Choral Ensemble Intonation


Book Description




7 Dimensions of Singing


Book Description

"If you can speak, you can sing." In this must-read book for anyone looking to learn more about their voice, Richard Fink IV shows how singers, from beginners to seasoned professionals, can reach their full potential through a scientific lens. Drawing from his own experiences of overcoming obstacles and learning how to sing, Richard, a now celebrated singing teacher and Guinness World Record holder as a vocalist, breaks down the only vocal methodology in history to receive a US Patent, the Throga® Technique. In the 7 Dimensions of Singing, readers are taken on a journey through vocal anatomy, accelerated skill training, self-diagnostics and customizable solutions. Readers can also explore chapter exercises first-hand by jumping online to download audio examples and practice tracks. Throughout the book, Richard brilliantly weaves the coordination of complex physiological structures into simple concepts, by comparing them to everyday activities, along with dynamic examples of real-world applications from Throga students, from performing on the streets of Sydney, Australia, to nervously waiting backstage at Radio City Music Hall in New York and defying the odds with a life-threatening lung disease. The 7 Dimensions of Singing (The Throga® Technique) is essential for singers of all ages, styles, and skill levels, helping to connect the mind (the singer) and the body (the instrument) through awareness and mindful-practice.




Complete Vocal Fitness


Book Description

Complete Vocal Fitness: A Singer’s Guide to Physical Training, Anatomy, and Biomechanics is a primer on sport-specific training for vocal athletes. Elite athletes apply cutting-edge research in movement and physiology to customize fitness regimens that ensure peak performance. The principles of sports science that enable them to fine-tune strength, flexibility and dynamic stabilization to meet the requirements of a given sport are invaluable for preparing the body to meet the physical demands of singing. This book will teach you to: Optimize alignment by identifying and resolving postural distortions Balance strength and flexibility throughout your torso to facilitate full breathing and promote coordinated breath management Improve oxygen consumption to enhance your stamina and ability to sustain long phrases Stabilize your spine and major joints in order to continue performing with solid technique while meeting the demands of stage movement Musicians of all kinds benefit from understanding the basics of how their instruments work. This book is also a guide to how the vocal instrument functions. You will find accessible descriptions of the fundamental components of vocal anatomy – laryngeal function, articulation and resonance – explaining their movements, their interaction with one another, their integration with the anatomy of breathing and alignment, and relating them to common non-anatomical terminology often used in the voice studio.




Sing at First Sight, Level 1


Book Description

A sequential sight-singing curriculum for all choirs. Each of the six units (containing four lessons each) clearly introduces new music reading concepts, reinforces those concepts with several rhythm and pitch exercises, motivates students with helpful hints and challenge exercises, and concludes with fun-filled review games and "Evaluating Your Performance" questions. The helpful "Getting Ready" pages (which precede each unit) are filled with music fundamentals, and for choirs who have never read music before, an optional "Before We Begin" chapter opens the book. And it's all a neatly laid out publication and a perfect fit for your students. From whole notes to sixteenth-note patterns, seconds to sevenths, key signatures, dynamics, articulations, and tempo markings; it's all here, and it's all logically ordered to insure student success! Spend just a few minutes a day with this book and your choir, too, will learn to "Sing at First Sight!"




Vocal Technique


Book Description

Vocal Technique is a practical, easy-to-read guide to better singing. This new edition offers a stylistically flexible approach that allows soloists and choral singers to vary the elements of technique to sing virtually any style—classical through contemporary (musical theatre, pop/rock, jazz, and more). It is a comprehensive yet concise book covering all aspects of technique, including body alignment, breath control, initiation of sound, vocal fold closure, resonance, register use, vowels, pitch control, articulation, and vibrato. It also features expanded treatment of vocal health and development. Conductors and teachers will appreciate the numerous practical exercises. Grounded in the latest pedagogical and scientific research, Vocal Technique, Second Edition will expand the horizons of both amateur and professional singers.




Choral Artistry


Book Description

Choral Artistry provides a practical and organic approach to teaching choral singing and sight-reading. The text is grounded in current research from the fields of choral pedagogy, music theory, music perception and cognition. Topics include framing a choral curriculum based on the Kodály concept; launching the academic year for beginning, intermediate, and advanced choirs; building partwork skills; sight-reading; progressive music theory sequences for middle to college level choirs; teaching strategies; choral rehearsal plans as well as samples of how to teach specific repertoire from medieval to contemporary choral composers. As part of the Kodály philosophy's practical approach, authors Micheál Houlahan and Philip Tacka employ two models for learning choral literature: Performance Through Sound Analysis Pedagogy (PTSA) and Performance through Sound Analysis and Notation (PTSAN). Both models delineate an approach to teaching a choral work that significantly improves students' musicianship while engaging the ensemble in learning the overall composition in partnership with the conductor. The final chapter of the book includes rubrics to assess the effectiveness of a choral program. This book does not purport to be a comprehensive choral pedagogy text. It is a detailed guide to helping choral directors at all levels improve the choral singing and musicianship of their students from a Kodály perspective.




Vocal Warm-ups


Book Description

What choral conductor or soloist has not looked around for new ideas for warming up the voice? Here are 200 suggestions all at once! And these creative exercises do more than just warm up the voice: they help to relax the body, train the ear and develop an awareness of dynamics and rhythm. "Klaus Heizmann's collection is a wonderful new resource of ideas and techniques: practical, varied, challenging, relaxing and stimulating. I am always looking for new ideas, as I like to use a different set of warm-ups at every rehearsal with my choirs, and I tend to choose specific exercises to suit the repertoire for the day. This collection gives us 200 excellent "tools-of-the-trade"; they are clearly labeled, intelligently set out, well-designed and extremely useful." (Simon Carrington, Director of Choral Activities, New England Conservatory since 2001; Director of Choral Activities, The University of Kansas 1994-2001; Founder and co-director of the King's Singers 1968-1993)




Handbook of Neurologic Music Therapy


Book Description

Neurologic Music Therapy (NMT) is a form of music therapy developed for people suffering from cognitive, sensory, or motor dysfunctions - arising from neurological diseases of the nervous system. People who can benefit from this therapy include sufferers from: stroke, traumatic brain injury, Parkinson's and Huntington's disease, cerebral palsy, Alzheimer's disease, autism, and other neurological diseases affecting cognition, movement, and communication (e.g., MS, Muscular Dystrophy, etc). The Handbook of Neurologic Music Therapy is a comprehensive landmark text presenting a new and revolutionary model of music in rehabilitation, therapy and medicine that is scientifically validated and clinically tested. Each of the 20 clinical techniques is described in detail with specific exercises, richly illustrated and with pertinent background information regarding research and clinical diagnoses. The book is a 'must have' for all neurologic music therapists and those who want to become one, clinicians, university faculty, and students alike. Physicians and therapists from other disciplines will find this tome an important guide to provide new insight how music can contribute significantly to brain rehabilitation and how Neurologic Music Therapists can be effective interdisciplinary providers in patient care.




A Cappella Arranging 2.0


Book Description

In this highly anticipated sequel to A Cappella Arranging, Deke Sharon and Dylan Bell provide even more tools and insights to help musicians master the craft of a cappella arranging—including new creative principles and theoretical techniques to expand the palate, as well as arranging in various musical genres spanning several decades of music. Since the publication of the original book in 2012, a cappella as a genre has grown enormously. Using conversational yet instructive tone, A Cappella Arranging 2.0: The Next Level picks up where the previous book left off, helping people deepen their a cappella arranging skills. In four parts, the book addresses a variety of topics including: The creative process An advanced understanding of vocal ranges Counterpoint and polyphony Harmonic concepts and techniques Arranging for the studio Live looping arrangements Instrumental idioms Arranging in different styles, including world styles Medleys and mashups This is the perfect resource for taking your a cappella arrangements to the next level.