, the toes often grip in compensation, which is counterproductive.)" (What Every Singer Needs to Know About the Body, p.256)There are many performance factors that may interfere with our best singing, like staging, choreography, and even costuming. The point of a "dress" rehearsal is to allow actors to get used to moving and singing in costume (shoes included) to work out any peculiarities before being put in front of an audience. It takes practice and experimentation to find out how to keep vocal efforts balanced and expressive within these potential limitations.
Being aware of how high heels may unconsciously impact your singing can help you make appropriate adjustments to your approach. Then you're better able to get your performance off on the right foot.
How has your singing been this week?
Now go practice.
I've only had to wear heels on stage a handful of times, but each time I did see a noticeable difference in my performance. I'm fairly convinced that for me it was primarily because I was so scared to be in heels,but it would make sense that anatomically it affects our performance as well. Makes me wonder what our regular shoes might be doing to us.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeleteAs a Tall Girl™️, I tend to not wear heels during auditions or callbacks for fear of being taller than any of the male actors. When I do feel confident enough to throw on some heels, or even character shoes, I find that I need time to get comfortable. However, I tend to wait until the last minute to choose an outfit and shoes for any sort of audition/callback/performance. In the future, I will definitely keep this in mind as I choose something comfortable to wear; if I am going to dress up, can I rehearse in what I'm wearing to ease the process? I think it's a similar thought process to when I am wearing pants that are tighter around my waist, I don't think about how that will impact my singing until I get to my lesson or begin to warm up, at which point I have to adjust my instrument to work in whatever conditions I'm in.
ReplyDeleteThis is really interesting to me. As I've stated in other responses, I have a hard time wrapping my head around the idea of singing being like any other kind of use of the body or sport. But from that lens this makes perfect sense. I've never worn heels on stage, but I have had costumes that changed the way I had to carry myself, and I'd never even considered that might affect my singing. I might try practicing in my actual audition clothes instead of whatever I would normally be wearing from now on to try and understand how that shift affects me.
ReplyDeleteAs someone who wears heels quite often I can assure that what they found in this study is completely true. I find when I wear them that I have to be extra aware of my body placement and posture. When performing in heels or even when i've had to sing from strange positions, like lying on the floor, it takes more effort to get the sound that I want or I feel more strain. I think if you can practice getting your body inline despite your body not being in neutral stance, you should be able to achieve the same sound but it would take practice and a little muscle memory.
ReplyDeleteAs a person who hasn't really worn heels before while singing this never really crossed my mind before. It's soo fascinating that even just a small change in how your hold your body can change the sound of your voice so drastically. Our goal as actors and singers is to be able to have a clear voice even in these awkward positions that we have to hold onstage sometimes.
ReplyDeleteI completely relate to this research! I often notice at auditions, the expectation for females is to wear a skirt or a dress with some form of a heel. So I have roughly followed that trend by wearing a 2-3 inch heel when auditioning. Because I rarely wear heels in my daily life, my body is not accustomed to making the necessary adjustments for an ideal body positioning. Adding audition nerves on top of an unbalanced foundation, often does not lead to auditions I am particularly proud of. If I am going to continue to audition in heels, I need to practice in them regularly.
ReplyDeletePractice has been going fairly well! Again, I have a lingering sore throat that hasn't left since January. I am very conscious of how much I am using my voice right now. I want to be able to keep my voice as healthy as possible during these next two weeks of audition preparation and feel my best during the days of auditions. This has slightly impacted my practice. Ordinarily I like to practice every possibility I can throughout the day. But I am limiting myself in order to protect my voice from overuse. Especially since my work schedule is still demanding and using my voice is required. I remember the days when ignorance was bliss and I could sing, talk and laugh all day without ever noticing that my voice was tired :)
I think this is very interesting--also hey I remembered the blog this week, go me--anyway, I think this is interesting because as a woman in this industry there are certain expectations which sometimes include wearing heels. I was at an audition this weekend and I thought about dancing in my jazz flats but every other woman in the room was in character shoes, again, I thought I might wear my flats in the audition itself, but everyone else was in heels. Knowing that wearing heels can have a negative influence on my practice doesn't surprise me, but it does frustrate me because there is this expectation. I guess its just something to be aware of and to adjust to accordingly. I wonder if tie-tightness, or belt wearing has a similarly negative affect? >.<
ReplyDeleteMaybe I just need to invest in some statement flats, Im sure dave would approve.
But overall my practice was good this week. I was working on audition sides for Freaky Friday and I feel pretty good about the audition itself. I have noticed that the girls who go in and belt their faces off are signing more challenging material than I am, so I wonder if I need to amp up my belt/mix game or if that is just me getting in my head. to be explored this week.
I never actually considered how performing in high heels would affect your vocal quality. Now that you have exposed me to the idea I’m very curious about the science behind it all. It does make sense however. The arching of the foot readjusting the alignment of the body. You wouldn’t think though that something at the base of your body would affect something towards the top. It’s super interesting. It’s unfortunate however that in most industries its expected that the women wear heels or a skirt, probably both since they’re partners in crime. I will admit that wearing heels to an audition does give me a confidence boost that helps me get through it, but I wouldn’t say it necessarily impacts my voice in any way (that I’ve noticed).
ReplyDeleteMy singing this week has been okay. I’m in the process of finding and keeping my, lack of a better phrase, true singing voice. Every time in class during a performance my anxiety sends my pitch clear up to the heavens, but when I’m practicing by myself or just singing for the fun of it with friends, my register is in my chest where I feel I’m most comfortable. So right now, I’m trying the “extremes” of pitch (safely of course) to find that middle ground where the pitch isn’t monotone, but It isn’t pushing. I’m also experimenting with more operatic sounds. I’ve always been one that leans towards songs that allow me to raise my soft pallet and open the mouth cavity more. Only because those seem to be songs that require the least amount of effort for the sound to really come out- mainly due to the vowels being an o our ou, while I have some challenges with a or ah vowels.
I very rarely wear heels but I think that there definitely is an exception for women to wear character heels in auditions, and although the heel is pretty short, it still does affect your posture and alignment. Having your foot pointed will change where your center is. I haven't noticed a difference in my singing when wearing heels but I will be mindful about it next time.
ReplyDeleteI think that clothing does have a profound impact on your acting though, I find that if I practice something barefoot most of the time, adding shoes kind of throws me off, and vice-versa.
Choreography definitely impacts my voice, especially when it is physically more demanding. And it is harder to produce sound when you're in a compromised physical position.
Wow that surprises me. I don't know why, I guess it makes sense, I just didn't think of a body part so far down from the voice would make a difference. We're learning in singing, and all of our classes really, how to accomplish a task such as singing or acting using ONLY the necessary muscles to do so. So it would seem to me that with awareness and practice you should be able to achieve the same vocals with heels as without.
ReplyDeleteI find this study both unsurprising and very interesting because I've often felt an expectation for me, as a woman, to wear heels while performing. I felt this very heavily from the School of Music, for events even as "low stakes" as masterclasses. I was always instructed to wear a skirt or dress and heels - which I always naturally feel less comfortable in being that I know it restricts and changes my mobility/motion. Now that I've become more comfortable and better and doing, just about anything in heels thanks to instances of forced practice, I sometimes choose to wear heels because they can make me feel powerful (and often taller than 5'2"). All that being said, I think it's very helpful to know how heels and other costuming items affect my anatomy, alignment, breathing, etc. so I can mindfully adjust.
ReplyDeleteI have never worn heels to an audition or on stage, but I own dress shoes that have a bit of a heel to them and I definitely feel a difference in my performance when I wear them. I feel more confident, lifted (but not grounded), and professional. my center of gravity is naturally lifted, so at times it is difficult to wear shoes with a higher heel and access a grounded center of gravity. I am 6'3" and have really long legs and arms, so my height has been something that I've recently come to terms with accepting. I own it now and I am actively working on being more grounded and utilizing my pelvic floor muscles to assist in apoggio and breath support, especially when singing above the staff.
ReplyDeletePractice has been pretty scattered due to the fact that my voice has not been feeling 100% there throughout the month of February due to the terrible air quality and an on and off sore throat, but I am on the road to recovery. Auditions for next year's musicals are right around the corner and I would like to be as over prepared as possible to tackle them.
It's very cool that this study has been done. I'd like to read the more of it's material. I'm not surprised by the results.
ReplyDeleteShifting the fulcrum of the body will of course affect the parts of the body either directly or indirectly, resulting noticeable or unnoticeable outcomes. I'm constantly learning in this singing class and in our sophomore voice class that there's a lot more to producing and effecting a vocal sound/quality than I thought (and I already thought there was quite a bit to it). I'm also constantly discovering how inseparable larynx and the rest of the body are. So, this was nice to have been brought to my attention. I think I'll practice my audition songs in my character shoes longer from the audition dates than usual.
I’ve noticed this effect occurring wearing different articles of clothing as well. If I’m wearing heavier, denser clothing I extend my neck and perhaps put a little strain on my voice by attempting to “escape” large, heavy items of clothing. Alternatively, loose, flowing clothing allows me to free my body to control breath more easily. I don’t have enough experience wearing tons of different kinds of shoes onstage to see if there’s a clear difference in how it could affect my voice. However, I hope to have many opportunities to wear high, high, heels in productions in the future.
ReplyDeleteI have always felt more uncomfortable singing in heals, which does not surprise me at all considering I always feel more uncomfortable simply standing in heels. In regard to my standing body, my weight is shifted to a different place, which affects everything. I think that I need to do more practicing in heels to combat this adjustment in my body, because I never ever wear them unless it is required, which means I'm not used to them when I perform, and therefor it could (and does) throw me off. Another need for practicing in performance conditions.
ReplyDeleteI've never really considered the clothes I wear when singing. It certainly makes sense that they would have an effect. I have never sung in costume so that is likely why I've never had to think about it. Everytime that we have sung in class I've worn comfortable rather comfortable clothing. I have however noticed the effect clothing has on acting, as it always takes a rehearsal or two to get used to new costumes.
ReplyDeleteAfter taking Alexander and learning the basics of the technique, I feel like I'm much more aware of my alignment while in challenging or unusual footwear and clothing. I like the idea of considering the heel an extension of the heel, grounding you into the earth. Being barefoot for most of our acting classes is helpful for finding your natural alignment but I enjoy seeing how costuming affects my characters. Costuming changes my characters in big ways because of how it changes their gait, the way they hold themselves, their level of confidence...etc. After taking a heels class outside of school, I've loved experimenting with acting through movement with the added challenge of a heel. It goes straight into this concept of how your base changes your whole body in big and small ways. I'm excited to focus on this as I move forward in my work.
ReplyDeleteI love wearing heels, but I have yet to wear them for performance. I imagine at some point in my career I will have to, so it's good to know how to adjust properly to a different grounding. This blogpost makes me want to throw on some pumps before my next practice session, so I might try that out this week. Voice is a little tired from closing the show, so I've bee taking it easy before auditions, and only using my voice when practicing sides.
ReplyDeleteThe affects shoes can have on us actors has crossed my mind before. The study Dr. Rollings performed makes me wonder what other studies they have done in comparison to similar accessories of an actor. Like clothes. If a character is called to wear a very heavy burly coat, can this affect their ability to sing at the same level as without that coat? What about hats? If a character is called to wear a very long or oblong hat that just is a bit awkward, how does that affect the singing ability? These questions clearly keep me up at night.
ReplyDeleteClothing and shoes never crossed my mind when it came to singing. I never thought that heels could change a performance, I mean sometimes I struggle walking in them let alone singing. Oh lord, Beyonce is a pro! I am very curious about performing in heels now, perhaps I'll be up to challenge. I love being barefoot as we are in most of our class, it makes me feel grounded but that won't always be the case for performances, characters etc. I also agree with Morgan, learning the basics of Alexander has helped me acknowledge my flaws with my alignment but it has also made me feel more aware of my body.
ReplyDelete