Singing and Communicating in English: A Singer's Guide to English Diction

by Kathryn LaBouff

From the Foreword by Renee "Kathryn LaBouff has developed an approach to singing in the English language which is wonderfully user friendly, and which has surely saved much wear and tear on my voice. It is a technique that has empowered me with the knowledge and skills to bring a text to life and to be able to negotiate all of the sounds of the language with the least amount of effort. I have found her clever and extremely creative use of substitute consonants or combinations of consonants in creating clear diction utterly delightful because they are surprising and because they work. These techniques have been equally useful when singing in foreign languages. We sopranos are not usually known to have good diction, particularly in our high range. I found that working with Kathryn improved my ability to be understood by an enormous percentile of the audience with much less vocal fatigue than I would have experienced if left to my own devices. I have often told my colleagues enthusiastically of her interesting solutions to the frustrating problems of diction. I am thrilled that her techniques are now in print for all to benefit from them."

In Singing and Communicating in English , internationally renowned diction coach Kathryn LaBouff provides singers with an accessible guide to the principles of English diction they need to communicate the text successfully. Her thorough and much sought after technique clarifies the physiology of speech, emphasizes the studied practice of careful and articulate pronunciation, and focuses on the study of English cadence. Covering aspects of phonetics from vowels to diphthongs to fricatives, the book includes multiple practical exercises in International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) transcriptions, helpful diagrams, and pronunciation drills, each chosen from the most essential English art song and operatic repertoire. In addition to standard American and British English, a variety of regional dialects and accents are covered in depth. A companion website features a full range of vowel/consonant drills, poems read aloud by the author and by theater and voiceover actor John Keating, as well as an exercise answer key, and publishers' lists to help the singer locate a vast array of English language works for performance.

Genres: Nonfiction, Music

352 pages, Paperback

First published November 14, 2007

Reviews

[Loesje · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great source for those who struggle with / want to learn more about English diction in Singing. A little bit overwhelming once in a while. To get the most out of it, I recommend it to use it with a Teacher in English or a Vocal Coach. Not all pronunciation links of my book were working.

[Michelle Monroe Kettler · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kathryn LaBouff has some interesting ideas for English diction. Some of them were a wonderful "aha!" moment that helped me to better handle the diction on certain phrases of songs and arias.

There are a number of typos in the book that could be confusing for a lesser experienced singer or teacher.

I also don't agree completely with the tongue formation "requirements" for all of the vowels she listed. I believe the tongue shape for each vowel is slightly different than what was illustrated and have great success in creating them for myself in that different manner.