A book that I really like is "The Structure of Singing" by Richard Miller.  It is hard to find as it is out of print.  You can probably get a second hand copy like i did from the ineternet.  However, he has written other vocal pedagogy books that are still in print.

I do really like the Miller text, but it can be a little too austere for students who aren't preparing to teach singing quite yet. I rather like "Singing With Mind, Body, and Soul" by Betty Jeane Chipman. It is a very easy to read text with lots of narrative as well as techniques to develop important skills. Take a look and see if it works for you:

 

http://www.amazon.com/Singing-Mind-Body-Soul-Practical/dp/1604940891

I used this unique step by step text for years and years--it was revised in 2000:

Royal Stanton, Steps to Singing for Voice Classes

http://www.amazon.com/Steps-Singing-Voice-Classes-Stanton/dp/1577661354/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1298553633&sr=1-1

 

Then I published this method showing how to get anybody to sing, beginner to advanced:

Alan Gumm, Making More Sense of How to Sing: Multisensory Techniques for Voice Lessons and Choir Rehearsals

http://www.amazon.com/Making-More-Sense-How-Sing/dp/1574631527/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1298553592&sr=8-1

 

 

Two books that I reach for again and again are "Basics of Singing" by Jan Schmidt and Heidi Counsel Schmidt (Thomson-Schirmer) and "Simply Singing" by Hedley Nosworthy (also Thomson-Schirmer).  (I teach studio voice to high school, college, and adult singers.)  Both have excellent chapters on vocal technique, excellent and accessible text on the physical mechanics of singing, and some fun and challenging vocal exercises.  Both are available with accompaniment CD's, and Simply Singing also comes with an excellent CD of the vocal exercises from the book and foreign language diction for the foreign songs (although I am not particularly enamored of Prof. Nosworthy's vocal timbre).  The variety of songs in "Basics of Singing" is especially good, and it has several wonderful arrangements of pieces I've not seen elsewhere.  While these books are not inexpensive (Basics of Singing with the 2 accompaniment CD's runs around $100), they are well worth the price.  I have found the vocal exercises from both books to be wonderful in helping students develop a solid foundation in vocal technique. 

 

 

You can probably get a review copy of both books from the Thomson-Schirmer website or their textbook representative.

 

I realize that this may be a bit late to help you with your class this summer, but I can highly recommend both of these texts, and hope that it might be helpful to other teachers looking for similar material in the future.
 

Sincerely,

Heather Batey

Birmingham, AL

I use Power Performance for Singers: Transcending the Barriers by Shirlee Emmons and Alma Thomas.

 

 

You might try:

The Diagnosis and Correction of Vocal Faults: a manual for teachers of singing & for choir directors by James C. McKinney. It is clear and complete.

Richard Miller's Solutions for Singers: Tools for Performers and teachers is also very helpful

 

James Olesen

The Orpheus Singers

 

 

I like "Functional Lessons in Singing" (Ivan Trussler and Walter Ehret) - esp. for the diagrams and technique/biology explanations in the beginning.  Also good choices of songs to apply exercises and technique.

"Expressive Singing" by Van Christy is good for the same reasons, and also has a great chapter on vocal health - so necessary these days.

 

"You, the Singer" by Barbara Harlow is a great book - professionally-focused on excellence while at the same time being fun.  It's designed to relate well to all types of singers, regardless of background or goal.

 

If your class is not too large, you might consider purchasing 2 or 3 different ones and the students can take notes and share ideas/knowledge. 

 

Best Wishes - I'll be interested in what worked well for you.

--Lucy