This Is a Voice - Hardcover

Jeremy Fisher is a performance coach and vocal trainer with more than 30 years of experience. He has trained actors, performers and singers in opera and West End musicals such as Les Miserables and Phantom of the Opera. Gillyanne Kayes is a singing voice expert, voice researcher and author with a PhD on female singing voice. Steven Connor (introduction) is a Grace 2 Professor of English in the University of Cambridge who has written extensively on the history of the voice, sound and music. Cerys Matthews is a singer, songwriter, author and broadcaster, awarded an MBE for her services to music. Wellcome Collection is a free museum and library that aims to challenge how we think and feel about health. Inspired by the medical objects and curiosities collected by Henry Wellcome, it connects science, medicine, life and art. Wellcome Collection exhibitions, events and books explore a diverse range of subjects, including consciousness, forensic medicine, emotions, sexology, identity and death. Wellcome Collection is part of Wellcome, a global charitable foundation that exists to improve health for everyone by helping great ideas to thrive, funding over 14,000 researchers and projects in more than 70 countries. wellcomecollection.org

Who knew learning about vocal technique could be so cool?

At a glance: This book is jam packed full of practical exercises to get the most out of your voice, whether you are a singer, speaker or even beatboxer. The authors are renowned coaches who have honed their knowledge under the tutelage of voice research giants such as Jo Estill, so this collection of tried and tested exercises can be fully trusted.

High notes: The design of the book is just incredible! The color scheme makes the book inviting and accessible, and the diagrams are so much clearer due to the use of color. The beginning chapter on how the voice works is the most in-depth I have seen in a book of this nature. They have managed to make detailed anatomy concise and understandable which should spark the interest of confused or disengaged voice users.

Off pitch: As with all vocal exercises, it really helps to have an accompanying CD. It would be a useful and fun way to bring the 99 exercises alive, as sometimes written instructions can be misconstrued.

Review: This is a Voice manages to find the right balance between 'light and accessible' and 'deep and informative'. There is absolutely no snobbery in this book which makes it appealing for all kinds of voice users. More traditional singing texts are far too dry or aesthetically bias to appeal to the masses, but this book has nailed it. I would recommend it for teachers who wish to expand their repertoire of exercises, for gigging singers who are bored of their warm up routine, and for students studying voice.

Voice Council Magazine