A practical, effective combination of textbook and song anthology, Foundations in Singing helps students master the essentials of vocal technique. Addressing the particular needs of beginners, the positive language provides encouragement while the solid pedagogy and wide selction of songs promote understanding.

Table of Contents:
Chapter 1 Freedom to Sing Can I learn to sing?How will I improve my singing?Private lessons or classes?What will I need?Physical freedomHow muscles workStretching Chapter 2 Breath and the Body Singing postureHead alignmentLearn to breatheThe breathing mechanismBreath supportPhases of breath actionTheories of breath supportInteraction between posture and breath actionUpside-down breathingBodybuilding Chapter 3 Free Tone Tone qualityDescriptive wordsVocal acousticsTonal goalsWhat the vocal bands doThree methods of attackThree methods of releaseResonanceVibratoHow to vocalize Chapter 4 Changing Resonances in Your Voice Chest or head?Your choiceWhat kind of voice?Voice typesBelt and pop singingFinding your best resonanceIncreasing your resonanceFeeling and hearingRelaxation and resonance Chapter 5 Preparing a Song Learning the tuneLearning the wordsPhrasingCatch breathsSinging the song Chapter 6 Vowels and Vocal Color Your speaking voiceWhat is diction?The International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA)Vowels for singingThe seven Italian vowelsTongue vowelsLip VowelsPure Ay and Oh in EnglishEqualizing the vowelsColoring your voice for expressionSummary of 15 vowels Chapter 7 Consonants and Clarity Semi-consonantsConsonantsHumsPairs of consonantsSpecial consonantsR: the variable soundClusters and legato singing Chapter 8 Double and Triple Vowels Five diphthongsSchwa-diphthongsSchwa-triphthongs Chapter 9 Performing a Song Guidelines for interpretationMusical stylesBeginning, middle, and endStrophic songsThrough-composed songsPop-song formThe accompanistConfidence and stage frightPreparationsOnstage Chapter 10 Extending Your Voice Vocal strengthFocusImproving breath controlFlexibilityRangeLow notesHigh notes Chapter 11 Understanding Your Vocal Instrument The voice as a musical instrumentWhats behind your Adams apple?Vocal healthVocal overuseDamaged voicesAvoiding more colds Chapter 12 Notes for Nonmusicians What is a musical ear?PitchKeysScalesRhythmLooking at music Song Anthology“Carmela”--Mexico Cielito lindo (high & low)--traditional, Mexico. “Love Will Find Out the Way”--traditional, England “Sakura, Sakura”--traditional, Japan “The Turtle-Dove”--English folk song“It Was a Lover and His Lass” (high & low), Shakespeare / Morley“Since First I Saw Your Face” (high & low), Ford “The Silver Swan” (high & low), Gibbons“Dolce scherza” (high & low), Perti “Prayer” (high & low). Geller / Beethoven Auld Lang Syne--traditional, Scotland De Colores--traditional, Mexico He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands--traditional spiritual Scarborough Fair--traditional, England “The Star-Spangled Banner”, Key and Smith “This Little Light of Mine”--Negro Spiritual “Viva la musica!” (round), Praetorius “Auprès de ma blonde”--traditional, Normandy, France “Deep River” arranged by Burleigh “Down by the Sally Gardens”, Yeats / Hughes “Drink to Me Only”, Jonson / Quilter “Io le dirò che l’amo” (high & low), Stampiglia / Handel “Who Is Sylvia?”, Shakespeare / Schubert “Beautiful Dreamer”, Foster “Willow, Tit-Willow”, Gilbert and Sullivan“In Haven”, Elgar / Elgar “E l’uccellino”, Fucini / Puccini America the Beautiful, Ward Come, Follow! (round), Hilton“Do-Re-Mi” from THE SOUND OF MUSIC Greeting Song--Ghana Hinay Ma Tov (round)--Psalm 133, Israel “Let There Be Peace on Earth”, Miller and Jackson Sing and Rejoice (round) “All the Notes of All the Earth”, Russell / Paton / Whitehead “Sigh No More, Ladies” (high & low), Shakespeare / Stevens / Hatton / Faning “Santa Lucia” (high & low), Cottrau “Star-Eyes” (“Stjärnöga”), Bergman / Paton / Stenhammar [Op. 20 Nr. 1] “The Sky above the Roof”, Verlaine / Dearmer / Williams “Serenity”, Whittier / Ives “By the Sea”, Quilter “Serenade”, Browning / Branscombe “Song for the Lonely”, Arvey / Still “Fancy”, Shakespeare / Poulenc “Vos me matásteis”, Rodrigo “The Lord Has a Child”, Hughes / Schuman “To a Brown Girl, Dead” (high & low), Cullen / Bonds “Lo, How a Rose”, Huffman“It don’t mean a thing”, Mills / Ellington “Love Is Here to Stay” (high & low), Gershwin / Gershwin “Over the Rainbow”, Harburg / Arlen “They Say It’s Wonderful”, Berlin“A Cockeyed Optimist”, Hammerstein / Rodgers“I’ll Know”, Loesser“One Hand, One Heart” (high & low), Sondheim / Bernstein“Soon It’s Gonna Rain”, Jones / Schmidt“Make Someone Happy”, Comden and Green / Styne“In My Life”, Lennon and McCartney “Happiness”, Gesner“Believe in Yourself”, Smalls“What I Did for Love”, Kleban / Hamlisch“In a Simple Way I Love You”, Cryer / Ford“Once upon a Dream”, Bricusse / Wildhorn“Loving You”, Sondheim“Whistle Down the Wind”, Steinman / Webber