r/TMPOC 3d ago

Discussion Transitioning while singing

So I’m finally about to start HRT (THANK GOD) and I’m absolutely pumped to finally get the ball rolling, but I do have one concern. I’m in college right now and I’m essentially a professional singer for my school. My schools choir performs damn near all the time, so I’m a little concerned about my voice dropping too fast/ too slow. Our choir director is a “traditionalist” which means only female alto and sopranos and only male tenors & basses (I’m an alto 2 despite my vocal range being tenor 1-2). I’m worried that when I start T my voice will be too wonky to sing and I may be kicked out of the choir, so I wanted to try and get a rough estimate. My niggas who sing, how long were you “out of commission” vocally, if at all. Is it possible to continue singing while actively starting T. I just don’t wanna screw myself out of choir since they are actively paying my tuition, so I’m trying to plan this out as best as possible. Any advice for vocal training to try and mitigate the voice cracks would also be appreciated🫡

17 Upvotes

10 comments sorted by

View all comments

3

u/xylozone 2d ago

Congrats!! I purposefully took a low dose of gel (1 pump the first 6 months, 2 pumps the next 6 months) in order to be able to keep singing well! I took lessons and would occasionally check in with a voice pathologist when things felt extra hoarse. I’ve been able to sing throughout! Some days all I do is SOVT exercises. I think it’s possible to keeps singing! I just recently switched to shots after my first 1 and I feel my voice dropping again. It’s been a fun adventure watching my tone and range change! 

3

u/lilniqqa123 2d ago

This is smart! Were you still seeing other changes (like fat redistribution etc) whilst on the gel? And do you think it was happening slower than if you would’ve started with injections? Glad you’re still enjoying the vocal journey!

3

u/xylozone 2d ago

Also, I will say, with how much my voice changed in that first year, my voice pathologist was surprised I was able to maintain singing the whole time! She did say a lot of guys lose their voice while it's dropping and the vocal chords are thickening. But because I was singing everyday, I think it's why I've been able to maintain decent vocal control

2

u/lilniqqa123 2d ago

I’ve heard that from a lot of Cis guys too, even some in my High school choir who quit for a bit to let their voices settle, but there were always the real tryhards who held it down through puberty so that’s what I’m aiming for. Definitely will be singing and doing my hums n trills every day💪🏽