Brenda Smith

With the recent transition of Matthew Hoch to editor in chief of the Journal of Singing, NATS has appointed longtime member and author Brenda Smith as chair of the NATS Books program editorial board. 

Smith is a respected teacher and writer, best known to many NATS members as the author of So You Want to Sing for a Lifetime. Published in 2018, the book provides a long view of healthy singing from childhood through late adulthood.

“Brenda brings great experience and perspective to this role,” said Allen Henderson, NATS executive director. “She knows our profession well and has made significant contributions over the years, including through her own publications. We’re confident she will help guide the editorial board and continue advancing the mission of the NATS Books program.”

The NATS Books Program launched in 2022 as a copublishing agreement Rowman & Littlefield, which joined Bloomsbury in 2024. It builds on the prior success of the So You Want to Sing series, a 20-volume collection developed by NATS and R&L. The NATS Books program combines the expertise and authority of NATS in the professional field with an established commercial publisher that also offers a global marketing and distribution network.

Smith will collaborate with the editorial board and Michael Tan, acquisitions editor at Bloomsbury, on future titles. The editorial board includes fellow scholars and educators from a wide variety of disciplines and experiences. These individuals steer the direction of the partnership, establish a vision, and develop forthcoming titles.

“I was extremely honored to be asked to follow Matthew Hoch as the editor of the NATS Book program,” Smith said. “Matt has a proven track record of excellence and has created a varied library of timely, meaningful resources. It is my hope that the NATS Book program will continue to integrate historical vocal pedagogy, voice science, with current best practices that include all musical genres and benefit teachers and singers of all ages. I am delighted to work with the editorial board and prospective authors to create publications of timeless value that reflect the finest our profession can offer.”

Published titles include:

• Practical Vocal Acoustics: Pedagogic Applications for Teachers and Singers by Kenneth Bozeman (2022)
• Functional Unity of the Singing Voice, Second Edition Expanded by Barbara Doscher, with a new introduction by John Nix (2023)
• Trauma and the Voice: A Guide for Singers, Teachers, and Other Practitioners by Jaworski Koriath (2023)
• The Singing Book, 4th Edition by Cynthia Vaughn and Meribeth Dayme, edited by Matthew Hoch (2024)
• Unlocking Meaning in Art Song: The Singer’s Guide to Practical Analysis Using Schubert Songs by Beverly Stein (2024)

Forthcoming titles include:

• Voices of Influence: Exploring the Journey of a Teacher and Student in the Voice Studio by Brian Manternach (2025)
• Student-Centered Voice Pedagogy: Working with Students toward Developing Artistry, Authenticity, and Autonomy edited by Jeanne Goffi-Fynn and Matthew Hoch (2025)
• Everyday Voice Care: The Wellness Guide for Singers, Actors, and Talkers, Second Edition by Joanna Cazden (2025)
• Practical Vocal Acoustics: Pedagogic Applications for Teachers and Singers by Kenneth W. Bozeman (2025)
• The Art of Vocology: Practicing Science-Informed Voice Pedagogy by Lynn Helding (2026)

Individuals interested in submitting a NATS Books proposal can find guidelines on the NATS website. Prospective authors also may contact Brenda Smith and Michael Tan for more information.

Discount available — use code: NATSBOOKS30 at Bloomsbury for 30% off individual titles.

About Brenda Smith

Dr. Brenda Smith, DMA, a lyric soprano, teaches studio voice, singer’s diction, and vocal pedagogy at the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida. She is widely recognized for her contributions to the concept of lifelong singing through proper voice care. In 2022, Smith and her husband, Ronald Burrichter, co-authored Class Voice: Fundamental Skills for Lifelong Singing, a textbook for training voice in group settings. Smith is the author of Diction in Context: Singing in English, Italian, German and French (Plural, 2020) and So You Want to Sing for a Lifetime: A Guide for Performers, a publication sponsored by the National Association of Teachers of Singing (Rowman & Littlefield, 2018). Smith and Robert T. Sataloff have collaborated on a variety of projects to promote vocal health through choral singing. They are the co-authors of two textbooks, Choral Pedagogy, 3rd ed. and Choral Pedagogy and the Older Singer that unite voice science, vocal pedagogy with choral conducting. (Plural, 2013/2012). Smith serves on the editorial board of the Journal of Voice and is a consulting editor for Plural Publishing. In recognition of demonstrated excellence in teaching and her interest in voice science, Smith received the Van L. Lawrence Fellowship in 2000, presented by the Voice Foundation and NATS. Smith holds degrees from Westminster Choir College and the University of Maryland and has done additional training at the Hochschule für Kirchenmusik-Herford and the Hochschule für Musik und darstellende Kunst-Hamburg, in Germany. She translated the writings of Wilhelm Ehmann and Frauke Haasemann including Voice Building for Choirs (Hinshaw, 1980). Before joining the University of Florida faculty, she taught at Westminster Choir College, Dickinson College and Rowan University.