Vocal Technique: A Guide of Conductors, Teachers, and Singers

This is a thorough and excellent book on vocal technique. As a singer, it expanded my knowledge significantly. I especially appreciated its emphasis on protecting the voice as well as enhancing it.

Disclaimer: I know Julia Davids personally and have performed with her.As a professor of voice and "technique geek" I have read dozens books on the subject of voice technique, from Garcia and Lamperti to Vennard and Sundberg to modern volumes such as McCoy and D. G. Miller. What I love about this book is that it combines crystal clear organization with an easy to understand tone and accurate and up to date factual information.Most books on voice technique are one person's opinion bolstered by some scientific facts. This book is more than that--the science is right, as we would expect nowadays--but in addition many of the more subjective concepts are also presented in a way that is in line with modern understanding of voice technique, both practical and scientific.The next time I teach a voice pedagogy course I intend to use this as my textbook. Great job!

Addressing choral conductors' needs compatibly with goals of the voice teacher, Vocal Technique is an excellent, practical guide for singers and is the text for the pedagogy course at my university. It is well-organized, well-researched, and written in understandable language. There are detailed explanations of posture, breathing, onset, resonance, spectrographic analysis, vowel development, and vocal health (and more). It accurately explains our technique and offers advice to choral directors on managing a developed voice in choral situations. The book is richly illustrated with photos of sing positions, musical examples for warm-ups, and scientific drawings of the anatomy pertaining singing and breathing. Experts quoted include Renee Fleming, Richard Miller, William Vennard, Ingo Titze, Caruso and Tetrazzini.I find this an essential source for my studio and classroom and recommend it to everyone studying cultivated singing and/or direct a chorus.

I am a K-12 choral and general music teacher, looking for a refresher course and updated research on my prior knowledge of the voice. This book is excellent in content and is fairly easy to read if you have some prior knowledge of the mechanics of how the vocal mechanism works. It's researched-based, so that makes it dry reading, and I would guess that an amateur might have some difficulty following it all the time.I give it 4 stars, not because it's not an excellent book, but because I would prefer more vocal exercises to be included; they are spread throughout the book, and I think this book would be better if they were also collected in an appendix by topic with additional exercises or references to other published resources.

I can just pick it up and open it up anywhere and learn a little tidbit here and there... many times just before a choir practice or lesson. I am also glad to know that my instincts in helping some of my students learn to breathe properly and relax are exactly the same as in the book. I teach a lot of children, and instead of using a book on their abdomen while they are on their backs trying to breathe deeper, we use little stuffed animals. The adults actually like them as well.

As a teacher of voice at the college level, I was looking for a book that covered vocal technique in a simple, easily understandable way for music education students who are not necessarily voice students. This book was perfect. It explains all aspects of vocal technique, with references to many other vocal pedagogy books, without overwhelming the reader with too much confusing scientific or anatomical terminology. It covers vocal technique from the aspect of solo and choral singing, and explains everything clearly and concisely. This is a valuable addition to any voice teacher's library.

Excellent resource. Concise, comprehensive guide that every singer, conductor and vocal coach should read. I really appreciate the logical structure in which the information is presented. All aspects of vocal technique are covered in depth but the book never uses too much technical jargon that would make it inaccessible. I have read many books on vocal technique but this has become the guide I refer to most frequently.

Good proven scientific approach to singing that works. Even though some parts are hard to understand because they're too abstract and the authors use too many technical terms. Needs more pictures and illustrations to demonstrate techniques rather than just words.