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September 2008
What Every Singer Needs to Know About the Body
Melissa Malde, D.M.A.,
MaryJean Allen, MM,AD
and Kurt-Alexander Zeller, D.M.A.
With contributions from Barbara Conable and T. Richard Nichols, Ph. D.
With an Introduction by Barbara Conable
200 pages. Softcover. 8.5 X 11"
1-59756-324-2 978-1-59756-324-6
US$49.95 CAN$57.00 £32.00 AU$78.00
TEXTBOOK
Instructors: click here to request a 90-day examination copy of this book.
ABOUT THE BOOK
How well do you know your body? Well, the “here’s how” and “what’s what” of your vocal instrument – your entire body, not just the larynx – are contained succinctly, clearly, and simply in this practical new book.
What Every Singer Needs to Know About the Body gives singers and their teachers a Body Mapping resource – from anatomy and physiology to body awareness – that helps them discover and correct misconceptions about the way their bodies are built and the way they function. In doing so, it provides maps with detailed descriptions of the structures and movement used in breathing, phonation, resonance, articulation and gesture – illuminated with numerous illustrations and supported by many exploratory exercises.
Because the structures and movements inherent in the vocal instrument are the same for every singer, they apply equally to every kind of singing. Differences in style result from differences in the choice of movement. Understanding and mapping the structures and movements used in singing provides the technical foundation for all singers. The purpose of this book is to provide singers with that foundation. This book does not espouse a single method or attempt to teach singing techniques. Rather, it describes the movements of singing with accuracy and detail so that singers may experiment on their own and communicate with each other more effectively. This has never been done before and it is a substantial contribution to music education in general and the education of singers in particular.
In one author’s words, “This book is needed because singers deserve to know the truth about their bodies. There are many pedagogy books that present the anatomy and physiology without helping singers find its practical application. There are books that take a holistic approach without sufficient anatomical and physiological detail. What Every Singer Needs to Know About the Body will strike a balance, giving singers the information they need and the tools to embody it so that they can use the whole body for creative vocal expression. It will de-mystify the process of singing, opening up a world of artistic choice.”
CONTENTS
- Introduction by Barbara Conable.
- How to Use this Book, Melissa Malde.
- Inclusive Attention, MaryJean Allen.
- The Core of the Body: Mapping the Six Places of Balance - The Atlas Occipital Joint;
- The Lumbar Core;
- The Hip Joints;
- The Knee Joints;
- The Arches of the Feet;
- The Gleno-Humeral Joint, MaryJean Allen.
- The Singer’s Breath: Mapping the Structures of Breathing - The Diaphragm;
- The Intercostal Muscles and Ribs;
- The Spine;
- The Abdominal Muscles;
- The Pelvic Floor;
- The Glottis, Melissa Malde.
- Creating a Singing Sound:Mapping the Structures of Phonation by Melissa Malde.
- Resonating the Voice: Mapping the Structures of Vocal Resonance - The Balance of the Head;
- The Pharyngeal Muscles;
- The Soft Palate;
- The Jaw and the Muscles that Move it;
- The Lips;
- The Cheeks;
- The Tongue;
- The Muscles that Move the Larynx, Melissa Malde.
- Singing as Communication: Mapping the Structures of Articulation - The Tongue;
- The Jaw;
- The Velum;
- The Hard Palate;
- The Teeth;
- The Lips;
- The Vocal Folds (Glottis), Kurt-Alexander Zeller.
- Physical Expression for Singers: Mapping the Structures of Gesture - The Muscles of the Face and Neck;
- The Arms;
- The Legs and Feet, by Kurt-Alexander Zeller.
- Appendix I Eliminating Performance Anxiety, Barbara Conable.
- Appendix II Scientific Basis of Body Mapping, T. Richard Nichols, Ph.D.
- Appendix III Select Bibliography.
- Index
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
The primary authors are uniquely qualified to write about this material, being certified Andover Educators and having been teaching Body Mapping for years. They are experienced performers and experienced voice teachers in multiple styles.
During her twenty-two years as an Alexander technique teacher Barbara Conable helped to save hundreds of musical careers and to enhance hundreds more. She experienced frustration, however, because she knew that thousands more musicians were losing careers and capacity. To enhance her effectiveness, she wrote the book What Every Musician Needs to Know about the Body and developed a Body Mapping course by the same name which is now taught by Andover Educators around the world. The goal of Andover Educators is to put music education on a secure somatic (anatomical) foundation for all time. Barbara Conable is the author of How to Learn the Alexander Technique: A Manual for Students, What Every Musician Needs to Know about the Body, and The Structures and Movement of Breathing. Now retired from teaching, Ms Conable continues to develop the theory and practice of Body Mapping.
Melissa Malde, D.M.A., is a certified Andover Educator and an active performer in opera, concert, recital and musical theatre. She has presented papers and clinics at numerous national and regional conferences. She received her D.M.A. in Vocal Performance and Stage Direction from the College-Conservatory of Music at the University of Cincinnati. Other degrees are from the Hochschule für Musik in Munich, Northwestern University and Oberlin. She taught at the University of Wisconsin at Platteville and Luther College before returning to her home state of Colorado, where she now teaches Voice and Vocal Pedagogy at the University of Northern Colorado in Greeley.
MaryJean Allen, MM,AD is a certified Andover educator and a private voice teacher in Chicago. She holds a Master of Music and an Artist Diploma in vocal performance, with a minor in piano performance. MaryJean travels frequently to teach the course What Every Musician Needs to Know About the Body to all kinds of musicians in colleges, universities, high schools, and church choirs. She is also a first year trainee to become an Alexander Technique Teacher at Robin Gilmore¹s teacher training program in North Carolina. MaryJean performed leading roles in opera and operetta throughout the United States, and was competitively selected to sing in two Art Song Festivals, coaching with Dalton Baldwin, Elly Ameling, Gerard Souzay, and others.
Kurt-Alexander Zeller, D.M.A. is a certified Andover Educator and performs frequently as a singer of theatrical, concert, and early music. He currently serves as Director of Opera and Vocal Studies at Clayton State University and is active throughout the country as a vocal adjudicator and clinician. Dr. Zeller holds undergraduate degrees in Music and Theatre from the Meadows School of the Arts at Southern Methodist University. His graduate degrees are from the College-Conservatory of Music of the University of Cincinnati. He has done further study at the Early Music Institute of Indiana University and the 1995 National Association of Teachers of Singing Internship Program at Florida State University.
AUDIENCE
Primary: Voice and Singing
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