Your Voice At Its Best


Book Description

A proven techbook to develop and master a more perfect voice as well as rehabilitate voices impaired by vocal abuse for singers, public speakers, executives, salesmen, ministers [and] announcers whose desire it is to create a more dynamic image. About the Author: In David Blair McClosky's fifty years of dedication to the vocal arts, he has studied them from every conceivable angle. A concert and opera singer himself--and descended from a long line of singers--he studied for six years at the New England Conservatory of Music and did postgraduate study in Berlin and Milan. He [was] a professor of voice at the Boston Conservatory of Music. In 1946, due to a personal experience described in "Your Voice at its Best," he became interested in voice therapy and for five years worked with Dr. Irl H. Blaisdell of Syracuse, New York, studying both singing students and patients with throat disorders. From 1952 until 1965, he was Clinical Voice Therapist at the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary and has treated private patients from all over the country, including the late President John F. Kennedy. He has spoken widely on the subject of voice therapy and in 1963, was invited to lecture about his work at the Academy of Music in Vienna.




Your Voice at Its Best


Book Description

Freedom, ease, and power in song and speech for singers, public speakers, executives, and actors! Now in the Fifth Edition, this straightforward, clearly written guide presents David Blair McCloskys highly acclaimed techniques for developing and mastering a more perfect voice as well as rehabilitating voices that have suffered abuse. McCloskys methods, proven effective for more than 50 years, have been used by voice teachers, voice students, and speech pathologists as well as singers, actors, public speakers, executives, salespeople, ministers, broadcasters, and others whose voice use is significant in their lifeincluding the late President John F. Kennedy. Practicing McCloskys full range of techniques ensures that individuals can be the caretakers of their own voice and achieve maximum quality and fitness.




Your Body, Your Voice


Book Description

In this innovative book, Theodore Dimon, EdD, shows how each part of the vocal organ (breathing, larynx, throat, and so on) works as part of a larger musculoskeletal system that is often interfered with, and how identifying this larger system and understanding in a practical way how it works allows a person to train and improve the voice, whether speaking or singing. Traditional vocal training methods, says Dimon, cannot be effective without restoring the functioning of the musculature that supports the voice. Enhanced with over 50 detailed full-color illustrations, the book discusses the fallacy of traditional breathing exercises and explains that the key to efficient breathing lies in the expansive support of the trunk and rib cage. Investigating the elements needed to produce a strong supported tone, Dimon describes the importance of voice “placement,” or directing the sound to a part of the body in order to produce a fully rounded, resonant tone. He identifies harmful patterns of speech and singing, and offers helpful methods for reestablishing the natural function of the vocal mechanism. Individual chapters cover elements of the whispered “ah,” producing a pure sung tone, vocal registers, the suspensory muscles of the larynx, and more.




Finding Your Voice


Book Description

Finding your voice can be used as a resource by actors at all levels, form students and young professionals to established and experienced actors. Drama teachers in schools and committed amateur actors who want to increase their vocal skills and understanding will also find it invaluable.




Singing and Teaching Singing


Book Description

Singing and Teaching Singing: A Holistic Approach to Classical Voice, Third Editioncontinues to be a beloved resource for singers and their teachers, speech-language pathologists, and laryngologists and an adopted text for instructors and students in voice, singing, and performing arts courses. Janice L. Chapman is able to draw on her experiences as a singer with some of the world's leading opera companies to present a teaching technique specifically focusing on voice in the areas of classical and opera singing. Interspersed with the concepts and components of Chapman's methods are vignettes from her life and career, animated by her conversational and vibrant style to guide (and entertain) the reader through the book in a step-by-step fashion. The philosophy of teaching presented combines three main facets: Holistic, Physiological, and Incremental. The Holistic segment emphasizes that the act of singing involves the whole person (i.e., body, mind, spirit, emotion, and voice); the Physiological segment stresses anatomy, muscular function, and effects of muscular interactions so that students and teachers alike can understand and visualize the functional workings of the torso, larynx, and the vocal tract and their impact on good singing practices; and the Incremental section shows that the act of singing can be broken down into manageable components that have a natural hierarchy that eventually interact and interlock. This teaching model provides a framework to master one element at a time, with the resulting effect of a complete and integrated mastery of technique. Chapman recommends this framework for rehabilitative work with the dysfunctional singer, for working with the developing singer, and for the ongoing development and maintenance of the technically able professional singer. Case studies, examples, exercises, and contributions from some of the world's best-known voice professionals further highlight the text. New to this edition: The addition of a completely new chapter: an interview with voice specialist osteopath Jacob Lieberman on the subject of manual therapy and voiceA rewriting of Marilyn McCarthy's chapters on teaching and learning in light of advances in the fields of neuroscience and educationUpdates to Pamela Davis's chapter on voice and the brain, as well as John Rubin's chapter on vocal and respiratory anatomy and physiologyClarifications by Ron Morris on the use of the accent method of breathing as a highly effective remedial and training techniqueRefinements to chapters on breathing and support, phonation, and resonance*Disclaimer: Please note that ancillary content (such as documents, audio, and video, etc.) may not be included as published in the original print version of this book.




Raise Your Voice


Book Description

The owner's guide to the voice, this book will help you develop an understanding of the voice and how it works.




Free Your Voice


Book Description

Science is beginning to prove what ancient cultures fully embraced: your voice can become one of the most powerful agents of transformation in every facet of your life. Free Your Voice offers you the liberating insights and personal instruction of music healing legend Silvia Nakkach, whose four-decade immersion in the voice as a creative force makes her a uniquely qualified educator. With co-author Valerie Carpenter, Silvia shows how to reclaim the healing potential of your voice (regardless of training or experience) through more than 100 enjoyable exercises that are steeped in spiritual tradition and classical vocal technique and backed by the latest science. Free Your Voice invites us to “savor a banquet of our own divine sounds” as we practice breathwork, chant, and other yogic techniques for emotional release, opening to insight, and much more. Supplemented by 32 downloadable digital audio tracks offering Silvia's guidance through many of the exercises, here is a definitive resource for implementing the voice as an instrument of healing and fulfillment, exploring: How to develop a practice of breath and voice, performed with consistency and imagination, where sound designs its own landscapes through the expressive power of the voiceA series of sonorous yogic practices that involve subtle movements and the sustained focus of the mind in soundA gentle path for developing a voice that is fully embodied, uniquely expressive, and played like a fine musical instrumentInvocatory words and ancient seed sounds that deliver explicit spiritual information for expansion of consciousness and well-beingA beginning repertory of mantras and chants from many cultures that you can build on and share as you deepen your practiceTechniques for vocal improvisation to engage your singing imagination and enrich your musical offeringsHow to foster confidence and kindness toward yourself as a vulnerable chanteur of the universal songHow to cultivate singing as a spiritual practice for yourself and to serve a larger community “With regular practice,” writes Silvia, “vocalizing, singing, and chanting become an ordinary miracle that effortlessly leads you to a sense of self-confidence, compassion, and Love Supreme.” Free Your Voice is your guide to discovering, opening, and revealing the full potential of your own voice.




Set Your Voice Free


Book Description

Language and the way that people communicate has evolved over time, now you can learn how to effectively use your voice in the most effective way possible in order to get your message across. Every time we open our mouths, we have an effect on ourselves and the way others perceive us. The ability to speak clearly and confidently can make or break a presentation, an important meeting, or even a first date. Now, with the advent of Skype, YouTube, podcasting, Vine, and any number of reality talent competitions, your vocal presence has never been more necessary for success or more central to achieving your dreams. Roger Love has over 30 years of experience as one of the world's leading authorities on voice. Making use of the innovative techniques that have worked wonders with his professional clients, Love distills the best of his teaching in Set Your Voice Free, and shares exercises that will help readers bring emotion, range, and power to the way they speak. This updated edition incorporates what he's learned in the last 15 years as the Internet and talent competitions have completely changed the role your voice plays in your life. These are the new essentials for sounding authentic, persuasive, distinctive, and real in a world that demands nothing less.




The Voice Book


Book Description

Written to save careers one voice at a time through scientifically proven methods and advice, this resource teaches people how to protect and improve one of their most valuable assets: their speaking voice. Simple explanations of vocal anatomy and up-to-date instruction for vocal injury prevention are accompanied by illustrations, photographs, and FAQs. An audio CD of easy-to-follow vocal-strengthening exercises--including Hum and Chew, Puppy Dog Whimper, Sirens, Lip Trills, and Tongue Twisters--is also included, along with information on breathing basics, vocal-cord vibration, and working with students who have medical complications such as asthma, acid reflux, or anxiety.




Full Voice


Book Description

Vocal expression is a part of nearly everyone's workday, yet most of us are unaware of how much influence our voice exerts over our effectiveness. McAfee's work shows how we can deliberately marshal the power of our voices to support our intentions, aspirations, and relationships.