V O C A L    C O A C H I N G

recommended Reading


  • ~ INVEST IN YOURSELF ~
    ~

    USE YOUR VOICE EFFECTIVELY ~
    ~ WORK WITH A PROFESSIONAL ~

Your voice is your calling card to the world; what distinguishes you as a unique individual 
every time you speak or sing. Whether you’re a performer, the CEO of a corporation, 
a student, a teacher, a retired senior or a parent at home: 
Proper voice training with a good coach will enhance how you communicate daily. 

Your voice tells a lot about you. It reveals emotions. This affects how others respond. 
Have you ever heard, "It’s not so much WHAT you say, but HOW you say it." ? 
Have you ever been lectured in a classroom by an dispassionate voice? 
Did you learn much or enjoy the process? 
Every good teacher you ever had was enthusiastic, cared & communicated well. 

That's what voice work is all about. Understanding, maintaining and improving your most important 
personal source of instantly available communication.

We’ve heard: "Children should be seen and not heard." 
But the loud vocal cords of an infant are only 3mm. long!  
Infants and children are incessantly told to be quiet for the first 7-10 years of life. 
That’s the main message in our critical formative years… 
and making "big" sounds were not positively reinforced for most of us as a rule. 
Little wonder so many have a problem making a loud and/or relaxed sound as we get older. 

I believe that fear around one’s ability to produce a vocal sound, especially in public, is ego-based. 
If someone speaks timidly, or is phobic about ‘singing’, the reason could be past trauma, fear, low self-esteem.... but I truly believe that "SHY" is just a cute metaphor for lack of confidence.
Fear arises out of not being prepared and from negative assumptions. 
Someone talking timidly rarely conveys passion or enthusiasm. 
Furthermore: is passion inspired within for the timid person? Is vocal release crystallized? 
Others may judge unfairly by the sound of your voice. 
The human voice is the only sound which emanates from our body 
for the sole purpose of communicating, and our whole lives may revolve around it! 
Voice work is remarkably empowering on a personal level. 
With improved voice command comes confidence & a positive change in character. 
Exploring your voice is a delight to the body & spirit, to be sure.

USING  YOUR  VOICE  PROPERLY

Great motivators throughout history relied on their VOICE. Sir Winston Churchill, Martin Luther King, Kennedy; it’s a long list. They spoke assuredly with crisp consonants & dynamics. 
Notice those dramatic pauses! Did you hear fear or nervous tension in any these voices? 
No. They commanded authority….and trust.
 In my sessions, I focus on motivation. The whole body contributes to your instrument. 
What really drives the voice? The MIND. 
One should develop the vocal apparatus and its related muscles.

To be physically FIT is also key for optimal voice production. 
The antagonistic muscles impacting the diaphragm are the abdominals working in tandem with the 
ribs & diaphragm. They work together easily when breathing. And without breath there is no sound. 
Full, cleansing breathing is a major component in RELAXING. 
To be clear, I must state that tension indeed has its place…
but we need to ensure it’s not in the wrong place. 
If you find your voice getting tired, there’s a good chance it’s due to misplaced tension,
which you may not even be aware of until you begin this work.
Every voice has specific strengths, weaknesses.  It’s important to discover & embrace your own unique qualities. Many famous voices are instantly identifiable because their natural sound wasn’t distorted into something it wasn‘t meant to be; but was allowed to flourish organically.
Why do great performers & speakers excel at delivery? 
They practiced. They were engaged. It doesn’t happen overnight! 
Most people depend on their voice each day, yet don’t even know what the larynx looks like; 
much less how it works!

PROFESSIONALS  &  BEGINNERS:

Proper technique is essential. It‘s not difficult with good guidance. Find a good voice teacher! Give them some time to work with you; don’t expect to undo years of voice and muscle patterns in one session!
A vocal coach will help you develop power and resonance. Learn maintenance & endurance for singing, communication skills, stage or public speaking. At VOICES ALIVE, my sessions focus on your individual, personal goals. Everyone is absolutely unique. Perhaps you are just a great mimicker who has never found your unique creativity or ‘core’. Afraid to improvise? Well, don’t be! That’s exactly what you’re doing when having a simple conversation every single day! Find joy in the sound you produce. 

And remember that singing lessons aren’t limited to people who wish to sing. Voice work is fabulous for anyone who relies on their voice! It’s more than an investment; it’s a life-long gift to yourself.

VOICES  ALIVE

Vocal Coaching sessions with Kathy will cover some or any of the following
topics depending on your individual needs:



Belting
Flexibility
Breathing
Listening
Dynamics
Confidence
Memorizing
Ear Training
Body Language
Covering Breaks
Articulation / Diction
Foods / Beverages to Avoid
Reading & Transcribing Music
Increasing Range & Power
Warm-ups and Work-outs
Performance & Stylization
Intonation & Tuning
Managing tension
Phrasing
Patterns
Songwriting
Plosives & Explosives
Resonance & Tone
Theory & Harmony
Transcribing Music
Physiology

OPTIONAL: Writing charts, theory, calligraphy, repertoire, chord progressions, 
basic songwriting, sight singing, background vocals, and stage fright.

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Each student will receive a work tape and at each session, a new assignment will be added which pertains to that session's content for home practice. Lyrics and tips are included for each song to be performed. 
At each session, a handout is given pertaining to that session. 
Each student will receive a tuning fork, a framed certificate and manuscript book upon the 10th lesson. 
I prefer to see a student once every other week. 
Wear comfortable clothing, and I request that females keep their hair up.
As of April, 2002 there will be a limit of 30 students.

COMING SOON:
 
THE STUDENT LOUNGE
...this area of my site will have photos of students, their bios, and comments posted; 
student activities & gigs will be posted regularly.

VOCAL TIP OF THE WEEK / Q & A

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Recommended Reading on ãThe Voiceä and Related Topics

 ~ Listed Alphabetically for each category ~

~ Check Back for Updates ~

voice / confidence & speaking / singing / songwriting & business / voice over / music therapy /  music culture

* ISBN numbers: You can find virtually any book in the world if itâs in print somewhere.
Sometimes you need to track down the publishing house. While the ISBN is like a fingerprint,
occasionally where is both a hardcover and paperback of the same book, they will have two different ISBN numbers.

VOICE

ãTHE ACOUSTIC ANALYSIS OF SPEECHä
by Ray D. Kent and Charles Read, University of Wisconsin-Madison/ ISBN: 1-56593-364-8 / © 1992Published by: Singular Publishing Group, Inc. , 4284 41st St., San Diego, CA 92105-1197

ãBREATHE WELL, BE WELL:
A Program to Relieve Stress, Anxiety, Asthma, Hypertension, Migraine & Other Disorders for Better Healthä
by Robert Fried, Ph.D./ ISBN: 0-471-32436-1 / © 1999
Published by: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 

ãESSENTIAL GUIDE TO ASTHMAä 
by The American Medical Association/ ISBN: 0-7434-0357-6 / © 1998, 2000
Published by Pocket Books,  New York, London, Toronto, Sydney, Singapore 

ãFUNDAMENTALS OF VOICE AND ARTICULATIONä 
by Lyle V. Mayer, 12th  Edition 

ãHELP ME SAY ITä
by Carol Barach/ ISBN: 0-06-181046-0 / © 1983
Published by Harper & Row Publishers, New York, Fitzhenry & Whiteside Ltd., Toronto

ãLIVING & LEARNING WITH A CHILD WHO STUTTERSä
by Lise G. Cloutier-Steele/ ISBN: 1-55021-094-7 / © 1995
Published by FAMILYBooks, Toronto

ãTHE NEW VOICE (How to Sing and Speak Properly)ä
by Alan Greene/ ISBN: 0-88188-141-8  / © 1975
Published by Chappell & Co., Inc., Distributed by Hal Leonard Corp, Milwaukee, WI 

ãNURTURED BY LOVE: THE CLASSIC APPROACH TO TALENT EDUCATIONä
by Shinichi Suzuki (The Suzuki Method International)/ ISBN: 0-87487-584-6 / © 1983
Published by Warner Bros., New Jersey

ãPOCKET GUIDE TO TREATMENT in Speech-Language Pathologyä
by M.N. Hegde/ ISBN: 1-56593-274-9 / © 1996
Published by Singular Publishing Group, Inc., San Diego 

ãTHE RIGHT TO SPEAK-Working With The Voiceä
by Patsy Rodenburg/ ISBN: 0-413-66140-7 (hardback)   0-413-66130-X (paperback) / © 1992
Published by Methuen Drama, an imprint of Reed International Books Ltd. 

ãVOCAL RESONANCE: Its Source and Commandä
by M. Barbereux-Perry/ ISBN: 0-8158-0380-X / © 1941
Published by Christopher Publishing House, Mass.

ãVOICE & SPEECH IN THE THEATREä
by Clifford Turner/ ISBN: 0-273-43321-0 / © 1950
Published by The Pitman Press, Bath, England

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CONFIDENCE / SPEAKING

ãEFFECTIVE SPEAKINGä
by Dale Carnegie/ Library of Congress catalog card #: 62-9389 / © 1962 (17th printing- 1979)
Published by Dale Carnegie & Associates Inc. New York

ãTHE FIVE SECRETS of SPEAKING the LANGUAGE OF LEADERSHIP: The Sir Winston (Churchill) Methodä
by James C. Humes/ ISBN: 0-688-10224-7 / © 1991
Published by William Morrow and Company, New York

ãFOREIGN DIALECTS-A Manual for Actors, Directors & Writersä
by Lewis Herman & Marguerite Shalett Herman/ ISBN: 0-87830-020-1 / © 1997
A Theatre Arts Book ö Routledge, New York, London

ãHOW TO BE AN EFFECTIVE SPEAKERä
by Christina Stuart

ãNEVER BE NERVOUS AGAINä
by Dorothy Sarnoff (with Gaylen Moore)/ ISBN: 0-517-56709-1 / © 1987
Published by Crown Publishers, New York

ãTHE VOICE BOOK (For Everyone Who Wants to Make the most of Their Voice)ä
by Michael McCallion/ ISBN: 0-87830-092-9 / © 1988
Published by Theater Arts Books, New York

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SINGING

ãTHE ART OF SINGING- A Manual of Bel Cantoä
by Lucie ManŽn/ ISBN: 0-571-10037-6 / © 1974, 1981
Published by Faber Music Ltd., London

ãFREEING THE NATURAL VOICEä
by Kristen Linklater/ ISBN: 0-89676-071-5 /  © 1976
Published by Drama Book publishers, New York

ãMUSIC FOR SIGHT SINGINGä
by Robert W. Ottman (Professor of Music, North Texas State University)
Library of Congress Catalog Card #: 67-11101 / © 1956, 1967/ Published by Prentice-Hall

ãTHE PROFESSIONAL SINGERâS HANDBOOKä
by Gloria Rusch/ ISBN: 0-7935-8851-0 / © 1998
Published by Hal Leonard Publishing Corporation, Milwaukee, WI

ãTHE ROCK-N-ROLL SINGERâS SURVIVAL MANUALä
Written & illustrated by Mark Baxter/ ISBN: 0-7935-0286-1 / © 1989, 1990
Published by Hal Leonard Publishing Corporation, Milwaukee, WI

ãSET YOUR VOICE FREEä
by Roger Love/ ISBN: 0-316-44179-1 / © 1999
Published by Little, Brown & Company, Boston, New York, London 

ãTHE SINGING VOICEä (Historical, Classical)
by Robert Rushmore/ ISBN: 0-396-06243-1 / © 1971
Published by Dodd, Mead and Company, New York

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SONGWRITING / BUSINESS

ãHIT MENä
by Fredric Dannen/ ISBN: 0-679-73061-3 / © 1984
Published by Vintage Books, A Division of Random House, Inc. New York

ãMARKET YOUR SONGS-A ÎHow Toâ Guide For Contemporary Songwriters & Performersä
by Valerie Mahonin/ © 1986 Songsmith Publications Ltd., Calgary

ãTHE SINGING ENTERTAINER (A Contemporary Study of the Art & Business of Being a Professional) ä
By John Davidson & Court Casady/ ISBN: 0-88284-095-9 / © 1979
Published by Alfredo Publishing Co., Inc.

ãSOME STRAIGHT TALK ABOUT THE MUSIC BUSINESSä
by Mona Coxson/ ISBN: 0-9691272-3-5 / © 1984
Published by CM Books, a division of Norris-Whitney Communications Inc., Toronto

ãSTART AND RUN YOUR OWN RECORD LABELä
By Daylle Deanna Schwartz/ ISBN: 0-8230-7924-4 / © 1998
Published by Billboard Books, An Imprint of Watson-Guptill Publications, New York 

ãTHE SONGWRITERâS GUIDE TO COLLABORATIONä
by Walter Carter/ ISBN: 0-89879-322-X / © 1988
Published by Writerâs Digest Books, Cincinnati, Ohio

ãTHIS BUSINESS OF ARTIST MANAGEMENTä (Third Edition)
by Xavier M. Frascogna, Jr. & H. Lee Hetherington/ ISBN: 0-8230-7705-5 / © 1997
Published by Billboard Books, An Imprint of Watson-Guptill Publications, New York 

ãWHAT A WONDERFUL WORLD (A Lifetime of Recordings)ä
by Bob Thiele as told to Bob Golden/ ISBN: 0-19-508629-5 / © 1995
Published by Oxford University Press, New York, Oxford

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VOICE-OVER

ãWORD OF MOUTH- A Guide to Commercial Voice-Over Excellenceä
by Susan Blu & Molly Ann Mullin/ ISBN: 0-938817-10-8 / © 1974, 1981
Published by Pomegranate Press, Ltd. Universal City, Ca. 

ãTHE VOICE OVER WORKBOOKä
by Mike Kirby
To order, please visit: www.voiceworx.com / Published by Mike Kirbyâs Voiceworx /  © 1998

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MUSIC THERAPY

ãFREE PLAY: The Power of Improvisation in Life and the Artsä
by Stephen Nachmanovitch/ ISBN: 0-87477-631-7  / © 1989
Published by Jeremy P. Tarcher, Inc., Los Angeles

ãTHE MOZART EFFECT: Tapping the Power of Music to Heal the Body, Strengthen the Mind, & Unlock the Creative Spiritä
by Don Campbell/ ISBN: 0-380-97418-5  / © 1997
Published by Avon Books,  New York

ãTHE NEW MUSIC THERAPISTâS HANDBOOKä (Second Edition)
by Suzanne B. Hanser/ ISBN: 0-634-00645-2  / © 1999
Published by Berklee Press, Boston MA, Distributed by Hal Leonard Corp., Milwaukee, WI 

ãMUSIC PHYSICIAN FOR TIMES TO COMEä
An anthology by Don Campbell/ ISBN: 0-8356-0668-6  / © 1991
Published by Quest Books, Wheaton IL

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MUSIC CULTURE

ãPRECIOUS AND FEW: Pop Music in the Early 70âsä
by Don Breithaupt & Jeff Breithaupt/ ISBN: 0-312-14704-X  / © 1996
Published by St. Martinâs Griffin, New York 

ãROCKONOMICS: The Money Behind the Musicä
by Marc Eliot/ ISBN: 0-531-15106-9  / © 1989
Published by Franklin Watts, New York, Toronto

ãTOXIC FAME: Celebrities Speak on Stardomä
Compiled by Joey Berlin/ ISBN: 0-7876-0874-2 / © 1996
Published by Visible Ink, Detroit,  New York, Toronto, London 

ãTHE ULTIMATE SOUL MUSIC TRIVIA BOOKä
Compiled by Bobby Bennett & Sarah Smith/ ISBN: 0-8065-1923-1 / © 1998
A Citadel Press Book Published by Carol Publishing Group

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RECOMMENDED READING FROM the JEFFREY ALLEN SINGING TEACHER WEBSITE:

The Alchemy of Voice
Edgar F. Herbert-Caesari/ R. Hale Publishers, London, 1965

The Voice of the Mind
Edgar F. Herbert-Caesari/ Crescendo Publishing Co. 1963/ ISBN: 0800880269

Vocal Wisdom: Maxims of Giovanni Battista Lamperti
William Earl Brown; Taplinger Publishing Co. 1957/ NY; 080088234

Great Singers on Great Singing
Jerome Hines; Doubleday Publishing 1982/ New York/ ISBN: 0879100257

Building Your Best Voice
Henry N. Jacobi;/ Prentice-Hall 1982, New Jersey

On Studying Singing
Sergius Kagen; Dover Publications, 1950/ New York/ ISBN: 0-486-20622-X 

Vocal Development Through Organic Imagry
William D. Leyerle/ Leyerle Publications; New York/ ISBN: 0960229663 

The Structure of Singing: System & Art in Vocal Technique
]illiam Vennard;/ Carl Fischer Publications, New York, 1967

The Tao of Voice: A New East-West Approach to Singing
Transforming the Singing & Speaking Voice
By Stephen Chun-Tao/ Destiny Books, 1991/ ISBN: 0892812605