Voicesource Selection: Starting To Teach
Whether you are a singing or voice teacher, here is the Voicesource selection of the four essential books for your studio’s shelf.
Singing and the Actor
Gillyanne Kayes’ seminal book tells us how it is! She introduces the essential concepts of modern singing training, such as Jo Estill’s voice qualities and Janice Chapman’s work on breathing. Although aimed at the actor working in musical theatre, this book is truly essential reading for those working with the spoken or singing voice in any genre.
The Voice Book: for everyone who wants to make the most of their voice
The Voice Book contains sensible advice for all voice users. Michael McCallion works in the context of the Alexander Technique and through this book he methodically examines all aspects of vocalising. There are also easy to understand explanations of various speech topics.
Longman Pronunciation Dictionary
Well, it does exactly what the title says! This useful dictionary irons out some of those ambiguities in pronunciation we all face in our teaching. Not only does it contain information on ‘permissible’ pronunciations in Standard English (Received Pronunciation – RP), it also gives the General American pronunciation. Fantastic if you are working with musical theatre repertoire in American accents. Interspersed with the dictionary entries are quick, simple explanations of phonetic concepts. Well worth it, and strangely readable!
Atlas of Human Anatomy
Although this anatomy book is not aimed specifically at voice users and covers the anatomy of the whole body, as anatomy books go, this is one of the best and certainly the most comprehensive. It contains pictures and labels but does not discuss the physiology. As a voice trainer, an understanding of human anatomy is often key to what you are trying to train, knowing “what attaches where” and “what moves what” underpins many teaching styles and helps you to give your students clear instructions and share anatomical vocabulary.
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