1. High Larynx – an initial description
Description of the “high larynx” in singing
At birth, the larynx is high in the neck, resting at about the level of the third and fourth cervical vertebrae (C3 and C4). It descends to the level of C7 by the age of 5 and remains there until approximately 20 years of age. After that, it descends gradually throughout life. As the larynx descends, vocal tract length relationships change and average voice pitch lowers. (1)
By age sixteen for most girls and age eighteen for most boys the initial mutation and growth of the larynx beginning in early adolescence is accomplished. This means that the thyroid cartilage and laryngeal muscles in particular have grown substantially such that the male vocal cords have grown from 6 to approximately 20 mm, and the female vocal cords have grown from 6 to approximately 15 mm.(2) Actual lengths of the mature vocal cords vary being two to three millimeters shorter or longer than those stated above depending on the individual. One common sense result of such information is that detailed, rigorous pedagogy of voices younger than these is of limited value. But this is all background to descriptions of laryngeal movement during singing.
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(1) Robert T. Sataloff, M.D., D.M.A., and Joseph R. Spiegel, M.D., Vocal Health and Science ed. Robert T. Sataloff and Ingo R. Titze: Article titled: The Young Voice, The National Association of Teachers of Singing, 1991 (Jacksonville, FL) 57. This book is a compilation of articles from The NATS Bulletin and The NATS Journal, printed in honor of Van L. Lawrence, M.D.
(2) Ibid., 57-58.