The art of singing is constantly evolving and reflecting our changing world, proving the importance of versatility for opening oneself to other cultures and styles, enriching the experience of communicating with the human voice, and most importantly, enjoying more opportunities for professional performance. While singers explore the myriad ways to communicate emotion and ideas, they experiment with different timbres, instruments, languages, and musical genres. As situations vary, the demands on the voice as a musical instrument, and the act of singing itself, must be modified. In this follow up to her 1999 volume, The Professional Vocalist, author Rachel L. Lebon continues to give expert advice on the singing profession, describing the musical and vocal adjustments essential to becoming a versatile vocalist. She addresses proprioception, the kinesthetic feedback, vocal adjustments associated with "crossing over" and exploring new sounds and styles, and performing authentically within contrasting performance situations. Many facets of performance are considered: differing venues—from small studios or clubs to large concert halls; singing acoustically or with sound reinforcement; singing in various styles of music—be it commercial, popular, jazz, or classical; and varieties of instrumental accompaniment—whether a single instrument, a small ensemble, a full orchestra with strings, a big band with horns blaring, or rock bands with wailing guitars. The book discusses factors that influence vocal approaches, including recording studio technology, live sound reinforcement, speech, language, and microphone styles and their affect on musical genres. Practical aspects of music preparation, song learning, rehearsal techniques, and achieving vocal longevity are given, as well as "real world" strategies and advice from Lebon and other working professionals.

The book discusses the musical considerations, vocal production, and kinesthetic feedback inherent to performing persuasively in a variety of styles and idioms, with observations of professional vocalists, instrumentalists, and voice teachers who have successfully crossed over into contrasting idioms.

The complete course in a variety of music styles, The Versatile Keyboardist features a wide range of techniques and styles for keyboardists who know the significance of being well-rounded, adaptable, and open-minded. The book introduces the essentials of many styles, with examples based on actual songs. Learn the history and important players of each style and gain further understanding of the elements of a great keyboard part. The book also teaches general music theory and fundamental concepts to improve musicians in every style and unleash their potential to become flexible, adaptable, and versatile keyboardists! A CD demonstrating the examples in the book is included.

About the Book THE GREEN BOOK, VOL. 1: The Intertwined Musical and Historical Journey by People of Color in America provides a comprehensive exploration of the music that occurred alongside some of American history’s biggest events. This impressive and extensive guide spans from 1380 until 1959. This book's purpose is to share, illuminate, and stick to the positive achievements of the people who’ve helped to spread the message of music. That will include all the musicians, singers, and lyricists who helped the fans to appreciate the various styles of music that we have today. About the Author Raymond was a native of New York City and a product of schools in Brooklyn. He worked in all three levels of government. He has spent the past fifty five years gathering and exploring America’s musical journey. His primary motivation for writing this book was to seek out and amass a stream of verifiable truths. He is a fan of most styles of music, though he does struggle to find a love for hard rock and bluegrass at times. McNeil’s ultimate goal is to share his love of music and history and the ways in which they intertwine together throughout the years.

In a career that spanned 60 years, Paul Whiteman changed the landscape of American music, beginning with his million-selling recordings in the early 1920s of “Whispering,” “Japanese Sandman,” and “Three O’Clock in the Morning.” Whiteman would then introduce “symphonic jazz,” a powerful blend of the classical and jazz idioms that represented a whole new approach to modern American music, influencing generations of bandleaders and composers. While some hold that at the close of the Roaring Twenties Whiteman’s musical hegemony quickly waned, Don Rayno illustrates in this second volume of Paul Whiteman: Pioneer in American Music how much of a dominant figure Whiteman remained. A major figure on the American music scene for decades to come, he would continue to lead critically-acclaimed orchestras, filling theaters and concert halls alike and diligently seeking out and nurturing musical talent on the largest scale of any orchestra leader in the 20th century. In this second volume of Rayno’s magisterial treatment of the life and music of this remarkable maestro, Whiteman’s career during the second half of his life is explored in the fullest detail, as Whiteman conquers the worlds of theater and vaudeville, the concert hall, radio, motion pictures, and television, winning accolades in all of them. Through hundreds of interviews, extensive documentation, and exhaustive research of over nearly three decades, a portrait emerges of one of American music’s most important musical figures during the last century. Rayno paints a stunning portrait of Whiteman’s considerable accomplishments and far-reaching influence.

Los Angeles magazine is a regional magazine of national stature. Our combination of award-winning feature writing, investigative reporting, service journalism, and design covers the people, lifestyle, culture, entertainment, fashion, art and architecture, and news that define Southern California. Started in the spring of 1961, Los Angeles magazine has been addressing the needs and interests of our region for 48 years. The magazine continues to be the definitive resource for an affluent population that is intensely interested in a lifestyle that is uniquely Southern Californian.

There are many things in life that move you, but there are some things you are born with in which you have the power to move others. This is called being anointed by God. We all have a gift to do something, and it is up to us to find out what that gift is and use it for the right reasons to glorify God. Singing came to me. I did not choose it. I just opened my mouth, and I could sing, and it came easy. I just needed to hone my gift by understanding how it worked so I could use it to its fullest potential as well as maintain it by understanding how to take care of it. My love for music is who I am. I was not told I had to do it. I just did it because I loved it just that much. I knew whenever I would sing, I would find myself closer to a place of peacefulness and harmony with my higher self. As I grew stronger in what moved me to do what I loved. I learned that I could do all things through Christ who strengthens me. I did not let fear deter my calling. Even though I was very much afraid, I knew I had to do it because it was God's will. Some people are born with many gifts, and some are born with one, but it is not because one gift is greater than the other because your calling is different. I have learned that if you have the faith the size of a mustard seed, you can move mountains. This means you can do anything you feel is calling out to you. Through my journey, I have learned I am able to move mountains in my life. One is called fear because it is fear that keeps us from being our best self. We have been told, "Don't do this," "Don't do that," because it will hurt you, so we learn fear, but we don't learn how to conquer it until we become adults, and for some not even then because we choose to stay comfortable and complacent with the effects of what fear does to us. We are always evolving into our better self, but we must forget about what we can't do and focus more so on what we can do when we have the faith the size of a mustard seed. This pain is not meant to last, but we have to keep moving on, move on, move on. There's no storm that can stop you. There's no wind that can move you. There's no cloud that can stop the sun from shining through. Just move on. 2