The Happy Time: Tips for Singing Like the Leading Lady

The Happy Time is a musical that premiered in 1968. The music was composed by John Kander, with lyrics by Fred Ebb and the book by N. Richard Nash. Based on the play of the same name by Samuel Taylor, the show tells the story of a French-Canadian family living in Canada in the 1920s. The patriarch of the family, Jacques Bonnard, must choose between his bohemian, freewheeling lifestyle and the responsibilities of raising his teenage son. The show features several standout musical numbers, including "Magic Moment," "I Don't Remember You," and "Walking Among My Yesterdays."

If you're looking to learn how to sing like the leading lady in The Happy Time, you'll want to focus on developing a light, yet powerful, soprano range. At the same time, you'll need to be able to inject emotion into your performances, conveying a sense of longing, nostalgia, and romanticism. Here are some tips for mastering the style and technique of The Happy Time:

1. Work on your breath support: Breath support is key to achieving a light, effortless singing style, and can help you hit high notes with ease. Try practicing exercises like the Farinelli breathing exercise, which can be found in Singing Carrots' Skill-related Videos section.
2. Focus on vocal agility: The Happy Time features several challenging vocal runs and trills that require a great deal of agility and control. Regular practice can help you develop the necessary dexterity and precision. Exercises like the 3 Minute Warm Up, found in Singing Carrots' Skill-related Videos section, can help with this.
3. Experiment with vibrato: Vibrato is an essential component of a light soprano sound, and can help you add a sense of depth and emotion to your performances. Singing Carrots has two videos on vibrato, Beggars Bounce and Diaphragm Bounce, that can help you master this technique.
4. Practice open throat singing: Open throat singing can help you achieve a clear, resonant tone, which is crucial for conveying the emotion of The Happy Time's musical numbers. Singing Carrots' Open mouth & throat blog post can help you learn the basics of this technique.
5. Make use of appropriate musical scales: The right musical scale is going to be essential to mastering Happy Time's vocal style. The Pitch Training - Educational Singing Game can help in developing this skill.

By incorporating these techniques and practicing regularly, you can learn to sing like the leading lady in The Happy Time, captivating audiences with your light, emotional soprano sound.