Practical Vocal Acoustics - Celebrating the release of the second edition!

VoiceCare BookClub—We all have books we want to read to learn more about the voice, so let's do it in community and meet the authors!

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This month we willl dive into: Practical Vocal Acoustics (2nd ed!) . Our discussion will include author Kenneth Bozeman and be moderated by Aramat Arnheim-Sharon and Amir Bahador. Scroll down for more information.

Book can be purchased here: AMAZON BOOKS.

2D Location (via Zoom): Cafe D, Holidayopolis.

Practical Vocal Acoustics

Voice teachers have been addressing vocal acoustics in some manner for as long as there has been voice instruction. Given the history of excellence in singing, singers, and teachers, the historic empirical approach clearly has had success. However, our scientific knowledge about and understanding of vocal acoustics has grown exponentially in the last sixty to eighty years, and will certainly continue to be refined by the growing number of ongoing collaborations between voice scientists and voice teachers interested in voice science. With sophisticated yet inexpensive sound analysis technology now widely available, more voice teachers are curious

about its potential value for the studio, and are seeing the need to understand and be well-informed about the acoustics of vocal registration at the very least, as a means to more efficient pedagogy, but also as an essential element of voice pedagogy courses.

Practical Vocal Acoustics represents an attempt to distill from the science of vocal acoustics those factors that are essential for teachers at the beginning of the twenty-first century to understand, that are most likely to be productive for improving our pedagogic efficiency, and to present them in language that is generally accessible. It also aspires to contribute to more productive, mutually respectful and beneficial conversation between the pedagogic and scientific communities.

To meet the current needs of the profession, this 2nd edition provides vital updates, including:

- Updated notational designations
- Inclusion of the transient theory of voice alongside the source-filter theory
- Updated gender designations
- More details about treble voice acoustics and pedagogy
- More details about vocal styles other than classical
- Updated information on the perception of sound

With concise and easy-to-understand language, the book takes complex concepts of vocal acoustics and imparts practical tips and strategies that readers can use in their teaching and singing. Unlike many other singing texts, this book focuses on the knowledge and use of vocal acoustics as an especially powerful avenue for training vocal efficiency. Bozeman addresses topics including the relevance of perception of sound and sensation to singing, how theories of vocal resonance guide function, the pedagogic implications of tube acoustics, resonances and their interactions with harmonics, acoustic vocal registers and registration, effective passaggio training, the acoustics of belting, and acoustic technology useful for the studio.

Also included are vocal exercises implementing these concepts.

Kenneth Bozeman Emeritus Professor of Music, tenor, holds performance degrees from Baylor University and the University of Arizona and subsequently studied at the State Conservatory of Music in Munich on a Rotary fellowship. He taught at Lawrence University for 42 years, where he received two awards for excellent in teaching. He was awarded the Van Lawrence Fellowship by the Voice Foundation in 1994 for his interest in voice science and was inducted into the American Academy of Teachers of Singing in 2019. He received the New CCM Vocal Pedagogy Institute's Lifetime Achievement Award in 2024.He is on the editorial boards of the Journal of Singing and the Journal of Voice. His former students have sung with the Houston Grand, Boston Lyric, Opera Colorado, Washington, Wolf Trap, Seattle, Deutsche Oper Berlin,San Francisco, New York City Opera, Malmö Opera, the Metropolitan, and Santa Fe Opera.

Aramat Arnheim-Sharon is a well-known vocologist and voice instructor in Israel. She is the author of ‘LEV – Learn to Evaluate Voice’ and the founder of the Israeli Voice Association (an organization for voice professionals from the medical fields and the arts).

Aramat is one of the first 14 recognized vocologists (PAVA-RV) by the Pan American Vocology Association (PAVA) in 2022 and graduated from the National Center for Voice and Speech, Utah (NCVS) in 2015. She holds diplomas from multiple vocal techniques (SLS, IVA, Estill). She developed teacher training programmes for some of the organizations she served and for her own community – LEV course (Learn to Evaluate Voice).

Aramat has presented at voice events in the USA, UK and Canada (PAVA, Voice Foundation, European Laryngological Society, ViP) and has produced local and international events, both online and in-person, for singers and voice professionals.

Aramat’s main styles of teaching include Contemporary Commercial Music (CCM) and Musical Theatre (MT). She is known for her empowering and welcoming approach, but is committed to science, research and excellence both for her students and for herself.

Among many collaborations, she established the PAVA chapter in Israel, where she was Education Director for three years, and she is an active board member for Vocology in Practice (ViP). This is after a couple of years representing the Institute for Vocal Advancement (IVA) and she still holds the highest level of certification for Speech Level Singing (SLS) in Israel. Aramat has also trained in various courses of different methods such as Estill, Laryngeal Manipulation and many more.

As a young singer, she performed in a lead role of a community production of Bastien & Bastiena (Mozart), while later she performed in Europe in choir competitions with the Tel Aviv Conservatory ‘Bat-Kol' Choir, winning first place. Her first solo and original mini album was released in 2008, after which she performed in many clubs.

Aramat continues to create music, be it for original theatre productions or simply performing in festivals (FBMC, Akko). Though her main focus has been on science and multidisciplinary collaborations in recent years, that knowledge only strengthens her sensitivity, passion and the emotional aspect of learning and encouraging positive vocal training for her clients.

Amir Bahador began his journey in classical singing at the age of 26, when he first joined a choir and discovered his deep interest in vocal music. In the absence of academic programs in classical singing or voice pedagogy in his home country, he was driven to build his knowledge independently. Over the years, he studied books by renowned pedagogues from different fields, such as Richard Miller and Kenneth Bozeman, and explored scientific approaches to singing. During the pandemic, he also completed a few online courses to deepen his understanding and refine his teaching.

Today, Amir Bahador works as a voice teacher with a growing number of students and emerging voice teachers who are passionate about Western classical singing in Iran. Despite the multi-dimensional restrictions on classical singing, he has tried to play his role in nurturing a small but determined community, and he remains committed to advocating for the right to sing for everyone.

Amir Bahador also founded the Hooran Vocal Ensembles to preserve that right and to create collaborative and educational spaces for singers to perform and grow. He regularly organizes recitals where Iranian singers can gain stage experience and connect with supportive audiences.

Amir Bahador continues to study, teach, and work toward a future where access to quality vocal education in Iran is no longer a privilege, but a possibility for all