Geoffrey Forward, acting coach and leading expert in American diction, clearly illustrates for the singer how to gain control by eliminating vocal tension and poor diction, replacing it with clear pronunciation. This superb resource allows the singer to put the finishing touches on his or her singing, not only with excellent diction but through the concepts of phrasing, identifying key words and singing with emotion. This 270-page book is an essential addition to the library of every singer, voice teacher and vocal coach.

This book from one of the nation's most sought-after motivators and speakers on education and leadership is the book that you've been looking for! Includes sections on the art of teaching, attitude development, student leadership, thoughts about competition, and one special section for band directors only. (Don't let this keep you away, however, because you're a choral director!) This book will enlighten you, lift your spirits, educate you, inspire you and allow you to release your unlimited potential.

In this definitive work on the state and future of music education in the United States, Kenneth Raessler challenges educators to assess their priorities, goals, and sequences of instruction in their school districts or universities. Addressed are a variety of critical topics, from Building the Necessary Support and Developing a Comprehensive Curriculum to Avoiding Burnout and issues unique to each level of music education. Part handbook and part memoir, "Aspiring to Excel" stresses the need for leadership skills and the quest for excellence in the music education profession. Hardcover.

This practical resource offers a wealth of information about how to run a successful choral program. The authors are two veteran teachers who give helpful advice on dozens of issues facing the choral director. Introduced by Paul Salamunovich, the book includes a CD-ROM of bonus material and eleven chapters:

1. Get Ready... The calendar for the year, the choir handbook
2. Get Set... Preparing for class, rehearsal structure and techniques, selecting literature, blueprint for teaching choral literature, effective classroom management
3. Go! Conducting do's and don'ts, memorization, contests and festivals, programming themes and variations, enrichment opportunities for students, "The Blessing of Added Extras," identifying prospective audiences
4. After All, They Do Call You a Teacher! Grading policies, paperwork, teaching sight-reading and music literacy
5. Taking Care of Business: Copyright law, the art of the interview, teacher observations and evaluations, professional resources
6. How to Get Along and Play Well with Others: Building your support system, recruitment and retention of choir students, effective publicity and public relations
7. How to Do Stuff: Fund-raising, uniforms, music library organization and maintenance
8. How to Keep the Tail from Wagging the Dog: Show, pop, jazz and swing choirs, chamber singers and madrigal groups
9. Who Says Choir Is Boring? Choir traditions, fun and games, trips, tours, parties and banquets
10. All the Rest That's Fit to Print... Topics overlooked in MusEd 101, the great miscellany of it all
11. Vaulting Into the Big Leagues... VIPs of the profession, "You are cordially invited...", international travel epilogue, table of contents for CD appendix, index This is a fascinating read for every choral director, at a bargain price!

Approaching a very serious subject with both wit and practicality, this is an excellent resource for anyone who works with adolescent male voices. With chapter headings such as Putting Round Pegs in Square Holes, Good Strokes for your Singing Folks, Putting the Pieces Together, Eenie Meenie Meinie Mo This is Where He Has to Go, Life with Chameleons, Tips for Training the Tigers, Teacher Prescriptions for Sanity and Scores that Don't Bore, this excellent book will help you not only improve your ability to maximize the talents of young males at this particular time of their lives, but also to greatly reduce your frustrations in the process of doing so!

World-class bassist and best-selling author Barry Green has spent his life learning and showing others how to bring music to life. In this innovative, imaginative text, he shares what he has discovered since his groundbreaking book The Inner Game of Music inspired musicians the world over to reach their potential in performance and learning. Three distinct sections delve deeply into the methodology, techniques, and inspiration required to energize and enliven music making for amateurs and professionals alike. Green reaches inside to recount life-changing experiences, and outside to friends and fellow musicians who have discovered how to create joy and excitement in performance. A stimulating series of activities and reflections using YouTube video clips helps the reader/teacher to sing, conduct, play, move and shake with violinist Joshua Bell, conductor Leonard Bernstein and even with Martin Luther King Jr. during his "I Have A Dream" speech.

Chicago, IL: GIA Publications, Inc. ©2009

Organizing a choral music program can be like a jigsaw puzzle! Make your life easier with this one-of-a-kind resource designed just for you, the choir director, with everything in one essential collection. Packed with helpful charts, calendars, reproducible forms and tips for a successful choir, this guide will help you stay organized and plan ahead for the whole school year. Highlights include: 40 weekly rehearsal/lesson planning charts; 12-month calendar; reproducible forms for student information; music performance evaluation; audition forms; concert planning; assessment rubrics based on the National Standards and more!

The Choral Challenge is a handbook of solutions for common and not-so-common problems facing choral conductors at all experience levels. From "A" for agility to "Y" for yawning, Michael Kemp pours a lifetime of experience living and working in the choral world into this truly remarkable and practical book. He starts with a myriad of quick-fix solutions to common "choral challenges" and then provides in-depth explanations for choir directors who need more. He follows with sections on planning and preparation (including 62 warm-up exercises) as well as an enlightening discussion on motivating and recruiting choir members. The result is a comprehensive, incredibly useful and well-organized resource!

This valuable collection of quick-to-read yet deeply insightful strategies is like finding expert trade secrets from around the world all placed in one easy source! Only 126 pages long, the book has articles by 57 well-known choral conductors, teachers, clinicians and writers. The authors provide favorite "recipes" that range from overviews of successful choral programs to specific topics that will inspire all levels and types of choirs. Biographical notes are included for all the contributors. This is a bargain at any price!

Succinctly written and fully charged with practical, step-by-step instructions, this excellent book offers wisdom and advice on issues confronting every choral educator every day: classroom management; choral rehearsal management; working with the changing male voice; developing musicianship; organizational tips; public-relations hints; pointers for participating in tours and/or festivals; and thought-provoking quotes from a wide spectrum of sources. It's all here, written from the unique perspectives of a male and a female teacher, who explore how gender affects teaching students of the opposite sex. This resource is filled with tools, rules and tips for teaching, all with the goal of helping you make your classroom a positive atmosphere, ensuring a successful choral experience for every student!