ABSTRACT
Having shown in general terms how historical, psychological, ethical and scientific considerations impinge upon vocal pedagogy, this chapter discusses the questions of vocal technique, performance and evaluation. Any competent singing teacher with a firmly grounded scientifically based pedagogy is the very last person to decry imagination. Many singing teachers avoid anatomy and physiology. Posture determines the alignment and balance of the body, and good bodily alignment is the beginning of efficient breathing and fundamental to healthy singing. The energizer consists of the breathing mechanism; the vibrators are the vocal folds; the resonators are the cavities of the vocal tract. Instrumentation which can be used for objective assessment of the voice is now available. The Vowel Chart measures the resonance in the singing voice which can then be compared with the spoken voice. Problems with the voice may be organic or functional; although very many are caused by hyperfunction and/or abuse.
