So You Want to Sing for a Lifetime : A Guide for Performers

This book explains how to address the spectrum of issues that ensure a healthy, long life of singing. The strategies presented will help singers maintain a youthful, vibrant voice. The text offers advice to singers, voice teachers, choral conductors, church musicians, and classroom music teachers regarding repertoire choice and exercise regimens.

Singing can be a healthy, invigorating activity for people of every age, and participating in this fully athletic exercise remains enjoyable through each season of life if the singer and singing teacher adjust expectations regarding tone quality, range, agility, and stamina. Brenda Smith systematically presents methods by which anyone can enjoy a long, healthy life of singing in So You Want to Sing for a Lifetime.This book contains chapters on the basics of singing (relaxation, posture, breathing, and resonance), practical examples of exercises and lists of repertoire suited to each age group, and suggestions for negotiating individual musical obstacles related to aging. Featuring guest-authored chapters on voice science, vocal health, and how age affects the physiology of the human voice, the book serves as a useful guide to amateur and professional singers, music educators, choral conductors, church musicians, and private voice teachers.The So You Want to Sing series is produced in partnership with the National Association of Teachers of Singing. Like all books in the series, So You Want to Sing for a Lifetime features online supplemental material on the NATS website. Please visit www.nats.org to access style-specific exercises, audio and video files, and additional resources.