Vocal Technique. A Guide for Conductors, Teachers, and Singers

Abstract

Julia Davids and Stephen LaTour, Vocal Technique. A Guide for Conductors, Teachers, and Singers. Long Grove, IL: Waveland Press, 2012. Paper, x, 295 pp., $33.95. ISBN 978-157766-782-7 www.waveland.com In recent years, building bridges between the disciplines of solo and choral singing has been the subject of increased attention. The same instrument is used for both activities, and many student singers spend more time with their choral conductor than with a voice instructor. Indeed, for some, the choral director is their principal or sole voice teacher. Vocal Technique by Julia Davids and Stephen LaTour embraces the pedagogic role of directors to the extent that the group is mentioned first in the volume's subtitle: A Guide for Conductors, Teachers, and Singers. The authors present a combined focus upon voice science, voice pedagogy, and choral rehearsal techniques - three areas that are often examined separately, but rarely studied simultaneously. Vocal Technique is divided into two sections. The first, comprised of six chapters, delineates the foundations of vocal technique. Each chapter is devoted to a pillar of pedagogy: posture, breath, phonation, resonance, vowels, and consonants. The second section of the book, entitled Enhancements of Vocal Technique, contains ten chapters. Some of the topics (such as vibrato, registers, reduction of tension, and vocal health) are germane to all singing. Others (such as improving choral blend) are directed specifically to ensemble directors. Some topics - such as improving range and intonation, and voice changes due to age - are not common fare for pedagogy texts; if included at all, they are mentioned only in passing. It is critical that those who work with singers have accurate information about the voice, and Davids and LaTour offer a comprehensive, yet concise overview of the vocal instrument. The authors explain resonance and formants as easily as they elucidate the fundamentals of posture and breathing. They do not shy away from potentially contentious issues, such as registration and vibrato. It is telling, however, that the authors feel the need to rationalize the presence of the latter. Texts by William Vennard and Richard Miller present vibrato as characteristic of free phonation, while Davids and LaTour state, Vibrato is appropriate for most music. This is an indication of the authors' familiarity with choral performance for which singers may be asked to minimize or remove vibrancy from the sound. This acceptance will undoubtedly increase the appeal of this book for conductors. Directors will find excellent advice for a multitude of topics ranging from warm-ups to the influence of nonverbal communication upon singers' vocal health. In regard to the latter, if a conductor's posture is tense, or the beat pattern is consistently large, singers will match those characteristics in their sound. …

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