Sigma Alpha Iota

Summer 2019 30 PAN PIPES SO YOU WANT TO SING MUSIC BY WOMEN by Matthew Hoch and Linda Lister Roman & Littlefield, 2019 As teachers, performers, conductors, music critics, and listeners, today's students will be the future for women in music. It is up to us, the educators and performers of today, to introduce this exciting new music to our students and the general public." Sharon Mabry's challenge in the forward of So You Want to Sing Music by Women by Matthew Hoch and Linda Lister provides an introduction to the advocacy that permeates this new volume. Part of the So You Want to Sing series through the National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS), it is one of only three books in the series that is not devoted to a specific genre. In the introduction, the authors state: "In addition to being a survey of the repertoire across all genres, it is also – and perhaps first and foremost – an advocacy book…." At the end of each chapter, there is a "Final Thoughts" section where the authors share their musings on the reasons that this work is important. There are also extensive notes following each chapter to provide further information and resources for research. As with other books in the series, an eighth note indicates online recordings and articles that one can access through the NATS website. Because the book is not about a specific genre of music, Hoch and Lister have covered women composers and songwriters in both classical and contemporary genres. The opening two chapters introduce a history of women composers and the challenges they faced. The authors recognize that this is a brief history and some composers will be left out. In keeping with the tone of the book, there are quotes and stories that remind us that although women composers are becoming more present in today's society, there is still a long way to go. The timeline in chapter 1 begins with ancient times and progresses through the modern era. Popular and world music, major award winners, all- women orchestras and women in academia are also mentioned. In chapter 2, challenges faced by women composers include family members, gender and race, and cultural views of women. In an interview with the New York Times in 1970 called "And Don't Call Them Lady Composers," composer Pauline Oliveros asked: "What critic of today speaks of a 'gentleman composer'?" Chapters 3-5 cover women composers in the classical vocal genres of art song, opera, and choral music, respectively. In these chapters, the authors divide composers in various ways, such as by time period, country of origin, and advocates. Amongst the information about many diverse women composers in these chapters, the authors also highlight one significant living American composer by providing a short interview with her. Significantly, the questions asked of these women are not only about their musical background and style, but also about the musical challenges that they may have faced as women composers and how they overcame them. It is telling when composer Rosephanye Powell notes: "A second hurdle that I have encountered is not being addressed as Dr. Powell….It occurs especially when my husband and I perform or serve together. I rarely, if ever, have heard anyone address him as Mr. Powell." Chapter 6, Experimental Music and Extended Techniques, not only covers women who wrote this type of music, but also significant performers whose vocal abilities influenced composers, like Jan DeGaetani and Phyllis Bryn-Julson. There is a short section on the definition of various vocal techniques used in experimental music, such as inhaled singing and multiphonics. In addition, there is a helpful section devoted to how one can approach singing this repertoire. In the artist profile for this chapter, Meredith Monk has noticed that she has sometimes been treated in a sexist manner, but she says: "I don't think of myself as a female composer but as a composer who happens to be a woman." Two contributing authors provided chapters 7 and 8, but have maintained the organization and advocacy of the previous chapters. In Chapter 7 on Music Theater, Erin Guinup reveals that many women composers of this genre were often forgotten or seem to have been erased from history. The opening story on Trude Rittman sets the stage for this argument. Amanda Wansa Morgan's chapter 8 on contemporary commercial music (CCM) styles has many genres to cover, including folk, rock, pop, R&B, rap, gospel, and more. She states: "This chapter is less about what music to examine and more about how to examine the female perspective on these musical works." She provides context for examining these works, including a focus on musical structure. She also acknowledges that this chapter focuses heavily on American women songwriters, but there are international women writing in popular genres who should also be explored. As with all books in the So You Want to Sing series, there are chapters on Singing and Voice Science, Vocal Health for Singers, and Using Audio Enhancement Technology. These three chapters are written by well-known experts in these fields: Scott McCoy, Dr. Wendy LeBorgne, and Matthew Edwards, respectively. These chapters are concise and informative. For classical singers and teachers, the audio enhancement chapter is particularly useful. The final two chapters are a call to action. Advocacy for Women Composers in Chapter 12 discusses why gender disparity in composition is important and what steps can be taken in order to change this dynamic. Composer Georgia Stitt reminds us that women make up half of the world's population and those voices should be represented. Hoch and Lister have created a list of ways to advocate for women composers, including programming their music, calling out organizations which fail to program women, and going beyond gender diversity. The chapter concludes with a big picture on advocacy for women: "Singing music by women allows us as singers to participate in the broader conversation about women, their contributions in the world, and the issues they care about." Music by Women: The Future (chapter 13) ends the book with a positive outlook: "The future of women in music shows promise REVIEWS

• Cover