QUESTIONS ABOUT MEMBERSHIP

Who joins the VocalScope Book Club?

Current members include: Heads of Faculty at Full Time Performing Arts Training Colleges, Vocal Coaches working on major TV shows, Vocal Coaches and Singing Teachers who work with recording artists and West End pro performers, Singing Teachers to children and adult amateur singers and hobby singers, Choir Leaders,  Directors of Theatre Schools as well as specialists in children's voices, specialists in early music, folk singing, classical singing, rock and pop singing, musical theatre... we are a vibrant and eclectic bunch and ALL are welcome!

What is the current Membership Fee? 

Membership is currently £25 per month and although membership fees may rise (and have risen), the price you join at will remain the price you pay for the lifetime of your membership. 

Is membership to the VocalScope Book Club Tax deductible?

You BET! If you work with the voice in any way it's a win-win no brainer!

What does my Book Club Membership give me?

- Access to the VocalScope Hub

- Access to the VocalScope Book Club Facebook Group

- A monthly online Book Discussion event with Book Club Members about the book we have most recently read. 

- A monthly online Author Q&A with the Author of the Month where you can put your questions directly to the Author.

How long will my membership run?

Membership is a monthly recurring membership that lasts for as long as the Book Club runs or for as long as you choose to remain a member.

What if I want to cancel my membership?

I hope that you will gain so much value from your membership that you won't want to cancel. However, if you do wish to cancel for any reason, simply send me an email at [email protected] and I will cancel your membership immediately for you.

QUESTIONS ABOUT BOOKS

How often will we read a new book?

Usually every month. However, with larger books we can extend our reading time to 2 months.  

How are the Book Club Books chosen?

Members nominate and vote on titles in our Facebook Group, so you can personally impact our reading choices and make as many title suggestions as you wish. 

What types of books will we be reading?

Any book that helps to expand our knowledge and skill set is an appropriate nomination. The voice, performance and coaching worlds are our oyster!

Topics may include:

- voice technique

- singing technique

- performance technique

- training and practise genres (Musical Theatre, Classical, Young Voices, Mature Voices, Injured Voices, Choirs...)

- memoirs and autobiographies

- models and methods of voice training 

- neurology, science, research based texts

How often will book choices be announced?

My aim for 2022 is to have our reading list chosen two to three months in advance, giving plenty of time to purchase the books. This will also give us flexibility to read ahead if we choose.

Will the books we select also be available in kindle and audiobook format?

We will make the various formats available known to you in the selection process. Due to the nature of the topic these alternative formats may not always be available, but again you can vote for books which are.  

Do we buy our own books?

Yes. Because members have their own reading format preferences and live internationally, it makes sense for each member to buy their own books in their preferred format. 

What will the general price point of the books be?

Between £20 and £45 (a book with a larger price will often take two months to read so it works out to be a similar monthly spend - AND don't forget it's all tax deductible!). 

The group will be voting on the texts we choose so this is something that votes may be affected by. Where possible books may also be borrowed from other practitioners, obtained from the library, bought second hand from Amazon or e-bay. Where we can negotiate a discounted rate exclusively for VocalScope Book Club Members from Publishers or direct from Authors we aim to do so, though its becoming apparent that this is rare.

Where new members join the Book Club after a book you own has been read, you may well offer to sell it on previous Book Club titles to new members who wish to read previous Book Club titles if you are not wanting to keep the book.

What if I have previously read a Book Club choice?

This hasn't happened very much. However, there is huge benefit in re-reading to deepen your knowledge and members who have previously read a specific book have found they are in a better position to begin to collaborate with others to put together teaching strategies and tools to integrate our learning into our practise.

I will also be aiming to announce book choices three months in advance so you can always move on to the next book on our list if you wish.

How often will we have a discussion about the books we read?

We will have ongoing discussion within the Facebook group throughout the month we read, followed by a members Live Zoom discussion at the end of the month's read on the first Tuesday of the following month.

QUESTIONS ABOUT BOOK CLUB EVENTS

How often will we have BOOK DISCUSSION Event?

We hold the BOOK DISCUSSIONS on the first Tuesday of every month at  12pm (PST) 3pm (EST) 8pm (UK) on Zoom. 

How often will we have an Authors Q&A Event?

We hold the Author Q&A Event on the second Tuesday of every month at 12pm (PST) 3pm (EST) 8pm (UK)  on Zoom (a week after the Group Discussion) subject to the availability of the Author. 

If we choose to read a book by a deceased or unavailble Author we offer alternative events.

If I can't attend can I watch it back?

Yes. All Book Club Events are recorded for later viewing in the VocalScope Hub, and are available to you for as long as you are a member. If you are unable to attend an Author Q&A you can pop your question into the Facebook Group and we will ge tit answered for you to watch back later on playback.

What if I haven't finished the book by the time of the Group Discussion or Author Q&A?

The first thing to say is, we keep each other on track. We have a Diary function in the VocalScope Hub which allows you to sync not only our Book Club Events with your diary, but also Reading Milestones that help you to know which chapters you want to have read by each date. 

Because our book related events are actually held the first and second Tuesdays of the month AFTER we have been reading the book there is actually a couple of weeks extra to read a book which is sometimes REALLY useful! 

However, if you haven't completed the book by the time of these events (life happens!), you can still participate in and benefit from the group discussions and Q&A's. You also have on-going access to the recordings, so if you wish to revisit them once you have the finished the book that option is also available to you.

HOW TO JOIN  

Ready to join us? Doors are now OPEN!