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Pocket Coach offers time-saving and cost-effective
practice CDs featuring diction steps spoken by native
speakers and piano or orchestral accompaniments, and
sheet muic or music books with literal translations
printed underneath the original non-English lyrics.
Pocket Coach practice CDs allow singers to learn
repertoire so
they can make the most of lessons or coaching
sessions. They also help singers make the best use
of travel time by learning repertoire with Pocket
Coach while on the go.
Pocket Coach
presents repertoire for the classical singer using the
following study-steps. Check the listing for each CD
to find the study steps featured on a particular
CD. These study steps help singers learn repertoire
efficiently, and correctly. Here are the study-steps
and how they work:
Recitation Step. The native speaker fluently
recites the words of the song or aria. This gives
the singer a sense of the flow of the language, and
a chance to learn the proper word stresses and the
general feeling of the language.
Repetition Step. The native speaker slowly
reads each phrase of the song or aria and then
pauses to allow the singer to repeat immediately
afterwards. This allows the singer to practice
pronouncing each phrase like a language CD. This
step quickly and efficiently teaches the mechanics
of a language, like pronunciation of correct vowel sounds and double
consonants, and builds the singer's confidence in
singing in a foreign language. This step can also be
used in memorizing a song by speaking each phrase
in the pause before the speaker, giving the singer
immediate feedback.
Diction Step. The non-English lyrics of the song or aria
are spoken in rhythm while the melody is played on a
separate channel by a flute. This helps the singer
fit the words to the melody. This step is often
used by professional coaches; it allows the singer
to quickly learn or fine-tune the pronunciation of
the lyrics.
Melody with Piano Accompaniment or Orchestral
Accompaniment. The melody is played on one of
the stereo channels while the piano or orchestral
accompaniment is played on the other channel. This
allows the singer to practice singing first with
just melody, then gradually adding more
accompaniment until the singer can sing with the
accompaniment channel alone, using the balance
control on a stereo system.
Translation. A literal word-for-word
translation is given to help the singer develop his
or her own personal interpretation of the song or
aria. When knowing the meaning of each word, the
singer can more effectively communicate with the
audience. In the music books, literal translations
are printed underneath the non-English lyrics. For
both the complete Italian Art Song and German Lieder
series, a translation booklet is provided. For the
Gold Label Performance Series orchestral aria
collections and single aria CDs, literal
translations are printed on the back of the CD insert card.