“We all have a responsibility. I cannot change the whole world, but if I can change one person's life through music, I have done my job and I can go to heaven."

This is the fervent hope expressed by Xander Kritzinger, who received his MMus degree on Thursday (04 April 2019) during the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences graduation ceremony at Stellenbosch University (SU). Kritzinger graduated from the Department of Music and his research focused on the vocal training during male puberty, a topic that is very personal to him.

“I grew up singing in choirs and attended Drakensberg Boys Choir School. During that time, my voiced changed and I struggled with the technical side of singing. For a long time I had wanted to do a Masters focusing on the change of boys' voices. I had this absolute desire to know how to work with these chaps, because the people who worked with me had little knowledge on the matter."

Kritzinger believes that if more research had been conducted on the change in boys' voices while he was singing in choirs as a young boy, it could have helped his vocal training and progression. “The main reason I started doing this research was because I didn't know enough. Working with young singers, especially boys with a changing voice, is important to me. As much as I fell in love with the research process, the kids that I work with will gain much more from my research."

Kritzinger has been passionately involved in choral music since 2004. While growing up in KwaZulu-Natal, he was involved in various choirs and started conducting when he was still in high school. Being a fourth generation choral conductor and seeing his parents play instruments and share their love for music with him naturally propelled Kritzinger also to pursue a career in music.

“For me the medium is choral music. If I can build a relationship with a child, a healthy relationship with boundaries as both a mentor and a teacher within a safe space, I can have a bigger impact. To create a space where a child or young adult can develop through music and walk away with a smile – that's why I do it."

Kritzinger is currently the choral conductor and voice teacher at Stellenbosch High School, a post he says brings him immense joy.

“It's a long process and when you start building a relationship with kids, it is not necessarily about them being the best musician or singer or whatever. You want them to be healthy, psychological sound individuals as well. I want to see children develop into healthy adults."

Kritzinger will be continuing his research on the vocal training of boys' voices during puberty when he commences his PhD studies in Music at SU next year.  

Photo by Stefan Els.