Singing - An Extensive Handbook for All Singers and Their Teachers

"Singing An Extensive Handbook for All Singers and Their Teachers," has been written for anybody who is interested in singing, particularly those who teach it. It also contains information which will be useful to instrumental teachers. It is designed to help all teachers to improve the aural and technical singing skills of their students, even if they are not first-study singers. Singing, after all, is at the heart of all aural work and musicianship.

There is much in this book to assist conductors of choral societies, music directors, and indeed anyone who works with singers, of whatever age and in whatever musical style. Moreover, singers who have progressed beyond a basic level will gain by using this book as a companion for their on-going development.

There is a simplified outline of the basics of singing in "The Fast Track" section. This will help you to become acquainted with the general principles which are treated in more detail in the other sections.

The book is structured so that the section "The Essential Anatomy" underpins those on "Training the Singing Voice", "Making Music" and "Performance". The nature of the anatomy section means that there is a lot of information presented, which could be difficult to assimilate all at once. Please think of it as a reference section, which can be either read all at once, or dipped into as required, so that the broader picture emerges over time.

"The Developing Voice" section is especially relevant for teachers training young adolescents through those years of marked vocal change. The "Making Music" section shows how to put the anatomy and training all together to prepare for a performance. This section also contains advice on choice of repertoire and how to build different styles of repertoire into the voice.

In the "Performance" and "The Psychology of Singing" sections you will find advice on the many small steps which lead to a successful performance, bringing motivation, healthy practice and personal fulfilment together to create a fuller picture.

General advice on understanding the root causes of vocal difficulties is given in the section on "Troubleshooting", along with some methods of resolving them. More detailed exercises to resolve difficulties are to be found in "Training the Singing Voice".

The broader issues of musicianship are covered in the section "Practical Singing for all Musicians", such as the role of examinations, aural training and the benefit of working in groups. The "Further Development" section offers advice on how to take singing into a more advanced field of study or performance.

Above all, the intention of this book is to present singing as a pleasurable activity, which, at its best, combines the physical, creative and emotional aspects of human expression.