Solutions for Singers: Tools for Performers and Teachers - Hardcover

Miller, Richard

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0195160053 ISBN 13: 9780195160055

Publisher: Oxford University Press, 2004

Synopsis

While many texts and courses on the art of singing offer comprehensive overviews of technique and performance, few have time to delve into the specific questions they spawn. Solutions for Singers explores these unanswered questions, filling in gaps that professional performers, students of singing, and voice teachers have long sought to close.

Fielding over 200 questions, distinguished teacher and performer Richard Miller tackles problems raised during hundreds of his master classes and pedagogy courses. He deliberately avoids abstract generalities, concentrating instead on specific, recurring questions: What are some good exercises to loosen or relax tension in the back of the tongue? Do you apply the same principles regarding breathing to a younger student that you do to older students? What is meant by voiced and unvoiced consonants? Is there a female falsetto? Through such specialized questions, Miller probes the very essence of artistic expression.

The questions are organized under ten broad topics, which Miller considers from various angles. He couples traditional and modern philosophies to present the most relevant and precise solutions. The result is an invaluable handbook for singers, which, read either sequentially or selectively, provides a unique and pragmatic approach to vocal artistry and technique.

About this title

About the Author:

Richard Miller has had a distinguished international performance opera and recital career, is a celebrated masterclass presenter, vocal researcher, competition adjudicator, and prolific author.

Review:

"Miller's contributions to the literature of voice pedagogy are often described with superlatives. Solutions for Singers is no exception. By answering myriad specific questions about the vocal art in a knowledgeable and practical manner, Miller has provided voice teachers and singers with an outstanding resource in the pursuit of beautiful, efficient singing."--Journal of Singing

"How would you like to spend a day posing questions and receiving answers with one of the world's most influential voice pedagogues? Richard Miller's latest book, Solutions for Singers, provides just such an opportunity. Written in his clear and engaging style, Miller answers questions gathered from members of his weeklong classes devoted to the art of singing. Highly informative on a wide variety of subjects, Solutions for Singers is written in a style accessible to both the novice and advanced singer and/or voice teacher."--William McIver, Professor of Voice, Eastman School of Music and former NATS President

"Miller combines practical how-to responses with the rigorous thought about history and science that he applies to all of his professional endeavors--an immensely helpful method. Miller rounds out the volume with a glossary, appendixes clarifying pitch designation and International Phonetic Alphabet symbols, a repertoire of songs appropriate for young singers, and a lengthy select biography. Highly recommended."--CHOICE

"We who love singing, and wonder at the mysteries surrounding the production of that marvel of Nature, now have in Richard Miller's newest book--a wellspring of answers to questions asked most frequently by those of us who seek vocal wisdom. This is a welcome addition to Richard Miller's outstanding legacy. It is written in a manner that is accessible, and will prove of lasting value to professional singers, teachers of singing, and amateur performers."--George Shirley, The Joseph Edgar Maddy Distinguished University Professor of Music and Director of the Vocal Arts Division, The University of Michigan School of Music; leading tenor, The Metropolitan Opera, Royal Opera, and Deutsche Oper

"With his usual perception and clarity, Richard Miller has provided answers to a wide range of questions from singers and teachers. This book is filled with information you will not find anywhere else, while at the same time it provides relatively simple explanations about the basic areas of respiration, phonation and resonance. This is an excellent resource for all singers and teachers."--Paul Kiesgen, Chairman, Voice Department, Indiana University School of Music

About this edition

• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Publication date: 2004
• ISBN 10: 0195160053
• ISBN 13: 9780195160055
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 320