Disney Songs for Singers is a nice mix of songs from the older Disney shows (like Snow White and Cinderella) and what I consider to be more contemporary shows (like Toy Story and Beauty and the Beast--in other words, things that came out when I was an adult). It also comes in High and Low keys so I can find the best match for each student. This accompaniments are often different from the ones you see if vocal selections books or other musical theatre collections, and they require a little more independence on the singer's part since the melody is not always doubled in the accompaniment.
Ready to Sing...Broadway, like other books in the Ready to Sing series, comes with song sheets for the students. If a student wants to perform their song anywhere besides my studio class and recitals, I will ask them to buy the book so they own the accompaniment too. My favorite song in this collection is "Hushabye Mountain" from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.
Kids' Musical Theatre Collection vol. 1 and 2 have been popular collections for my younger students. They include familiar Disney tunes, plus several lesser known musical theatre selections for younger students. They also include a few Sesame Street favorites like "Sing" and "I Don't Want to Live on the Moon". Books come with accompaniment CDs and since the melody is almost always in the accompaniment in the songs in this book, students are able to quickly and easily learn songs on their own.
Broadway Songs for Kids includes some of the same songs as the collections already discussed, but also has some great songs like "Born to Entertain" and "The Lonely Goatherd". This book is available with or without CDs.
The Young Women's Edition and the Young Men's Edition of The Teen's Musical Theatre Collection are probably the books I recommend most for my youngest high school singers. They contain some high songs and song low songs, and some songs that are right in the middle. There is also a wide range of styles shown including a few Disney songs, and even some Gilbert and Sullivan in the men's book.
I was introduced to Musical Theatre Anthology for Teens by a student who had it from previous study. Like The Teen's Musical Theatre Collection, this has a wide variety of songs, but probably includes more songs that students are not familiar with already. This book also comes in Young Men's and Young Women's editions with or without CDs.
I do not yet own the Young Men's edition of Broadway for Teens, but I've had several students that really like the Young Women's Edition. It leans a little more toward the belty side of musical theatre though, so I'm careful which students I have get this. One of my favorite songs in this book is "Sally's Song" which I haven't seen in other collections.
I don't use the First Book of Broadway Solos as much as I used to simply because there are so many good options now. Overall, I really like the songs in these books. Often they are in different keys than in the original scores or even the vocal selections for that show. Boytim chose the keys to more closely fit the classical definitions of these voice categories. For some students, these are better keys. Although there are a few songs in these that could be belted, most are legit and Boytim's intent was to use these with classical voice students.
I have not purchased the First Book of Broadway Solos Part II series because I own most of the songs in other collections and I can't buy everything (although I sure try). However, I would not have an issue with working from these if a student brought one in. I might also send a student to get one if he or she likes most of the songs in the book.
I've loved all the volumes of The Singer's Musical Theatre Anthology, so I was excited to see The Singer's Musical Theatre Anthology Teen Edition, which is basically a "best of" book designed for teens. Most if not all of these songs are in other SMTA volumes, but these are the ones that really work well with teens. I've actually been using this book more lately, probably because it is the newest for me. I will still send students to buy another SMTA volume on occasion, but this is a great place to begin for most students. Almost all of the songs are in original settings and keys, but some have been adapted for easier use by young singers. Like the other SMTA books, these also include a little background on the show.
Great American Songwriters for Solo Singers, Love Songs for Solo Singers, and Standards for Solo Singers are three books from Jay Althouse that I've been using with students that love the big band/jazz sound but don't really know enough yet to improv a lot on their own. Although these books come in medium high and medium low keys, I've just used the medium low books because I think these songs sound better lower.
We have two more posts before we wrap up this series. One will include the books I have in my lending library but don't often have students purchase. The other post will cover cheaper ways to get music, including octavo and sheet music options.
No comments:
Post a Comment