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Kenneth W. Bozeman, Practical Vocal Acoustics: Pedagogic Applications for Teachers and Singers. Hillsdale, NY: Pendragon Press, 2013. Paper, xiv, 138 pp., $35.00 (DVD included). ISBN 978-1-57647-240-8 www. pendragonpress.com
For more than three decades, Kenneth Bozeman has contemplated and studied the relationship of singing and vocal acoustics. Bozeman, who is the Frank C. Shattuck Professor of Music at Lawrence University Conservatory of Music, encapsulates his observations in Practical Vocal Acoustics. The subtitle, Pedagogic Applications for Teachers and Singers, succinctly states the purpose of the volume: to summarize information gleaned from voice research that is useful to voice pedagogy in a way that is accessible to teachers and singers. Bozeman presents a methodic explanation of harmonics, formants, and how they interact to create resonance. After clearly elucidating the principles of voice acoustics, the author shows how this information can direct effective pedagogy.
The volume consists of sixteen brief chapters (the longest is a mere dozen pages) that lead from a general understanding of acoustics to specific exercises built upon the science. Bozeman begins with a primer on harmonics, fundamental frequency, and the components of voice acoustics. He explains that the voice consists of a source that produces a set of harmonics, and a resonator that selectively strengthens or weakens frequencies from the source. He compares the three theories of vocal resonance, and describes how resonance creates formants. Most importantly, he explicates how this information is critical to beautiful singing. The longer the vocal tract-which is the resonatorthe more formants are heard. As...