Popular Singing and Style

Donna Soto-Morettini has been auditioning and training performers for over two decades. She has served as Director of Drama for the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama, Head of Acting and Dance for Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts, and Head of Acting at the Central School of Speech and Drama. She also has extensive television experience, having worked as a Casting Director and Performance Coach for How Do You Solve a Problem like Maria, Any Dream Will Do, I'd Do Anything, and Over the Rainbow for BBC; as Performance Coach for ITV's Pop Star to Opera Star and as Casting Director for BBC's The Voice.

With Popular Singing and Style, 2nd Edition, Donna Soto-Morettini offers readers a veritable encyclopedia. It is a book written for singers, but is an essential reference for anyone who may be interested in vocal function and application. The plethora of exercises, recordings, performances, artists, and songs cited is almost overwhelming in one book. The accompanying website and its extensive collection of samples act as an essential companion to complete the experience. The reader is addressed with frank clarity and a touch of humor, which facilitates a happily uncomplicated experience of digesting the wealth of information presented … This book is capable of being used over time, and referred to at different stages in a singer’s process. Upon completion of the introduction, the reader can feel comfortable and in good hands for the journey, however they decide to embark on it … Soto-Morettini has delivered an invaluable resource for music lovers of all types.

• AcknowledgementsPreface to the Second EditionIntroduction1. Cultivating Style2. Anatomy and Sound3. The Complementary Elements of Style4. Blues, Gospel, Jazz and What Came After5. Practice, Performance, Artistry and Finding Your Own StyleAppendix AIndex