The Singing Athlete: Brain-based Training for Your Voice

by Andrew Byrne

If you are a singer, you are an athlete. And the athletic skills that make you a great vocalist come from one your brain. The Singing Athlete is the first book of its a view on voice training through the lens of both the physical body and the nervous system. As one of the top teachers of professional Broadway performers, Andrew Byrne has developed a unique synthesis of athletics and neuroscience that will guide you to higher levels of performance. In addition to his work on Broadway, Andrew is devoted to studying the training methods used by Olympic athletes as a Master Practitioner of Z-Health functional applied neuroscience. He has taken thousands of hours of research and boiled it down into an easily digestible form that will help you unlock amazing new vocal skills. When you buy The Singing Athlete, you’re not just picking up a book. You’re getting a complete training system. With your purchase, you get lifetime access to The Singing Athlete Video Guide, a companion website that includes over 150 training videos. You’ll learn the correct form for every drill, explore awesome bonus content, and download PDFs to track your progress. Through the fully illustrated book and the accompanying videos, you will learn Breathe correctly for stress reduction and optimal vocal support Exercise your tongue, jaw, and throat in ways that lower threat in your brain Use your ears and eyes to improve vocal range and stamina Heal any scars that might be holding you back Eliminate reflux, tinnitus, sinus problems, and other vocal stumbling blocks Move better, feel better, and sing better FAQs How is The Singing Athlete different from other vocal training systems? When you study voice, your instructor is always practicing neurology—either accidentally or on purpose. A lot of voice systems can tell you about the anatomy of the voice, but The Singing Athlete provides a crucial missing piece—how to train your brain. Once you understand how your nervous system is in charge of your singing, the way you practice will shift forever, and everything your teacher says will make more sense. I’m an instructor of a certain style of vocal training. Can I integrate The Singing Athlete into what I already do?That is one of the greatest strengths of this system; this material can fit in seamlessly with almost any style of training. The Singing Athlete is designed to complement what you already do, providing a new framework to expand and focus your thinking. Lisa Rochelle (NYC Singing Voice Specialist) says it this “The Singing Athlete negates no other system, no other technique, and no other pedagogy. It can be used to meet a singer where they are.” I’m not a Broadway singer—I sing other styles (pop/country/R&B/classical, etc.) Can I get good results from this book? The Singing Athlete is independent of vocal style. You can apply these exercises to any vocal style, from heavy metal to grand opera. Whether you want to sing “Quando m’en vo” or “Call Me Maybe”, Andrew has got you covered.

Genres: Audiobook

352 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 23, 2020

Reviews

[Allie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is amazing! Byrne is a fount of information about the connection between the mind, body and voice and delivers the information with a sense of humor. I am enjoying the exercises and their effectiveness.

[Elisabeth Holmertz · Rating 3 out of 5]

The content of this book is very interesting and I use it in my singing as well as my teaching. However it’s a difficult read and I, despite having a PhD, find it hard to follow the text.

[samaadda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it!!!

This is a game changer for me and I will continue to practice and get better! It’s made me a better singer!

[David Baldwin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am using this book in my work nearly daily. I bought another digital copy so I could have it searchable on my iPad. Really thankful for Andrew Byrne's work.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has an incredible amount of fascinating information. I think there is something here for every singer, no matter one’s level of experience. It seems to be a book that can be treated as an open resource to focus in on the sections you need most.

The author also has great knowledge of vocal and related anatomy, but I found these sections sometimes to be a bit too much to follow (I was also listening to this as an audiobook, and it may be easier to understand the anatomy sections with visual elements — but there are an immense number of physical elements to vocal production and even when I took a course in vocal pedagogy in the past, I found it hard to follow all of this and it gave me increased appreciation for med students/doctors who have to memorize and fully understand all of these elements).

[Allie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is rich with information. It's dense at times, but incredibly applicable. I both listened to the audiobook and read each chapter, which helped me absorb the material more fully. When a drill was hard to envision, Andrew’s online video resources were a huge help. I had several profound takeaways for both my own voice and my clients.