To perform well in today's highly competitive world where technical skills have been advanced to an unprecedented degree, a singer must be able to handle incredible pressure within the performing arena; his or her ability to deal with this stress will often determine whether he or she will succeed. Why, then, do singers with less technical skill sometimes out-perform stars? Why do some stars suddenly stop performing? What is that mysterious factor that makes an electric performance? Consistent, competent performances do not depend solely upon superior vocal skills, nor are they a matter of luck. On the contrary, the best performances result from a combination of mental attitude, concrete performing skills, and excellent technical skills in that order. Yet most singers have never had the opportunity to acquire the essential skills that make for a successful career. Written as a self-help manual for singers at all levels of expertise, Power Performance for Singers is designed to teach performing artists, and especially singers, how to experience elite performance at their level. The skills outlined in this book will help singers use what they have, to enjoy their voices during performance, and to perform consistently to the best of their present ability.

To perform well in today's highly competitive world where technical skills have been advanced to an unprecedented degree, a singer must be able to handle incredible pressure within the performing arena; his or her ability to deal with this stress will often determine whether he or she will succeed. Why, then, do singers with less technical skill sometimes out-perform stars? Why do some stars suddenly stop performing? What is that mysterious factor that makes an electric performance? Consistent, competent performances do not depend solely upon superior vocal skills, nor are they a matter of luck. On the contrary, the best performances result from a combination of mental attitude, concrete performing skills, and excellent technical skills in that order. Yet most singers have never had the opportunity to acquire the essential skills that make for a successful career.Written as a self-help manual for singers at all levels of expertise, Power Performance for Singers is designed to teach performing artists, and especially singers, how to experience elite performance at their level. The skills outlined in this book will help singers use what they have, to enjoy their voices during performance, and to perform consistently to the best of their present ability.

Building on his work in Traditional Oral Epic and Immanent Art, the author aims to dissolve the perceived barrier between oral and written, creating a theory from oral-formulaic theory and the ethnography of speaking and ethnopoetics. He argues that a work's word-power derives from its performance and its implied traditional context.

Rock ‘n’ roll is a style that was born out of the great American melting pot. An outgrowth of the blues, rock 'n' roll music combines driving rhythms, powerful chords, and lyrics that communicate the human experience to audiences around the world. Although rock singing was once seen as a vulgar use of the human voice and was largely ignored by the academic community, voice teachers and singers around the world have recently taken a professional interest in learning specialized techniques for singing rock 'n' roll. So You Want to Sing Rock 'n' Roll gives readers a comprehensive guide to rock history, voice science, vocal health, audio technology, technical approaches to singing rock, and stylistic parameters for various rock subgenres. Matthew Edwards, assistant professor of voice at Shenandoah Conservatory, provides easy-to-understand explanations of technical concepts, with tips for practical application, and suggestions for listening and further reading. So You Want to Sing Rock ‘n’ Roll includes guest-authored chapters by singing voice researchers Dr. Scott McCoy and Dr. Wendy LeBorgne, as well as audio and visual examples available from the website of the National Association of Teachers of Singing. This work is not only the ideal guide to singing professionals, but the perfect reference work for voice teachers and their students, lead and back-up singers, record producers and studio engineers. The So You Want to Sing seriesis produced in partnership with the National Association of Teachers of Singing. Like all books in the series, So You Want to Sing Rock 'n' Roll 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.

In some ways, the successor of vaudeville and an extension of the opera and operetta, the stage musical has evolved into a worldwide juggernaut. Musicals are staged not only across the globe but are offered in a variety of settings, from the high school stage and major theater to the big screen. The stage musical has become a staple for the professional singer and the object of close study by students of singing. In So You Want to Sing Music Theater: A Guide for Professionals, singer and scholar Karen S. Hall fills an important gap in the instructional literature for those who sing or teach singing to those seeking their fortunes in music theatrical productions. Developed in coordination with the National Association for Teachers of Singing, this work draws on current research from the world of voice scholarship to advance the careers of singers seeking to make a foray into or already deeply embedded in the world of music theater. So You Want to Sing Music Theater covers a vast array of topics. It includes a brief history of music theater; the basics of vocal science and anatomy; information on vocal and bodily health and maintenance, from diet to exercise to healing techniques; advice on teaching music theater to others, with focuses on breath, posture, registers, range, and tone quality; repertoire recommendations for voice and singing types, from female and male belting to classical and contemporary styles; a survey of music theater styles, such as folk, country, rock, gospel, rhythm and blues, jazz, and pop; insights on working with other music theater stakeholder, from singing teacher, vocal coach and accompanist, to acting teacher, director, dance instructor, composer, and music director; and finally sage advice on working with and without amplification or microphones, auditioning tips, and casting challenges. So You Want to Sing Music Theater includes guest-authored chapters by singing professionals Scott McCoy and Wendy LeBorgne. This work is not only the ideal guide to singing professionals, but the perfect reference works for voice teachers and their students, music directors, acting teachers, dance instructors and choreographers, and composers, and conductors. 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 Music Theater 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.

Country music, an original American artform, has been around since before the recording industry began and long before a singer even had the opportunity to sing into a microphone. From the early beginnings in the hills of Appalachia, to the rise of Hank Williams, Patsy Cline, and the more recent megastars, including Garth Brooks and Carrie Underwood, country music has proven to have staying power. It is one of the most popular styles of music in the world today, garnering more sales and downloads currently than any other genre. Many talented individuals are aspiring to sing country music and are determined to turn it into a successful career. Because of this growing popularity, there is a need to educate interested singers with information and methods that will give them the best possible chance at either having a career as a artist, working in the industry as a background vocalist or session singer, or simply realizing their potential in country music. Kelly K. Garner's So You Want To Sing Country is a book devoted to briefly reviewing the rich heritage of country singing and thoroughly examining the techniques and methods of singing in a country style. Additional topics of discussion will include country song types and structure, instrumentation, performing on stage and in the studio, and career options in country music. Additional chapters by Scott McCoy and Wendy LeBorgne, and Matthew Edwards address universal questions of voice science and pedagogy, vocal health, and audio enhancement technology. The So You Want to Sing seriesis produced in partnership with the National Association of Teachers of Singing. Like all books in the series, So You Want to Sing Country 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.

Performance artist Linda Montano, curious about the influence childhood experience has on adult work, invited other performance artists to consider how early events associated with sex, food, money/fame, or death/ritual resurfaced in their later work. The result is an original and compelling talking performance that documents the production of art in an important and often misunderstood community. Among the more than 100 artists Montano interviewed from 1979 to 1989 were John Cage, Suzanne Lacy, Faith Ringgold, Dick Higgins, Annie Sprinkle, Allan Kaprow, Meredith Monk, Eric Bogosian, Adrian Piper, Karen Finley, and Kim Jones. Her discussions with them focused on the relationship between art and life, history and memory, the individual and society, and the potential for individual and social change. The interviews highlight complex issues in performance art, including the role of identity in performer-audience relationships and art as an exploration of everyday conventions rather than a demonstration of virtuosity.