Q: Many people have heard the terms soprano, tenor, or bass, but may not know to what they actually refer. In opera, voices are another instrument that must reach particular notes on demand, just like a violin or flute. Consequently, range classifications were developed to help identify voice types, which made it easier to cast opera singers for specific parts. While most people aren't trying out for opera these days, being aware of your voice type helps you be more aware of the notes you can reach when performing other types of music, either solo or in choirs. Informally, it can even help you figure out which songs you can effectively cover when singing karaoke. The different voice types descending from highest to lowest are: soprano, mezzo-soprano, alto, countertenor, tenor, baritone, and bass. Each type has a typical associated vocal range. You can divide range classifications into categories based on their respective vocal registers. Each register has a distinct timbre and is produced by a different action of your vocal cords. Accurately assessing your vocal range requires investigating the breadth of more than one type of vocal register, primarily those of your "modal" and "head" voices, and, in special cases, those of your "fry" and "whistle" voices. Your modal (or chest) voice is essentially your comfortable singing range when the vocal folds are in their natural manner of action. These are the notes you can reach without adding a low, breathy or high, falsetto quality to your voice. The range of notes that you can hit comfortably in your modal voice comprise your "tessitura." Your head voice includes the high end of your range, produced with elongated vocal folds. It's called "head voice" because it refers to those notes that feel the most resonant in one's head and have a distinct ringing quality. Falsetto--the voice most people use when impersonating female opera singers--is included in the head-voice register. For some very low-voiced males, the lowest vocal register, called "vocal fry" is also added, but many people cannot even reach this low end. These notes are produced by floppy, vibrating vocal folds that create low, creaking or croaking notes. Just as the "vocal fry" register extends to super-low notes for some men, the "whistle register" extends to super-high notes for some women. The whistle register is an extension of the head voice, but its timbre is distinctly different, sounding not unlike, well, a whistle. Think: the infamous highest notes in a song like "Lovin' You" by Minnie Riperton or "Emotions" by Mariah Carey. An octave is the interval between two like notes (for instance B to B), the higher of which has twice the sound frequency of the lower. On a piano, octaves will span eight keys (excluding the black ones). One way to characterize your vocal range is by expressing the number of octaves that range spans. The octave also corresponds with standard musical scales, which are typically comprised of eight ordered notes in ascending or descending order (for instance, C D E F G A B C). The interval between the first and last note of a scale is an octave. Scientific pitch notation is a standardized way of writing and understanding musical notes using letters (that identify the notes, A through G) and ordinal numbers (that identify the correct octave, from low to high, starting with zero on up). For instance, the lowest pitch on most pianos is A0, making the next octave above it A1 and so on. What we deem "Middle C" on a piano is actually C4 in scientific pitch notation. Since the Key of C is the only major key with no sharps or flats (and, thus, uses only the white keys on a piano), scientific pitch notation counts octaves starting with "C" notes rather than "A" notes. This means that though the lowest pitch on the far left-hand side of a keyboard is A0, the first "C" that occurs two white keys to the right is C1 and so on. Hence, the first A note that appears higher than Middle C (C4) will be A4, not A5. The full expression of your vocal range will include three of four different scientific pitch notation numbers, including your lowest note, highest note in modal voice, and highest note in head voice. Those who can reach the vocal fry and whistle registers may have pitch notation numbers for those as well, always ranging from the lowest notation note to the highest.
A: Understand voice-type classifications. Distinguish between vocal registers. Make sense of octaves. Recognize scientific pitch notation.

Q: If the recruitment page on the department's website offers an online application, complete it there. Otherwise, contact the department to find out how to apply, since the process varies. Some may ask you to complete an application before doing anything else. Others may have you fill one out and take the entrance exam on the same day. Either way, set aside plenty of time to fill out the application, since it is far longer than most. Fill your application out honestly, since a very extensive background check will ensue. You may also have to submit to a polygraph test later on. To apply, you generally need to be at least 21 years old, a U.S. citizen, and a high school graduate. Study beforehand for the civil service exam. Expect sections that will test job-specific skills, such as your ability to read maps, write reports, and accurately recall in detail observations that you've made. Also concentrate on sections that test your verbal skills, since these are arguably one of the most important skills for a police officer to have, whether they're interacting with citizens, communicating information in a crisis, or testifying in court. Expect your speed, endurance, and agility to be challenged. Tests vary from one department to another, but prepare to run either a short distance with maximum speed, a long distance at a consistent pace, or both. Perform simulations of real-life possibilities, such as climbing, moving a dummy/body, completing an obstacle course, or pushing a car. Depending on the department, physical fitness tests may be administered on the same day as your entrance exam. Answer questions presented by police officers in an interview-setting. Expect questions that are normal to job interviews (such as "Why are you interested in this job?") as well as questions designed to test your ability to remain composed in a high-pressure situation. Answer all questions truthfully. Remain calm. Prove both your honesty and your ability to keep a level head under intense scrutiny. Since the oral board may come after the background check, any discrepancies between its results and your job application may come to light now. If you were trying to hide any misdemeanors or such from your past, confess to them now, since your honesty is also being evaluated. Remember the Kobayashi Maru from Star Trek. There is often no correct answer to the question you've been asked. The focus here is primarily to see how you handle yourself in uncertainty. For the psychological test, complete a written test and be interviewed by a psychologist assigned by the department. For the physical test, provide blood and urine samples for testing. Submit to a physical. Depending on the department's resources, this may be a standard procedure on par with those performed for eligibility in high school sports, or they may be more extensive, incorporating more high-tech tests. Face further questioning by even higher ranking officers than those on the oral board. Be confident in that you've made it this far, since so many other candidates will have been eliminated by now. However, this is your last opportunity to convince them that you are the most ideal candidate, so present your best self. If your department requires you to attend its own police academy after the hiring process, complete the course. Afterward, begin training with a field training officer. Receive verbal instruction and modeled behavior from the FTO before entering the field. Then observe the FTO in action in the field. Expect this period to last anywhere from three to twelve months before receiving the FTO's endorsement for you to become a full-time officer in your own right.
A:
Fill out an application. Take the entrance exam. Complete the physical fitness test. Face the oral board. Submit to psychological and physical examinations. Complete the executive interview. Attend the academy and train in the field.