Framing the “Vocal Traditions” Series

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Disclosure Statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1. Certainly, other books and articles have examined different vocal pedagogy programs, but the goal of this series was to be systematic in the approach and broad in historical scope.

2. This article series focuses exclusively on English-speaking vocal training traditions in the performing arts. The discipline of voice pedagogy has roots and branches beyond the English-speaking world and beyond voice training in the performing arts. (See Sansom 2019a for wider resources.) Although pedagogies for many types of voice training certainly exist in a robust fashion beyond the English-speaking world, they are outside the scope of this article series. Moreover, this series is not exhaustive; there are other training programs and traditions. My goal was to capture as many as I could. Over the years, I made several attempts to have articles from various organizations that are not included, but for a variety of reasons, an article never materialized. And I simply may not have known about other programs. My hope is that this series continues beyond my tenure with the VSR to grow the series in perpetuity.

3. The article authors use the terms method, methodology, technique, approach, and tradition in varying ways. Anecdotally, I find that “method” tends to refer to a complete training system, whereas “technique” tends to refer to a body of exercises or a central concept. Nevertheless, I allowed authors the opportunity to define these terms as they see fit.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Rockford Sansom

Rockford Sansom, PhD, is an Assistant Professor of Voice at Louisiana State University and the voice coach of LSU’s resident Equity theatre, Swine Palace. As a coach, he has worked with actors Off-Broadway and in regional theatre, Fortune 500 executives, UN delegates, and members of the US Congress. He holds a PhD in education (Capella University), an MFA in theatre (University of Central Florida), and voice certifications from Fitzmaurice, Knight-Thompson, and Estill (Master Trainer). As an actor, he performed Off-Broadway, regionally, and in international and national tours. He is the Editor of the Voice and Speech Review and the editor of the book The History of Voice Pedagogy. Member, AEA, SAG-AFTRA.