Customer Reviews

Choral Pedagogy

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This book is a wonderful text for understanding the development and use of the human voice. While the text is titled Choral Pedagogy, the text can also be useful for Speech Pathologists, Voice Actors or anyone who deals with the voice professionally for a living. The sections by Dr. Smith are clear and concise and she communicates her information to reader with ease. Translating her material to practical application is easy and highly beneficial within a short time Dr. Sataloff's contributions are mainly in the area of the physical construction of the human voice and it is helpful if you already have some background in anatomy to understand his chapters, but anyone with a college level science background should understand it. The illustrations of the human pharynx and the photographs could have been a little clearer, but some of that could have been a result of the publisher's choice to print the book in a smaller than average text size. Overall an excellent text, and one that I hope would become a standard for this area.

This book does not teach you how to conduct a four-pattern or sequence your rehearsal; it does tell you about vocal anatomy, vocal health and pedagogy for the choir director who is a pianist or instrumentalist. The book is also useful for voice teachers and singers. The book contains excellent information on anatomy and physiology of the voice; medical care of disorders; arts medicine and risks (such as the risk of deafness in the left ear of a violinist); voice building; diction; and rehearsal techniques. The book's diagrams and photographs are extremely helpful, and its information is clear, straight-forward, and thorough, yet concise. This book is an extremely useful tool and ought to be on the shelf of every choral teacher.

This is not a book that teaches you how to conduct a four-pattern or sequence your rehearsal; it does teach vocal anatomy, vocal health, and pedagogy, and is especially good for the choral director who is a pianist or instrumentalist. It can also be useful for voice teachers and singers. The book contains information on anatomy and physilogy of the voice; medical care of voice disorders; frequently asked questions about vocal health; different kinds of art medicine and risks (such as the risk of deafness in the left ear of a violinist); voice building; choral diction; and rehearsal techniques. This is an excellent book! Its diagrams and photographs are extremely helpful, and its information is clear, straight-forward, and thorough, yet concise (only 160 pages). This book is an extremely useful tool and ought to be on the shelf of every choral teacher.