I have come to really appreciate the vocalize books, Vaccai, Concone, Lutgen, Sieber and the like. The simple little exercises, sometimes no more than eight bars long, can tell me so much about a student. I can quickly assess anything from who is still having trouble sight reading to who pulls off the breath when they make large interval leaps and everything in between. But, mostly what these little techniques books show me very quickly is who is willing to do the work even when it is deceptively simple and doesn't seem to make any sense. And that, my friends, is the difference between an OK singer and a great singer.
