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Breathing for Singing and its Vocal Pedagogy by Liz McNaughton

1 September 2005
VS/PN/2005/003

Phoenix Again products are now available from Voicesource Limited.

Voicesource Limited is pleased to annouced that two products from Phoenix Again have now been added to its catalogue of voice-related products. These two practical products, based around Liz McNaughton’s own research on Breathing and Vocal Pedagogy, have received fantastic reviews and benefit the whole voice community.

Content includes historical and geographical perspectives, aswell as a description of the function and application of the breathing apparatus in singing.

Reviews for Breathing for Singing and its Vocal Pedagogy

Jane Oakshott, Voice Matters Newsletter of the Voice Care Network UK Winter 2002, writes:

“This A5 booklet gives a fascinating overview of the widely divergent opinions of some of the greatest singers, teachers and medical experts. Its a welcome overview for teachers of the spoken voice as well as of singing. It is well set out and easy to read. The engaging illustrations add a light touch to a subject which has caused much controversy and angst in the field of voice teaching. The open-minded and non-judgemental approach retains interest by juxtaposing contradictory facts and theories.”

Ivor Flint, Communicating Voice Newsletter of the British Voice Association October 2002 writes:

“The beauty of this booklet lies in its conciseness and thorough research. What is of vital importance is that singing teachers (and also singing students) become aware of all the possibilities and remain open-minded. The value of this short book or the posters is that they neither proselytise nor evangelise, there is no this is the way to do it. Rather the reader is given access to all the data and made to think for her/himself.”

Jacob Lieberman, DO, MA Registered Osteopath & Psychotherapist, specialist in voice disorders writes:

“I read this booklet with great interest since it provides an excellent and comprehensive review about breathing issues related to singing. While this subject is of utmost importance to the professional voice user, there is very little good quality physiological research into the subject. This leaves a wide gap in knowledge thus providing fruitful grounds for myth and unfounded theories. Some might even be damaging in the long run as they have no physiological rationale. The booklet covers a lot of those concepts and encourages readers to go back to the sources. I find the references list an excellent source for further reading.”

Gordon Stewart, Singing Magazine of the Association of Teachers of Singing No. 43 Winter 2002 Book Review, writes:

“It summarises different views on breathing, (some of them interestingly unlikely) and if it concludes that this core subject needs more investigation and research, there is nevertheless plenty to get hold of in these few pages and you should certainly end up wishing to know more. As a stimulus to find out more, and first steps down the road to discovery, you may well find its attractive format useful for students. It is not a text book; it is a well-researched shot in the battle to breathe.”

Additional Resources

Breathing for Singing and its Vocal Pedagogy
Liz McNaughton | ISBN 0-9543165-0-9 | 3.75 | Booklet 16 pages

Breathing for Singing and its Vocal Pedagogy
Liz McNaughton | ISBN 0-9543165-1-7 | 7.75 | 2 Poster Set

About the Author

Liz McNaughton is a freelance voice specialist based in Reading, Berkshire. She has worked in various colleges including the BRIT School and the Guildhall School of Music and Drama but now teaches both the singing and speaking voice through her own business Phoenix Again Voice Tuition for Speech and Song and as a tutor for the Voice Care Network UK. Liz is involved with special needs education at the Institute of Education, University of London and also with the West Berkshire Alzheimers Society Singing for the Brain project. She works closely with Speech and Language Therapists and ENT Consultants on damaged voice rehabilitation and maintenance particularly of the singing voice. Liz has also served on the Council of the British Voice Association and the Organising Committee for PEVOC6 (6th Pan European Voice Conference) at the Royal Academy of Music, London in 2005.

More Information

Press queries, please contact Janine Haynes on 01908 559964 or via email to janine@voicesource.co.uk.

About Voicesource

Voicesource creates and distributes products for everyone interested in the voice. Our goals are to: promote healthy voice use, circulate different ideas and methods, and advance artistry and technique across different genres. As well as developing products that will interest all voice users, we want to support and create specific products that appeal to specialist interest groups. We encourage new authors to submit ideas and we are interested in hearing suggestions from our customers. We are also bringing together quality products from other publishers as part of our retail operations. The Voicesource website provides information on products and events that relate to singing, speech and voice use in all styles and at all levels of experience. For more information, visit www.voicesource.co.uk.