“Don't Sing It With the Face of a Dead Fish!” Can Verbalized Imagery Stimulate a Vocal Response in Choral Rehearsals?

Imagery has been verbalized by choral directors in rehearsals for over a century (Coward, 1914), but which modes of verbalized imagery (VI) are evident in this context? Are there particular types of vocal response for which VI is most frequently used? More importantly, can VI affect directors’ practice? Experience as a singer and choral director prompted those questions; this chapter seeks to answer them, beginning with a definition of VI in the context of choral rehearsals. The chapter demonstrates that directors employ VI to create perceptible changes in vocal responses.