When this book by Oren L. Brown showed up on my recommendations list, I eagerly read the description of it: Professor at Juilliard, hmmmm, that sounds good. It comes with a CD!! Wow, this might be just what I want. ... Eeek, that sounds like a lot, but I just have a hunch this is just what I'm looking for.

I feel very strongly that this was the best [money] I have ever spent. From the very first page, I was learning, learning. The book was jam-packed with valuable information that synthesized all the fragments of learning about the voice that had accumulated with me through the years. Some of my singing teachers, God Bless their souls, had exercised me and arpeggioed me but never had been quite clear what the heck they were doing. My voice seemed to grow and get better, and my understanding about how to use it seemed to improve, but the whole teaching and learning process seemed so mysterious. Maybe in taking the time to explain what was happening, physically and scientifically, it would have taken away from the exercising of my voice and no one could spend that instruction time. But after reading through this book (which I will re-read again and again) I feel I finally understand all that I and my teachers have been trying to accomplish through these years. I have a comprehensive overview of the voice, and feel confident that I will be able to avoid harming my voice with bad habits after reading through this information. I also am encouraged to know that some things I thought were my limitations can be improved by regular practice. All of my teachers told me I had to practice, but no one ever explained to me what to practice. This book provides exercises and gives you a firm direction and purpose to the practicing you'll be doing.

What I really love is the way the author has such a deep respect and regard and fascination for the human voice. He has analyzed what happens when we sing and has explored it physically, metaphysically, scientifically, artistically.

There was improvement in my singing just from being exposed to the concepts in the book.

I read the book first, before I listened to the CD. I had trouble finding time to listen with my children interrupting, etc., so I put it in my car and have been listening there. I was thrilled and overjoyed to hear the author's voice resonate over the Bose speakers in my car. His speaking voice is one of a person who loves voice. He uses his own speaking voice so richly and well. I knew I was in good hands. The exercises on the CD are demonstrated so clearly and beautifully by the singers, with Mr. Brown's comments and explanations. It is the closest I will come to being able to study with a real person at this time when I cannot get to a vocal instructor. I feel that I could not be in better hands.

In fact, after reading this book, I highly suspect that I know a lot more than many singing teachers do about the voice. I really feel that most of what a singer will need to know is contained in this book. I probably will venture out to some of the other hot authors, but I suspect I will find a mere repetition (in various forms or another) of the concepts outlined in this book .

66 of 70 found the following review helpful:


Discover Your Voice, by Oren L. Brown  Apr 29, 2000
Excellent book for any singer at any level. The techniques described in the book are based on the author's many years of experience in teaching singing at The Julliard School and in the field of voice therapy. The CD included the book fully illustrate proven methods of vocalization. If vocal control, agility, strength, stamina, and health are of importance, I highly recommend this work.

13 of 13 found the following review helpful:


A Great Read  Nov 01, 2005 By Dominique Gizelle "The Voice Teacher"
Wow, I really like this book! As a voice teacher and vocal coach of popular music, students frequently come to me with damaged voices in need of repair. Reading Mr. Brown's stories, I knew I found an author who shared my dedication to healthy singing. Orin L. Brown's warm and direct writing style conveys his true passion for healthy vocal use and his desire to share his great knowledge with both vocalists and teachers. This book is filled with descriptive stories that tell the tales of Mr. Brown's experiences with, discoveries of and solutions for ailing vocal students.

11 of 11 found the following review helpful:


The best explanation of how the voice works  Jan 20, 2007 By anon-new-yorker
Mr. Brown has written a powerfully informative book about all aspects of the voice. His book provides many interesting case studies, is very enjoyable to read, and includes factoids like "the Western and European singing style uses a low larynx." My one gripe is that the CD is not usable as a practice aid. Every exercise is demonstrated so briefly that you won't get a warm-up at all after singing along. If you don't have a piano, and you want to practice vocalizing at home with a piano recorded on a CD and exercises that methodically start on consecutive pitches, try the Jeffrey Allen book/CD set. That set includes techniques such as messa di voce, also demonstrated (more briefly) in Mr. Brown's CD.

10 of 10 found the following review helpful:


Excellent for beginners  Apr 03, 2006 By Violet
I have been wanting to teach myself to sing for several years, since I can't afford voice lessons, and have tried several books on the subject. This one is by far the best. I first tried books by William Vennard and Richard Miller and found that they were meant for advanced students, not beginners. There are other books for beginners, but they aren't usually meant for classical singing, more for pop (and I find that the authors don't really seem to have much of an understanding of the human voice). I don't know how he does it, but Brown manages to make normally difficult concepts easy to understand. Part of that is because of the CD that comes with it. It helps give a better understanding of what he's trying to explain. I would highly recommend this book for anyone trying to learn how to sing classically.

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