Choral Pedagogy and the Older Singer

Smith (voice, diction, and vocal pedagogy, U. of Florida) and Sataloff (otolaryngology-head and neck surgery, Drexel U.) help choral conductors adjust their methods when working with singers over the age of 55. They outline the possibilities and limitations of singing in later life, drawing on an interdisciplinary approach that integrates the work of medical, speech-language pathology, nutrition, fitness, grief, and music specialists who contribute to some chapters. They cover warm-ups and teaching repertoire; the basics of singing; vocal technique for the older singer, including range, stamina, voice quality, tone, pitch-matching, tuning, age and size-appropriate singing, rhythm, discipline, brain function, and vibrato; vocal health, with discussion of anatomy and physiology, voice disorders, performing arts medicine and nonvoice risks, seating issues, the aging voice, nutrition and integrative medicine, and vocal exercises; repertoire content, language, performance, and diction; and rehearsal, including issues for men and women. Annotation c2012 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)