Singing and Teaching Singing: A Holistic Approach to Classical Voice, Third Edition continues to be a beloved resource for singers and their teachers, speech-language pathologists, laryngologists, and an adopted text for instructors and students in voice, singing, and performing arts courses. Janice L. Chapman is able to draw on her experiences as a singer with some of the world's leading opera companies to present a teaching technique specifically focusing on voice in the areas of classical and opera singing. Interspersed with the concepts and components of Chapman's methods are vignettes from her life and career, animated by her conversational and vibrant style to guide (and entertain) the reader through the book in a step-by-step fashion.The philosophy of teaching presented combines three main facets: Holistic, Physiological, and Incremental.The Holistic segment emphasizes that the act of singing involves the whole person (that is, body, mind, spirit, emotion, and voice); the Physiological segment stresses anatomy, muscular function, and effects of muscular interactions so that students and teachers alike can understand and visualize the functional workings of the torso, larynx, and the vocal tract and their impact on good singing practices; and the Incremental section shows that the act of singing can be broken down into manageable components that have a natural hierarchy which eventually interact and interlock.
This teaching model provides a framework to master one element at a time, with the resulting effect of a complete and integrated mastery of technique. Chapman recommends this framework for rehabilitative work with the dysfunctional singer, for working with the developing singer, and for the ongoing development and maintenance of the technically able professional singer. Case studies, examples, exercises, and contributions from some of the world's best-known voice professionals further highlight the text.New to this edition:The addition of a completely new chapter - an interview with voice specialist osteopath Jacob Lieberman on the subject of Manual Therapy and Voice; A rewriting of Marilyn McCarthy's chapters on Teaching and Learning in the light of advances in the fields of neuroscience and education; Updates to Pamela Davis' chapter on Voice and the Brain, and John Rubin's chapter on Vocal and Respiratory Anatomy and Physiology; Clarifications by Ron Morris on the use of the Accent Method of breathing as a highly effective remedial and training technique; Refinements to chapters on Breathing and Support, Phonation, and Resonance; A PluralPlus companion website with supplemental videos demonstrating some of the exercises from the teaching model.