Female musical theatre singers produce some of the most exciting and expressive singing an audience can experience. They also face a unique and specific set of issues when approaching their craft, from negotiating the registers of their voice to enable them to belt, to vocal health challenges such as premenstrual voice syndrome. This is the only book that offers a full and detailed guide to tackling those issues and to singing with full expression and technical excellence.

Musical Theatre for the Female Voice covers the origin of singing in musicals, from the bel canto style of 300 years ago through to the latest developments in high belting, in shows such as Wicked and Waitress. It offers the reader exercises and methods that have been used to train hundreds of singers at some of the UK's leading musical theatre training institutions and are underpinned by the latest academic research in journals on singing, psychology, and health. Every element of a singer's toolkit is covered from a female perspective, from breath and posture to character work and vocal health.

This is an essential guidebook for female singers in musical theatre productions, either training at university or conservatory level or forging a career as professional triple-threat performers.

About the Author

Shaun Aquilina is a singer, director, and teacher. He has trained singers at the UK's leading musical theatre institutions such as GSA, ArtsEd, and Laine Theatre Arts. He is currently a Lecturer in Musical Theatre at Anglia Ruskin University.

Reviews

"I can recommend this book to students and professionals alike who can trust the insights given through Shaun's exhaustive study of voice production. This is not just a description of singing but a helpful guide to improvement and best practice." - Sylvia Young OBE, Founder and Principal of the Sylvia Young Theatre School, UK

"The book lays out an approach to the singing voice that is filled with the warmth and wisdom of its experienced practitioner author, Shaun Aquilina. Not only is the book informative but it is accessible in tone and avoids any hint of expert condescension. It is clearly a must have for the singer who wishes to discover more about the full story of their voice from posture to performance in order to enhance their vocal artistry." - Jane Boston, Principal Lecturer Voice, The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, UK

Book Information
ISBN 9781032261591
Author Shaun Aquilina
Format Paperback
Page Count 106
Imprint Routledge
Publisher Taylor & Francis Ltd
Weight(grams) 280g