Overview

Brian Manternach examines the dynamic relationship of influence between teacher and student in the voice studio. Relating personal stories and formative experiences, the book is part pedagogical guide, part memoir, and part exploration of how vocal philosophies and practices evolve as they are passed from teacher to student. Part One introduces readers to noted voice professor Robert J. Harrison, exploring biographical elements that have formed how he thinks, what he believes, and how that has informed his life as an artist and as a teacher. Part Two examines Harrison’s teaching approaches, including tactics he used in the voice studio to address aspects of respiration, phonation, resonance, registration, and articulation. It also discusses how Harrison taught artistry, from how he defines his own musical tastes and sensibilities to how he taught communicative singing. Part Three presents the complicated idea of “legacy,” considering how we might remember teachers and their influence once their formal instruction has concluded. Manternach also considers how to contextualize the work of teachers from previous generations to fairly assess their contributions. Along the way, Manternach describes how he has been influenced by Harrison now that he is a teacher himself. He outlines areas of pedagogical agreement as well as disagreement and indicates how—through the educational chain of succession—some of Harrison’s practices are passed on practically verbatim while others have necessarily evolved in order to serve the current generation of students.

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Reviews

""In a profession in which, all too often, the ethos is ""what happens in my studio stays in my studio,"" this open-hearted offering by one of the most humane and articulate voice pedagogues writing today is a welcome addition to the voice pedagogy field. It should be savored by voice teachers across all categories and generations."" --Lynn Helding, Professor of Vocal Arts and Opera, Coordinator of Voice Pedagogy, University of Southern California; author of The Musician's Mind ""Brian Manternach's Voices of Influence is warm, insightful, and humble, seamlessly merging scholarship with storytelling. This book is both a heartfelt homage to his mentor and a broader celebration of the transformative power of teaching and those who help shape us as singers, teachers, and people."" --Errik M. Hood, Director of Vocal Performance, The Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development, New York University ""In Voices of Influence, Brian Manternach reveals that teaching singing is not just about imparting technique, but about forging connections, exchanging ideas, and nurturing curiosity, playfulness, exploration, and mutual inspiration. This book offers a deeply personal yet widely applicable philosophy of voice teaching-and a meaningful glimpse into the transformative power of the teacher-student relationship."" --Zipporah Peddle, Assistant Professor of Voice, Boston Conservatory at Berklee; Associate Editor, Journal of Singing

Author Information

Brian Manternach is an Associate Professor at the University of Utah’s Department of Theatre and a Research Associate at the Utah Center for Vocology, where he serves on the faculty of the Summer Vocology Institute. He is an Associate Editor of the Journal of Singing and a columnist for Classical Singer. His research, reviews, articles, and essays have appeared in numerous voice-related publications.

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