With a "sing first, talk later" philosophy encouraging beginning students to sing without judgment or criticism, The Singing Book opens the door to learning repertoire and the more technical aspects of the voice. A three-part structure begins with motivational chapters and imaginative exercises focusing on basic technique, then offers a wide-ranging repertoire including improvisations, world songs and hymns, music from shows and films, popular songs, jazz standards, duets, art songs, and arias. Part Three thoroughly explains how the voice works and how to develop healthy technique.Designed for all skill levels and voice types, The Singing Book includes an anthology of over 70 songs, many brand new to this edition and all chosen specifically for the beginning singer. A 2-CD set recorded in split-track format provides melody and rhythm on one channel and accompaniments on the other for all selections, with additional keys available on the Student Web site. The unique CD resource provides accompaniments for all songs in the anthology, recorded in a split-track format that allows students to practice with the rhythm and melody enhanced, and then with just the accompaniments alone. Stereos without balance controls will play both tracks simultaneously. The text's appendices feature a new quiz for students to test their Singing IQs, methods for preparing song texts, extra warm-ups and exercises, a guide to the International Phonetic Alphabet, a brief primer on reading music, and a bibliography and list of online resources.