Being a Singer: The Art, Craft, and Science

Being a Singer: The Art, Craft, and Science

Being a Singer: The Art, Craft, and Science provides the solutions you need to make practical, consistent changes in your singing. This book pulls back the curtain on how singing actually works, from cognition to anatomy to your amazing hearing system and even your instincts and emotions. Based on well-established and proven training approaches, supported by vocal science, neuroscience and motor learning, Being a Singer offers clear tools and strategies that train your voice, empower you to find solutions, build your awareness, and develop confidence. Stories and interviews will inspire you. Exercises with clear how-to's will give you clarity. Self-assessments and troubleshooting will empower you. Ultimately, your own experience will train your voice, mind, and body. Recordings of the exercises are available online at the author's website. This book provides a nuanced approach to singing for vocalists of all levels, based on the work of expert voice coach Seth Riggs and the author's expertise. (Linda) Balliro, a graduate of the New England Conservatory and an associate professor at Berklee College of Music, writes with clarity and purpose in an easy-to-follow structure, anchored by helpful visuals and resources for further study. Her passion for the art of singing and her experience teaching a wide range of students—from teens to adult opera performers--comes through. Balliro is also candid enough to admit that there are "a lot of things I don't know"; for example, she wasn't aware of what type of music the band Phish played until a member of the group reached out to her.. A thorough, well-structured singing manual that will aid both novice and experienced readers. --Kirkus Reviews "Being a Singer provides a refreshing insight into the importance of a singer's ability to find their own voice. The book provides a logical approach that guides singers in the direction of optimal vocal performance. When talking to patients with voice disorders, I will utilize examples from the 'chart your experience' exercises." — James Burns, MD FACS, Associate Professor of Laryngeal Surgery, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School "Balliro has created a training manual that is a page turner—I couldn't put it down! I would love to learn how to sing and Linda's book made it seem plausible even for me. I'm thrilled to recommend Being a Singer for anyone who wants to understand singing, how it works, and why we do it. This vocal training is the best in the industry." — Marilyn R. Atlas, Talent and Literary Manager and Producer, and coauthor of Dating Your Characte r "If there is one thing that neuroscience is teaching us about the human mind, it is the deep interdependence between our physiological survival mechanisms, our mental states, our embodied and emotional experiences, and our cultural creations. Balliro integrates these levels of description as she supports readers in becoming singers." —Mary Helen Immordino-Yang, Professor of Education, Psychology and Neuroscience at the University of Southern California. Linda Balliro, Associate Professor of Voice at Berklee College of Music ,  has been nominated for a Grammy as Music Educator of the Year. A graduate of the New England Conservatory of Music in vocal performance, she performed as a classical singer in Europe for over a decade. Balliro has been studying vocal pedagogy and teaching privately for over 20 years. Her clients include nationally touring musicians, local artists, emerging broadway performers, young opera singers, children, and teens. Currently, a Master's candidate at King's College in Applied Neuroscience.