Training and Technique for Singing in Musicals
ON THIS PAGE:
Books/Training CDs | Vocal Coaches and Teachers: Tips on Choosing One | Directories of Coaches/Teachers | Can Training Be Harmful? | Warm Up Exercises| Learn from the Great Singing Stars | Singers online forums
Also see our special feature article page with tips: "Inner Workings of Your Song" and "How to Win an Audience"
Shop for Courses on CD; Books for Singers
Singing Skills
Discover
Your Voice : How to Develop Healthy Voice Habits 304 pages - includes a CD
This is not singing for dummies type. It's 300 pages of details - the CD will help. One of the Amazon.com reviewers said it was the most important guide he'd read.
Set
Your Voice Free : How To Get The Singing Or Speaking Voice You Want Comments
about the book and author Roger Love: Love helps the reader set personal vocal improvement goals and find and eliminate
all recognizable flaws. He introduces the revolutionary concept of middle voice
and asserts that by mastering it, you can connect to incredible parts of your
voice you have never used before. Love promises that almost anyone can navigate
smoothly through several octaves without pressure or strain, and he shows how
and why that will improve the quality of your life. Paperback; Buy New: $11.17
For All Performers
A hot seller for performers
Making It on Broadway: Actors' Tales of... (opens to Amazon.com)
"MAKING IT ON BROADWAY (Allworth Press) goes beyond the glitz and the glamour to show what really happens both on a Broadway stage and in the personal lives of Broadway actors. In their own words, Jason Alexander, Terrence Mann, Donna Murphy, Lea Salonga, and more than 150 of today’s Broadway performers—including fifty-five Tony Award® winners and nominees—talk candidly about living and working in the new era of the mega-musical."
Tips on MusicalSingers.com
Singing Tips from vocal coach Annette Palmer - The Big Four Principles of Singing
Singing Tips from performer Michelle Cohen - Finding the Inner Workings of Your Song by Using Visualization and Sense Memory; How To Win Over Your Audience
More links
Singers’
Free Tips, ebooks, books, workshops and voice lessons
Smart singers tips and tools.
www.perfectpitch.com
David Lucas Burge's unique Ear Training methods for all musicians
Did you know that you have a NATURAL, inborn ability for Perfect Pitch? But --
like most musicians -- you may have yet to discover it.
Song Without Words Book and CD set
vocalrelease.com for people who are looking to learn how to sing for the first time the right way and singers who are interested in singing at star quality.
Vocal coaches 7 CD package - Carol and Chris Beatty
Singing Lessons on CD - songwriter.com
Vocal Coaches and Teachers - Tips on Choosing One
What's the difference between a vocal coach and vocal teacher?
What to look for in a vocal coach:
Anyonecansing.com - what to look for |
"Never study with someone who does not know your
repertoire. Never study with someone who does not sing
(or did not sing, if they are finished) the way you
would consider fine singing. Never study with someone
who is not well-versed in historic vocal pedagogy and
well knowledgeable of the various national schools of
singing as well as the International School of
Singing...." by Joseph Shore - Continued on thebusinessofsinging.com/
Directories of Coaches and Teachers
Backstage.com index - check for Singing/Vocal coaches
Find a teacher - National Association
of Teachers of Singing
This link leads to a database with a search
feature. You can search by location and singing style,
including musical theatre.
Another list of voice teachers: thebusinessofsinging.com list
Directors of Colleges and other training
NYC and NJ- SingingMadeSimple.com
Kurt Peterson at The Voice Studio/James William Productions, New York, NY (212) 957-9728
Can Training be Harmful?
article - Will lessons ruin my stye? (anyonecansing.com)
Question: my singing teacher has given me the opportunity to focus my studies more towards musical theatre, rather than opera, and classical repertoire. This means that I may have to attempt the vocal technique of "belting" for my lower register, as I am a high soprano. Any thoughts on this?
Answer from music director and instruction Noel Katz: "Proceed with caution. Very few teachers teach belting properly and many who try to belt lose their voices. Trouble is, many recent musicals are cast with belters so there's a real market for those who can do it. In this case, imitation is the sincerest form of vocal suicide.
Warm Ups and Practice Exercises
Article on warming up with vowels (anyonecansing.com)
Warm ups and Warm Downs - Tips from Center for Voice Disorders
On Warming up and warming down - Tips from the Sing Out Seattle site.
Learn from the Great Singing Stars
Keep motivated by viewing great models. Some vocal coaches recommend taking time each day to listen to other artists. Listen for chord progressions, dynamics, passion, instrumentation, tone color, rhythm, pronunciation, phrasing, and style. Visualize yourself as the performer.
DVDs and Videos
Broadway
DVDs at Amazon.com Click to find over 150 Broadway-related DVDs.
Or try: All musicals and performing arts
Or Broadway Divas on video and DVD a list from Amazon.com's video and DVD editor - Includes Bernadette Peters, Betty Buckley, etc.
----
CDs
My
Favorite Leading Ladies includes Andrea McArdle, Audra McDonald, Nell Carter,
Faith Prince, Marin Mazzie, Karen Ziemba, Jennifer Holliday, Dorothy Loudon, Julie
Andrews, Liza Minnelli, Linda Eder
10 essential female vocal CDs - Betty Buckley, Audra McDonald, Skinner and Ripley, Linda Eder
Cabaret essentials This list includes descriptions
Broadway's
Greatest Leading Men - Richard Kiley, Alfred Drake, Joel Grey, John Raitt
and others
Sondheim Celebration - Carnegie Hall includes numbers sung by Patti LuPone, Bernadette Peters, Patrick Cassidy, Victor Garber, and many others
Top vocalists sing Stephen Schwartz songs
The Webmaster's favorites: No One Is Alone
--Laurie's inspirational album includes a special, one of a kind version of "Beautiful City." All the songs on this CD are upbeat.
Interviews with vocalists
Susan Egan's site includes a discussion section where Susan answers
questions, including a few about singing and singing
teachers.
http://www.susanegan.net/fans/Fun_Facts.htm
Tonya Pinkins teaches workshops on success in acting
It's set at Camp Ovation, a summer retreat for budding actors and singers. Camp was written and directed by Todd Graff, himself a Broadway veteran, based on his experiences at New York's musical camp Stagedoor Manor.
Charming and frequently hilarious, IFC Films' Camp is like Fame for the musical-theater set. The musical numbers are a lot of fun--older tunes are mixed with originals by Stephen Trask ... fans of musicals will love the many inside jokes, especially those relating to Sondheim. —David Horiuchi
To send suggestions, comments, or questions write to carol@musicalschwartz.com with the word "QUESTION" or "COMMENT" in the subject line. Musicalsingers.com is supported by commissions earned on purchases that visitors make through links provided to Amazon.com, Musicnotes.com, Sheet Music Plus, and other sites. Thanks for helping support this independent website through our affiliate links.
Discussion Forums
I'm planning to add a forum here as soon as the site gets bigger. In the meantime, check:
- Musicals.net has forums for different musicals.
- StephenSchwartz.com forum for Schwartz musicals
- Rec.Arts.Theatre.Musicals discussion of musicals
- Lovetosing.info This site has a forum for all types of singers
- All That Chat discussion of Broadway musicals
- Broadwayworld.com discussion of Broadway musicals
Singing for non Singers
http://www.carryatune.com/
