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There are many different directions you can go when picking out Voice Lesson Books for either yourself or your students.
And honestly, different teachers will give you different answers when asked what book series to use. Just like with other instruments, each vocal lesson book resonates more with certain students, and not so much with others.
Here at C&S Music, we hold that no one book can give a fully satisfactory vocal education, so mixing and matching is of the utmost importance. Depending on the level of the student, in my lessons I use different books for:
- Theory
- Repertoire
- Sight Reading
I personally have my own slew of exercises I use with my voice students, but before I formed my own list, I used a separate vocal lesson book for those as well.
So the voice lesson books below are all wonderful resources, and should be used in conjunction with a few others as well.
The Best Singing Books for Beginners
When it comes to teaching beginner voice lessons, the vocal lesson book (or books) you teach out of can make or break a students interest and even success. Books with fun, simple songs to start ear training and good, basic exercises for warmups that encourage good technique – even from a young age – are so important to preserving the health of the singer and laying a strong foundation for the rest of their singing life.
For Younger Children
This book takes all lesson planning off of the teacher! Exercises for ear training, body-integration, and performance are all set up for you to use to help your young students along in their musical journey.
This is a great book to use for group singing or singing-based “music appreciation” class for younger children – the exercise, songs, and performances are easy to do in a group setting.
For Choosing Songs
A great collection of easy songs, perfect singing book for beginners to develop technique and learn sight singing and theory through practical application. Each song is in English and covers a minimal range, so the student can focus on one specific part of their voice at a time.
They have a book for lower female voices and male voices as well – pick the best one for your student’s range.
For Older Children
Another full curriculum book for grade-school to middle-school students to learn ear training, theory, and sight-singing. There are multiple levels to follow a student as they progress, as well as a wonderful teacher’s guide for all levels put together.
IMPORTANT:
At the time of publishing, the teacher’s guide is FREE with a KindleUnlimited membership.
The Best Vocal Pedagogy Books
First… what is Vocal Pedagogy? It’s a big word that gets thrown around a lot, and I came to the striking realization recently that most people don’t know what it actually means.
Vocal Pedagogy is, most basically, the study of the voice. How it works, why it works, the mechanism of the voice and how to best gain control over it.
It includes the anatomy of every part of of the singing mechanism, from the diaphragm to the nasal passages, and helps the singer understand how to most healthfully achieve their most natural, resonant sound.
All this to say, the study of Vocal Pedagogy is something that a singer is never truly done with – these books contain things of value for students of every ability level.
The Basics of Vocal Pedagogy was written for singers at the collegiate level looking to become vocal teachers and/or gain a comprehensive view of the voice and how it works. It is lengthy and thorough, and a great resource for any vocal teacher.
Are you a Private Music Teacher?
Here at C&S Music, we know that the business side of things is… hard. And way too expensive!
Click below to grab a list of the best free resources available for Private Music Teachers and Music Studio owners!
The Best Music Theory Books for Singers
I’m going to get on a little soapbox here:
SINGERS NEED TO LEARN MUSIC THEORY.
I have met too many singers who have stunted their own musical growth because they don’t think they need to learn music theory. If you want to succeed as a singer – if you want your vocal students to succeed – you need to learn and teach them music theory.
If you need to learn music theory yourself, or don’t have the lesson time to dedicate to music theory, I wrote a music theory course specifically for singers. It covers pop music theory on the piano, teaching pop and worship singers to read charts, check their own keys, and build a foundation of music theory that will help them grow as musicians. Lock in my special pricing before the sale ends: