Designed for vocal students to better connect what they "hear" with what they "play."

No single event triggered my decision to jot down the bits and pieces of a patchwork life, but I suspect the seed germinated during the weekly Torah study sessions I attended after my retirement. Again and again our rabbi reminded us that bad as well as good times provide opportunities for growth and that bleak as well as bright moments illuminate our way towards spiritual wholeness. As I began plucking at the faded strands of my family tapestry I discovered that the rabbi was right. Moments of pain as well as joy did illuminate my journey and the bad as well as the good times do provide opportunities for growth. This memoir is an attempt to capture those moments. Ida Marks-Meltzer

This book provides practical advice on professional jazz singing. Topics covered include getting inside the lyrics, personalising the song, creating an emotional mood, word stress, melodic variation, breathing, rhythm, choosing a key, writing a lead sheet, creating an arrangement, organising a gig book, rehearsing, and playing styles.

Why don't classical musicians improvise? Why do jazz players get to have all the fun? And how do they develop such fabulous technique and aural skills? With these words, Jeffrey Agrell opens the door to improvisation for all non-jazz musicians who thought it was beyond their ability to play extemporaneously. Step-by-step, Agrell leads through a series of games, rather than exercises. The game format takes the pressure off of classically trained musicians, steering them away from their fixation on mistake-free performance and introducing the basic concepts of playing with music itself instead of obsessing over a perfect rendition of a written score. Agrell draws an analogy with sports that illustrates the absurdity of the traditional approach to classically-oriented music performance.