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Season of Singing

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The holiday season is the season of singing, the time of year when vocal music is heard the most. Groups of singers go caroling, the local classical music radio station plays choral music, and there’s a wealth of choir concerts to choose from. Singing expresses the joys of the holiday season. Here in the NLS Music Section, our calendars are quickly filling up with concerts that we’re either performing in or attending. As a vocalist, I especially look forward to all of the opportunities to sing that the holiday season in particular brings. Perhaps you are doing some singing this holiday season or going to hear a choir in your community perform choral masterworks.

In this season of singing, if you feel inspired to break into song, the NLS Music Section has plenty to offer you. We have a substantial collection of audiobooks that provide singing instruction so that you can get in on the fun and sing with the choir. In the coming weeks, I’ll explore this rich part of our collection in three blog posts. For today, as Maria proclaims in The Sound of Music, “Let’s start at the very beginning, a very good place to start…”

To begin using your voice, I recommend the following audiobooks that will provide a foundation for healthy vocal production and technique. When you’re starting out, learning to breathe into your belly–not your chest or shoulders–is especially important, as is allowing your voice to flow in a smooth, connected stream of sound, rather than trying to push or control it. Breathe, relax, and sing. By practicing healthy techniques for breathing and vocal production, you’ll find that singing gets easier.

To borrow these books, you may access BARD or request a copy on digital cartridge by contacting the Music Section by phone at 1-800-424-8567, option 2, or e-mail [email protected].

In my next post we’ll look at the different directions you can take your singing with the NLS Music collection once you have the basics down. Until then, get out there and celebrate this season of singing!

Comments (2)

  1. These materials should be available to all, not to only those who qualify for BARD access.

    • Hello, Susan: As stated in this post, directly following the listing of materials, “To borrow these books, you may access BARD or request a copy on digital cartridge by contacting the Music Section.” All items listed in this post are available to check out on digital cartridge, and most of them are available on BARD as well. All of the Music Section’s talking books that are available on BARD are also available to check out on digital cartridge. Patrons may request that any of the Music Section’s talking books be mailed to them on digital cartridge by contacting the Music Section by phone (1-800-424-8567, option 2 for Music) or by e-mail ([email protected]). Thank you.

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