author
Millie Ryan
Best known for a practical early-20th-century guide to singing, this little-known writer spoke directly to beginners with clear, encouraging advice. Her work has lasted because it treats voice training as both an art and a discipline.
1 Audiobook
What Every Singer Should Know
by Millie Ryan
About the author
Millie Ryan is known for What Every Singer Should Know, a book first published in 1910. The book was written for beginners and people considering the study of voice culture, and it was later preserved by Project Gutenberg, which has helped keep her work available to modern readers.
Her writing is notably plainspoken and helpful rather than overly technical. In the book, she discusses questions aspiring singers often have, including training, practice, breath control, stage fright, and how to choose a teacher.
Very little confirmed biographical information about Ryan appears to be widely available from reliable public sources. What can be said with confidence is that her surviving work reflects substantial experience with singing and vocal study, and that it was meant to make musical training feel approachable.