Conscious Singing and Teaching

This compact workbook for singing teachers, students of singing, and singers offers a comprehensive summary of classical voice training, based on the voice-training qualities of German speech sounds (with IPA symbols).
The rich store of vocal exercises from the teachings of the renowned German pedagogue Franziska Martienßen-Lohmann (1887–1971) is systematically organized according to the three functional areas of the voice – stimulation of phonation, voice production, shaping of sound. The clear layout also makes it possible to find exercises for specific tasks. The book will help students of singing find ways to practice on their own. Experienced singers and teachers of singing will find here ideas for structuring and expanding their own repertoire of vocal exercises.

“This is the book I’ve been hoping for for many years! I studied for a while with Elisabeth Grümmer, who studied with Franziska Martienßen-Lohmann, the great German singing teacher of the 20th century. Her teaching was rooted in bel canto and the then new knowledge of vocal physiology, but also infused with her love of language and use of the imagination. Imagining the sound you want to make before the voice is heard was one of her main concepts, before the scientists ever discovered prephonatory tuning. The book is only available in German at the moment, but feelers have been put out to an English publisher. I recognize many exercises in this book that I learnt from Grümmer and still use today in my own teaching. The descriptions are clear, with step by step tips for their execution. This is a book that many will want to possess!”

Prof. Eleanor Forbes | Berlin