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Vocal Pedagogy

There are a great number of books on the instruction of singing.  Unfortunately, there are many books out there whose authors know little or nothing at all about the human body or voice mechanism.  The same is true about voice teachers.  There is an abundance of voice teachers, but no rules govern them.  Legally, anyone can be a voice teacher, regardless of degree or experience.  Even the greatest singers may make the worst teachers.  A teacher may be a phenomenal performer, but he may cause great problems in a singer who trusts his voice to the teacher.  Choir directors are not required to learn how the voice works either.  Some responsible directors take it upon themselves to learn how to teach singers and study the voice mechanism, but they are few and far between.  It is all too common for a choir director to give incorrect and sometimes harmful information to the singers in his choir.   Therefore, any student deciding to study voice should keep these things in mind.           It is the studen'ts responsibility to learn all he can about how the voice works.  He must study and understand how the breath mechanism works, how the vocal folds function, what role different resonators play in singing, and how vowels are formed by the articulators.          A great place to start is a series of four videos called The Singer's Voice by Joan Wall and Robert Caldwell.  These videos show the singer how his voice works, and they can often be found at any college or university library or at some larger public libraries.  An excellent book for beginners is The Diagnosis & Correction of Vocal Faults byJames C. McKinney.  This is a valuable tool for the voice teacher, student, or choir derector.  Also, consider getting a book solely on the larynx.  The Larynx, by William H. Saunders, M.D., published by Ciba Pharmaceuticals Division, is a booklet on the larynx itself and the function of the vocal mechanism.  Another great book, one more in-depth for the more advanced student, is The Structure of Singing, by Richard Miller.  Links to these books can be found on the Links page.           This site is designed to provide those interested in singing with references to quality informaition he can find at the local library.  It is also created to offer some general information on how the voice functions and tips to aid the singer along the way.  Remember, there are plenty of singers out there with talent that work hard.  In order to compete, take your studies seriously.  Talent isn't enough.  Good luck, and study hard.

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