Review (PDF) Prescriptions For Choral Excellence
In shaping choral tone, directors often wish to improve the sound of their choir, but are challenged to pinpoint underlying problems or to guide singers toward solutions. Now, in Prescriptions for Choral Excellence, skilled vocal pedagogue Shirlee Emmons and leading choral director Constance Chase equip choral directors with the practical tools they need to help singers achieve peak choral performance. Drawing on years of experience, Emmons and Chase help choral directors and singers effectively diagnose and resolve problems. They cover topics ranging from breath management and diction to range and intonation, and much more. Beyond describing vocal difficulties, the book provides concrete instructions on how to apply the concepts in day-to-day rehearsal and performance. The numerous practical exercises and planning aides allow directors to maximize both time and talent to elicit the highest potential from their singers. While grounded in the most up-to-date research in voice science, the discussion of vocal anatomy and function is accessible to readers with no previous knowledge of voice science. Going beyond other vocal and choral guidebooks, the authors also apply the most current theories in leadership principles and group dynamics to choral settings, helping directors translate their natural musicality and charisma into inspiring and motivational leadership. A comprehensive and unique blend of practical expertise, voice science, and leadership psychology, Prescriptions for Choral Excellence is an invaluable guide for all choral directors seeking to create memorable and remarkable performances.
Hardcover: 352 pages
Publisher: Oxford University Press; 1 edition (February 2, 2006)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0195182421
ISBN-13: 978-0195182422
Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 1.3 x 6.4 inches
Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
Best Sellers Rank: #587,416 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #169 in Books > Humor & Entertainment > Sheet Music & Scores > Forms & Genres > Religious & Church Music #903 in Books > Arts & Photography > Music > Instruments > Voice #7126 in Books > Arts & Photography > Music > Theory, Composition & Performance
This is a book that belongs on the shelves of every choral director. It's the one book that I use when preparing for every rehearsal. The authors present the material in a meticulously-researched, scientific manner. If your choir has a specific problem that needs to be fixed, this is the book to consult. The solutions are presented methodically and thoroughly, and everything I have used from this book has been a success with my choir. The focus is on solving choral problems through a greater understanding of vocal anatomy and physiology--that's what I love about this book. Too many other books of this type use an abstract, unscientific approach to vocal pedagogy. This is a book I'll use my whole life!!
As soon as I had a chance, I started using the techniques in my rehearsals with my high school choir. It has been about a month since I received the book, and already they sound better. It is because of several different things. 1. I am not able to better diagnose the problems that I hear in the choir because I know possible things they are doing incorrectly and 2. I know HOW to correct it, using techniques from the book.This book is very practical and one that I will go back to over and over again. It is thorough, and I would recommend it to anyone who is leading a choir. It was exceptionally helpful because I only have a general music ed degree and I took maybe 2 classes on voice, and this is helping me improve my knowledge so I can improve them.
I am currently 30 pages into the book, and I am already convinced that it will be amazing all the way through. I'm in my senior year of college, pursuing a degree in vocal performance. I grabbed this book after noticing it in my instructor's small library, as I am planning on attending grad school for conducting, and I found that I stumbled upon a resource that is, I feel, vital to any vocalist's knowledge. the techniques presented, along with those denounced, are spot on--every word, and it's all meticulously researched and supported. Speaking of which, references to other authors are another valuable resource of the book. I found my way to some other great teachers of voice.This book is invaluable and will help you sort through the thousands of different vocal techniques, dismissing most but highlighting the truly powerful ones.
The book is excellent! It incorporates the knowledge of a superb voice teacher and an excellent choral director. Shirlee Emmons was not just a voice teacher, but one who sought out and steeped herself in the best vocal training methods, from Berton Coffin to Richard Miller. She gave master classes, adjudicated competitions--she was a force of nature in the vocal world. She always said she didn't want to write a book about singing, but she did do that, in this book. Together with Connie Chase, the director of the West Point Glee Club, she adapted her vocal methods to the needs of choral directors. You simply cannot miss this book!
I met one of the authors (Constance Chase) at the ACDA National Convention in March. We both rode on a bus going to the convention center one morning. I just sat down and we started conversing. She is really amiable, and recommended the book to me since I told her I was going into my student teaching this fall. I haven't read through all of it, but I can tell that this will be an excellent resource in the years to come.
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