Sing!
Teacher’s Edition
16 Singing Lessons to Teach Your Students
Voice Teacher & Vocal Coach Curriculum
Sing! is a course of voice lessons for students and teachers alike, based on the professional teaching methods developed by Jane Edgren at the Vocal Fitness Training studio.
Sing! provides a specially designed 16-week curriculum for the voice teacher or vocal coach, to guide teachers in the implementation of the lessons. Similar in design to piano methods, it introduces vocal exercises in a progressive manner with step-by-step instructions.
Teaching concepts are supported by easy to understand vocal science explanations, and 12 worksheets to reinforce your student’s learning. A companion Student Edition includes access to all of the exercises at this website.
Information for Voice Teachers and Vocal Coaches
Who can use this course?
It really depends on your needs, as you may:
- be a recent music school graduate and wants to earn some extra income teaching singing lessons
- have studied voice for many years but opted not to get that music degree, but have a strong musical background
- be a piano teacher who sings and would like to add some voice students to their studio but isn’t sure where to start
- be an accompanist/collaborative pianist who would like to offer some voice instruction or assistance to their students
This is just a sampling of the teachers and coaches who can use this course to teach singers. Others may include choir directors, instrumentalists and other musicians with a singing background.
As a former high school choral director, musical theatre director, and member of ACDA and MENC for 24 years, I have extensive experience with the challenges of working with young voices. Jane Edgren has transformed how I think about the voice with a simple, direct, and easy to understand approach to healthy singing.
Vocal Fitness Training will provide compelling support for any teacher working with individual students, choral groups, and/or church choirs. The teacher would also benefit personally from this method, regardless of previous experience. Working with Jane has been a gift for me as a veteran singer, and I have learned to use my true voice-and feel joyful about it!
Ideal for new or experienced teachers, jump start your students with a progressive curriculum to improve their vocal fitness.
Click here to read an online excerpt from the Teacher’s Edition of 16 Singing Lessons to Teach Your Students.
Why I Wrote This Course
When I was young, I took piano lessons using two popular piano methods made up of a series of progressive books that taught me the fundamentals, after which I progressed to the standard classical piano repertoire. One day it occurred to me that there are very few voice books that offer the same kind of structured and progressive method of teaching basic vocal technique. Therefore, I decided to set out to design and write such a vocal course for students and teachers alike, based on the teaching methods I use in my own studio.
Tools for Success
There are many rewards in teaching voice, but the greatest one is giving singers of all different styles of music a dependable vocal instrument they know how to play. For some, success may come from the joy of singing a solo for the first time in their church. For others, it might be the acquisition of vocal stamina that allows them to tour and sing numerous gigs without constantly losing their voice. Great vocal technique may not guarantee that lucrative recording contract or role on Broadway, but it gives students the tools they need to go wherever their singing takes them.
A Simpler Approach
My teachers always encouraged me to teach voice, and I have done so throughout my singing career. As the years progressed, and as I gained a wealth of experience teaching, I began to refine the way I present information to my students. Many non-classical singers joined my studio with little or no vocal training, and it became very clear to me that their vocal lessons required a new approach. They needed clear and easily understood instructions to give them enough information about the voice without overwhelming them with too much technical detail.
Training for All Styles
As a classically trained singer, some students initially were concerned that I would teach them a technique that would give them a classical sound. However, they soon found out that the exercises and approach in this singing technique are not reflective of any particular singing style (although they certainly are robust enough to develop a classical voice). Rather, following this progressive format of vocal training gives them a reliable foundation upon which they can create sounds that are strong, pure, and healthy.
