What We're Reading

AVA Board members regularly provide an insight into industry-related articles, books, podcasts, or shows they are consuming, and what it means to their profession.

Ajhriahna Henshaw

President

The Contemporary Singer - Elements of Vocal Technique

Peckham, A. (2010). The contemporary singer: elements of vocal technique. Hal Leonard Corporation.

Vocal Workouts for the Contemporary Singer

Peckham, A. (2005). Vocal workouts for the contemporary singer. Hal Leonard Corporation.

They are a description of training philosophies and exercises designed for CCM singers. I am reading them for research.

Jessica Ruhle

AVA Secretary

Voice Image: Developing a New Construct for Vocal Identity

Bethany R. Turpin

This qualitative study aimed to understand singers’ relationships with their voices, coined their ‘vocal identity’. Through semi-structured interviews and thematic analysis, the complex and multifaceted relationship between a singer and their voice was shown to be related to their openness to technical feedback, success with vocal training and recovery from vocal injury.

Why do some patients respond so well to feedback and others do not? The answer may lie, at least in part, in the individual’s own relationship with their voice. Only by first understanding the importance of a positive voice identity can we develop healthy and resilient voice users. I hope this study paves the way for future research which provides guidance on how to address the issue of vocal identity as part of comprehensive voice care, particularly with our professional voice users.

Link to further information: https://www.proquest.com/dissertations-theses/voice-image-
developing-new-construct-vocal/docview/2668181198/se-2

Elissa Finn

AVA International Liaison

#AnatoMonday: A Vocal Anatomy Colouring Book by Eimear McCarthy Luddy

McCarthy Luddy, E. (2024). #AnatoMonday: A Vocal Anatomy Colouring Book.

This is a beautiful colouring book for anyone interested in the voice! The illustrations are stunning and include brief descriptions of key structures and their functions in the larynx, pharynx, nasal and oral cavity.

I will be using this book in my clinic to help make vocal anatomy more accessible to patients, speech pathology students and others interested in the voice. The images are very clearly labelled and use simple language. The visuals in the book are gorgeous and more engaging than traditional resources which might be used for teaching.

https://www.vocology.ie/shop/p/anatomonday-a-vocal-anatomy-colouring-book

Dr Heather Fletcher

AVA Board Member

Music Listening as Self-Enhancement

Elvers, P., Fischinger, T., & Steffens, J. (2018). Music listening as self-enhancement: Effects of empowering music on momentary explicit and implicit self-esteem. Psychology of Music, 46(3), 307-325.

This article examines how music listening can influence explicit and implicit self-esteem, taking into consideration the expressive properties of music and individual responses to them.

I’m interested in this research as I find the concept of music-listening and social surrogacy fascinating. Identifying with lyrics, mood, and vocal timbre can be strong motivations to engage with songs, and song selection can facilitate positive (inspiration) and non-positive (rumination) outcomes. Why do we listen to music, what do we want from it, and how do we feel during/afterwards?

Find the article here:

https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychology/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2016.00002/full

The Singing Athlete

Byrne, A. (2020). The singing athlete: brain-based training for your voice. Andrew Byrne Studio Inc.

This book addresses vocal pedagogy specific to physical development, the nervous and vestibular systems, and neuroscience. It includes comprehensive exercises to aid in vocal development.

I had a lesson with Andrew when he came out to Australia in 2019 and I really enjoyed his techniques. His pedagogy brings vocal training to the “gym” through targeting the synchronicity of muscle groups, nerve functions, and neurology. I value his exercises and the content he presents in his book and online.

Learn more here: https://www.andrewmbyrne.com/

Matthew Dubery

Student Liaison Officer

Teaching Singing in the 21st Century

I have been reading selections from Scott Harrison’s book called ‘Teaching Singing in the 21st Century’. This book covers many topics in voice, spanning across singing genres (Classical and CCM), vocal health and the role of the medical team, approaches to style, and pedagogical practice.

I have found the writing style really accessible and one of my ‘go to’ repeat chapters is Kim Chandler’s ‘teaching popular music styles’ which has been helpful for me who had a more Classical upbringing. This is alongside topics in voice science such as the vocal health and Speech Pathology chapters, within my interest area.

This book has been a ‘go to’ for me when wanting to refresh or look at voice work through a different lens and useful to get a scope of the voice field. With the volume of knowledge available today, this compendium is quick way to gaining valuable insights across a range of topics in singing and voice.

Here is the reference for anyone interested in knowing more: Harrison, S. D., & O'Bryan, J. (2014). Teaching singing in the 21st century. Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-8851-9