Pecha Kucha on Teaching Music Through Performance in Choir, Vol. 1

Slide 1:

Teaching Music through Performance in Choir, Vol. 1

Split into two parts: Part 1: A series of essays by a variety of authors and Part 2: a repertoire resource guide, compiled by Heather J. Buchanan & Matthew W. Mehaffey

Part of a series of books “Teaching Music Through: Performance in Band (10 volumes), Performing Marches, Performance in Jazz, & Performance in Orchestra (3 volumes)”

Slide 2:

Heather J. Buchanan

-  An experienced choral director and music educator.

• Director of Choral Activities and Assistant Professor of Music at Montclair State University in New Jersey
• Certified Andover educator and also teaches Body Mapping
• A Ph. D Candidate with the University of New England (Australia) researching Body Mapping
• Degrees include BME from the Queensland Conservatorium of Music (Australia) and MM from Westminster Choir College of Rider University.

Slide 3:

Matthew W. Mehaffey

• Assistant Professor of Music and Director of Choral Activities at The George Washington University in Washington, D.C.
• Degrees: BME from Bucknell University, MM in Choral Conducting from Westminster Choir College, DMA in Choral Conducting and Historical Musicology from the University of Arizona.

Slide 4:

Does It Sing?

Joseph Flummerfelt

• Emphasis on the importance of knowing the meaning of what you are singing
• Students benefit from historical and theoretical context.
• Acknowledge that it doesn’t matter if everyone’s interpretation of a piece of music is the same, but “what is essential is that we constantly ask our musical imaginations to consider the meaning of each musical moment.”
• Music is meant to communicate, and choir leaders should avoid making “technical virtuosity” the only goal of performance.

Slide 5:

Does It Dance?

Weston H. Noble

• Stylistic Awareness from Polyphony to the Classical Period
• Touches on Melody, Dynamics & Tempo in each section (Polyphony, Baroque, Classical) but focuses largely on the Rhythmic aspects in each of these periods, particularly Baroque
• The author recounts a story where a man he knew once said to him “Well, all music must dance!” when talking about the rhythm of the music.

Slide 6:

Practical Performance Practice In The African American Slave Song

Anton E. Armstrong

• African American Slave Song or African American spiritual is often used in choral settings as an “entree” into the world of multi-culture music
• Discussion on characteristics of the music and performance practice issues such as understanding the dialect, unique rhythms and vocal timbre essential to correctly performing this music.

Slide 7:

Modern Music

Graeme Morton: 

• Encourages choral instructors to explore the world of “Modern music” and its importance in modern choral singing.
• “You are what you eat” vs. “You are what you sing” - choice of choral repertoire is important in determining what the choir is and how it will grow in the future.
• Offers suggestions on how to begin incorporating modern music into choral programs when we are not particularly comfortable with the genre and determine it to be “new and strange.”

Slide 8:

Meeting National Standards For Music Education Through Choral Performance

Frank Abrahams

• Discussion on the National Standards for Education in the US, provides a brief introduction and history on the standards.
• While not entirely relevant to us here in Canada, many of the standards match up with the outcomes found in our curriculum guides here in NL.
• Provides guidelines how to plan a choral rehearsal

Slide 9/10

Part II: Resource Guide Info

• A compiled list of repertoire covering all corners of choral music - familiar and unfamiliar, sacred and secular, a cappella and accompanied, ancient and modern, english and foreign language.
• Categorized into five levels based on musical demands
• Provided for each piece is some historical, biographical and analytical information
• Options for Mixed voices, treble voices and men’s voices
• Publisher information
• Technical and stylistic considerations

Slide 11:

Level 1

• Simple vocal lines
• Limited ranges
• Little to no chromaticism
• Straightforward Rhythms
• “Old Abram Brown” by Benjamin Britten

Slide 12: 

Level 2

• Moderately challenging phrases
• Brief forays into extreme ranges
• Basic dynamic range
• Basic diction challenges
• Modal passages
• Short passages of challenging rhythms
• “Savory, Sage, Rosemary, and Thyme” by Donald Patriquin

Slide 13:

Level 3

• Short passages requiring advanced vocal technique
• Long phrases requiring good breath control
• Wide range of languages
• Simply constructed mixed meter
• “He’s Gone Away” arr. Ron Nelson

Slide 14:

Level 4

• Extreme ranges
• Long phrases requiring excellent breath control
• Vocal lines requiring expressivity 
• Long vocal melismas
• Frequent chromaticism
• Challenging rhythmic passages
• Full compositions in mixed meter
• “Heaven-Haven (A Nun Takes the Veil)” by Samuel Barber

Slide 15:

Level 5

• Vocal maturity required
• Extreme ranges and tessituras
• Atonal passages and extreme dissonance
• Unresolved harmonies
• Complex rhythms
• Repertoire provides challenges for experienced ensembles
• “Ave verum corpus” by Francis Poulenc

Slide 16: 

The BEST parts about this resource

1. The essays at the beginning provide context for the repertoire in the back, such as:
1. Why is knowing the background of the composer important?
2. Why is knowing historical information about the piece important?
3. Why is it important to study a variety of materials from a variety of genres, cultural backgrounds and historical periods?
4. What elements of the national standards are present in the pieces I have chosen for my group?

Slide 17:

2) The repertoire guide contains a lot of really useful information that is specific to the pieces provided. Each piece comes with a guide on technical and stylistic considerations, as well as important musical elements and text translations where applicable. These guides would be useful during the preparation of a piece, but also would be helpful in helping directors choose repertoire that they feel would be appropriate for their group.

Slide 18:

3) There is an extensive bibliography in the back of the book that contains all kinds of resources on diction, language, choral music history, performance practice, rehearsal techniques and reference material.

Slide 19:

It would be worth it for the choral directors to invest in all three volumes of this book, as well as the other books in the “Teaching Music Through Performance” series if they plan on teaching instrumental music as well. I have had several teachers of various disciplines recommend this series to me, and I can see that it would be beneficial to have at your finger tips in a classroom, especially when trying to choose appropriate repertoire.

Slide 20:

Choral Net Dialogue - Choir Assignments

I found an interesting post in the forums section of the website. Here is the original post:

Hello!

I am a first year teacher and I'm looking for fun assignment ideas. I want my students to be doing more than just singing in my room, creating, collaborating, etc., but as a first year teacher I haven't quite figured out what works well and what doesn't. Just curious what some of you assign your students. I would love group project ideas as well as individual project ideas. Last year the teacher had them create a parody and they absolutely hated it and begged that I wouldn't make them do that this year - but I want them to work on something! Any ideas would be appreciated! Thank you! :)

Emily Ayres

6-12 Vocal Music Director

Beresford, SD 

I think this is a problem that a lot of music teachers encounter. How do you evaluate students without singling them out in class or finding enough material for a written test? 

A couple teachers said that they have their students write "mini-musicals." One said that she splits them into small groups of 4 or 5 and assigns them 3 of the pieces that they've sung throughout the year. She has them write their own musicals with a script, in which they have to perform at least a portion of the three pieces. She said that her students love it.

Another teacher had several really fun ideas that I thought would work really well with groups of any level. He said that he puts his students in teams and assigns them areas of town to put up promotional posters for their concerts. They have to talk to the manager of the stores they put them up in and they have to keep note of which businesses they go into. Then they have to take a "selfie" with the poster in the window of the store, and post it to the choir's Facebook page. I thought this was a really cool way to get students excited about being a member of a choir, and also show them what it takes to promote a musical group. This same teacher also said that he splits his choir up into Hogwarts Houses (Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, etc.) and they remain in the same house from year to year. He said that they have lots of competitions over the year and it really helps boost the motivation of the choir.

What do you guys think? What sorts of suggestions would you give to this teacher? Is it important that students enjoy the assignments you give them?

Vocal Warm-up Handout

Physical:

Diving Position (Exercise 16, #1)

Teaching Kids to Sing, Kenneth Phillips

Here we are going to mimic the stance of a diver getting ready to dive into a pool. Imagine you are standing on a diving board, with your legs relaxed, sternum elevated and eyes looking straight ahead. Hold out your arms so they are horizontal to the floor. Raise your body up on your toes, hold for a couple seconds, and then return the heels to the floor. Lower the arms to the sides, keeping the sternum high. Note how standing this way feels - this is how you should feel when you are standing ready to sing.

Breathing:

The Foul Shot (Exercise 18)

Teaching Kids to Sing, Kenneth Phillips

This time we’re going to imitate a basketball player making a shot. First, we’re going to bounce an imaginary ball. Relax the knees and inhale as you prepare for the shot. Shoot the ball, moving the torso and shooting arm forward and exhaling audibly. This upward motion will encourage air to be drawn from the diaphragm. 

Resonance: (with piano)

Unison movement (Exercise 53)

Teaching Kids to Sing, Kenneth Phillips

Alternate between vowel sounds “oo, oh, ah, eh, ee” as seen in example 9.13. Being the exercise on different notes. Be sure to keep the jaw open and the tongue forward. Work on making everything very legato. 

Diction: (with piano)

The Tip of the Tongue, the Teeth, the Lips

Tongue twisters are great exercises for diction. We will sing “the tip of the tongue, the teeth, the lips” on a sustained pitch, moving up the scale.

Flexibility: (with piano)

Bumblebee

Bumblebee is one of my favourite exercises so I decided to include it even though it has already been discussed in this class. I also like to do bumblebee on solfege syllables, which adds the extra challenge if you’re working on solfege with your choir. Hand symbols might be helpful.     

The Singing Network: International Symposium on Singing and Song

Thursday, October 2015
Session 1, Health and Wellness
Jane Gosine, Sophia Werden Abrams, Carol Beynon

This session talked about using choral singing as a means of music therapy. Dr. Gosine talked about a therapeutic choir that runs out of a children's hospice in the UK. The choir consists of children with disabilities and their families. Members of the choir reported that singing in the group allowed them to have fun in a social environment with families who understand their special circumstances and provide support for them. Having had a small amount of experience interacting with families of children with disabilities, I feel like I have a very small understanding of what a group like this can mean. This summer, I worked at a summer camp where young children with disabilities were given the opportunity to come to overnight camp with their parents. The parents got to interact one another in a safe environment, and I saw first hand the kind of impact that can have on families. I can easily see how singing in a choir would provide the same kind of relief and support.
Sophia talked about the benefits of singing in a senior church choir, and provided examples from choirs in the St. John's area. Carol Beynon discussed the intergenerational choral curriculum for seniors with Alzheimer's disease at Western University. They teamed up with a high school, and each week students would come in and sing in a choir with the Alzheimer's patients. Many benefits were observed. I'm excited to hear that a project like this might happen in St. John's!

Friday, October 2nd 2015

Session 2, Words and Gestures
Joel Katz, Melissa C. Brunkan

Joel Katz talked about music and memory. I found this really interesting as a pianist, because memory is something we deal with a lot. He talked about how a musician's memory differs from someone who is not a musician, and then how a singer's memory is different from other musicians. Melissa Brunkan talked about how gesture affects the voice. She studied the affects of two different gestures on the students in her voice studio (a low, circular arm motion and a finger point). What I found most interesting was that she studied the affect that these gestures had on the students' tuning. The finger point made students go drastically sharp, which was really interesting to me.

The Toronto Children's Chorus

The following is a choral review of the The Toronto Children's Chorus. Attached you will find a Prezi presentation as well as a handout. Information has been taken from the TCC website (www.torontochildrenschorus.com) as well as Wikipedia and iTunes.

Prezi:

http://prezi.com/bagpp2hl7vqh/?utm_campaign=share&utm_medium=copy

Handout:

The Toronto Children’s Chorus

Founded in 1978 by Jean Ashworth Bartle and based out of Toronto, Ontario, the Toronto Children’s Chorus comprises of over 300 members from the ages of 6 to 17.

Jean Ashworth Bartle:

• A Canadian teacher and chorister
• Holds ARCT’s in performance and teaching, as well as a Bachelor’s degree with Honours from the University of Toronto. She also studied at the Westminster Choir College in Princeton, New Jersey.
• The founder of the TCC, she stepped down in 2007 after 29 years as artistic director.

Elise Bradley:

• Took over as artistic director after Jean Ashworth Bartle stepped down. 
• From New Zealand, known internationally for her achievements in choral music.

Ensembles:

• Kindernotes - ages 3 - 6
• Preparatory Choir - Ages 6+
• Training Choirs I, II & III
• Main Choir
• Cantare
• Chorale
• Boys’ Choir
• Youth Choir

Repertoire Recommendations:

• Cantique de Jean Racine - Gabriel Faure
• From How Sweet The Sound
• Challenging piece for a young choir
• Provides opportunity to sing with an orchestral ensemble
• Enjoyable for both choristers and audiences
• City Called Heaven - arr. Josephine Poelinitz
• From Songs of the Lights
• Gospel piece
• Not a lot of popular gospel music in their repertoire
• A fun piece to sing
• Micma’q Honour Song - arr. Lydia Adams
• From Songs of the Lights
• A truly interesting piece - incorporates animals/nature sounds made by the chorus
• Lyrics in a native language
• I’se the B’y - Traditional NL Folk Song
• From My Heart Soars
• A fun little arrangement of a traditional tune!
• A good piece for young groups in Newfoundland because it’s something they already know but still provides a certain challenge

• Song of the Mira - Allistar MacGillivray
• From My Heart Soars
• Provides the opportunity for a soloist or multiple soloists
• A really pretty folk tune that will please singers and audiences

Other Recommendations:

• Check out the TCC website and take a look at their marketing strategies. The contact information is at the top of every page, and almost everything on the website is centred around either encouraging new members to join, advertising upcoming events and concerts, or showing potential sponsors the kinds of programs that their money will support. 
• www.torontochildrenschorus.com

Sing! Teacher's Guide, Teaching Students to Sing: Response

Comments/Observations:

1)

I have attached an excerpt from the book that I felt was really important, and that also reminded me of someone I know. I worked for a little while as a summer student in an industrial environment (trust me, not my personal forte). My coworkers were largely men, all of them tradesmen and most of them with little to no musical experience (to give you some context, a guy once asked me what "that man at the front of the choir wavin' his arms around" was doing). They often asked me questions about music, and I found it really interesting when they would tell me about their experiences with music growing up. The other students that I worked with also liked to sing, so we spent a lot of time around the workshop singing and dancing and listening to music. We used to tease the men a lot and ask them to sing with us. One of our coworkers, Joe, would always tell us (in a joking manner) "No, I can't sing. I got kicked out the choir in grade 3 and I haven't sung a note since!!" While I know Joe was joking, I think there was an ounce of truth to his story - it's amazing how one small comment like that can affect a person's musical confidence for the rest of his life!!

2) I also really liked when the author talked about how singing in a choir and learning proper vocal technique can build confidence. I once had a choir director who felt that they best way to find out if the choir knew the music was to have singers sing for him one on one, in his office, in a sort of "testing" situation. This was, predictably, a train-wreck. People often join choirs because they like to sing but don't like to sing alone, and the idea that they were being tested on their own individual singing ability made them self-conscious and worried. It builds confidence to know that, somewhere in that mass of beautiful sound is your own voice!!

Questions:

1) How do choral conductors handle dealing with boys with changing voices? There is a small section on that in this chapter, but logistically how do we make that work? If, for example, we are working in a junior high school, do we have sectionals so we can work on the boys voices alone? What do we do if there are some boys with changed voices and some in transition and some whose voices haven't even started changing yet? Also, how do we encourage boys to join choirs when they are already self-confident about the changes that are happening to their voices?

2) What are the three rules for singing "R"? I wish that had been explained a little more in the book.

Sing! Teacher's Guide
Doreen Rao
Intro, Chapters 1 & 2

Building Sequential Vocal Technique Skills through the Choral Warm-Up: Response

Comments/Observations:

1) I thought it was interesting that the author talked about putting the responsibility of vocal health in the hands of the singers, not the conductor. I liked how it was discussed that often singers assume "vocal irresponsibility" while singing in choirs, and that it's important for the conductor to indicate during the warm-up that it's up to the singers to maintain the healthy habits that they are taught during warm-ups throughout the entire rehearsal.

2) A quote that I liked from the reading was "Poor warm-ups lead to poor rehearsals." I have seen this to be true as a member of several choirs, and there are several things that come to mind right off the top of my head that constitute a "poor warm-up." Firstly, I would consider any warm-up that is done repeatedly over and over and over again a poor warm-up. If the warm-up is boring, then choristers already enter into a certain state of "vocal irresponsibility" from the very beginning - they don't care about the warm-up because they've done it 100 times, and so they don't even bother to work on it. I would also consider any warm-up where the conductor doesn't explain what part of the voice/body is being warmed up a poor warm-up. How are singers supposed to know what to feel or what things to look for if they don't know what they're supposed to be warming up?

Questions:

1) Is it really "impossible" to have a successful choral rehearsal without a warm-up?

2) What does singing "on the breath" and "off the breath" mean? The author talks about these things like they're really important, but never explains what exactly that means. Maybe this is something that singers are familiar with, but as a pianist these are not terms that I have ever heard before.

The School Choral Program: Philosophy, Planning, Organizing and Teaching
Michele Holt and James Jordan
Chapter 9

Vocal Development Parts 1 & 2: Response

Comments/Observations:

1) I thought it was interesting that the author mentioned that in order to be a good choral conductor, you don't actually have to be an amazing singer, though it is an asset. He mentioned that it is important to have a good understanding of the voice and to know how it works, but he said that it is not the most important that the conductor himself sings well. This is encouraging to me, because while I like to sing, I am not a "trained" singer. It is encouraging that this author believes that an understanding of the voice and the knowledge of how to train good singers is enough to successfully lead a choir. I also appreciated the part where he talked about how choral conductors should avail of private voice lessons. This, to me, says that even when you are the teacher, it never hurts to stop learning and developing your own abilities. 

2) I have never heard of a "vocal register" warm up, even though I have done them many times in many choirs. It's interesting to me that none of my past choral directors have used this term, or explained what it means. I think it would be valuable to choristers to understand this concept and the reasons behind the warm ups they are doing. Even just reading about it sort of changed the way I always thought about these warm ups.

Questions:

1) How do we encourage singers to maintain a healthy singing posture throughout the rehearsal? Is it beneficial to give singers designated breaks when they are allowed to sit back and relax? Will singers be more likely to maintain a good posture while singing if they know they will have time to relax later on?

2) The author spends some time talking about breathing from the diaphragm. I have heard lots of mixed information about talking to singers about the diaphragm. The author seems to think it's okay, whereas many people I have talked to say that you shouldn't tell people to "sing from the diaphragm," or that you shouldn't think about the diaphragm at all. What is the deal with the diaphragm?? Should we mention it or should we not? Does it have any affect at all in what happens with breathing? Would love some clarification on this subject!!!

Directing the Choral Music Program
Kenneth H Phillips
Chapters 13 and 14

Comprehensive Choral Music Education - Chapter 9, Response

Comments/Observations:

1) I liked the part about the importance of having a personal philosophy. It's not something I've ever thought of or really heard of but I think it's a great idea. I liked that the author talked about how a personal philosophy can help justify the importance of your program to parents and students, as well as guide the activities and work you choose to include in your program.

2) I liked the part about "comprehensive musicianship" because I think this is a part of my own personal philosophy. I think it's important that students are exposed to a wide variety of music, so as to develop an appreciation for many different genres. I know many people who think it's up to them to judge which music is "good music" and which is "bad," but I believe that all music is good for at least someone. Students should be taught that, while they may not *like* all kinds of music, they can at least be appreciated for what they are.

Questions

1) I'm wondering if when he talks about educating the consumer, does he mean that we should tell kids what kinds of music are "good" for them and what kinds are "bad"? Isn't that pretty subjective? Or is he just suggesting that a student who experiences lots of different kinds of music will be able to better make choices on what kinds of music they buy? And then, why does it matter what kinds of music the general public like, so long as they like it? Is he suggesting that by educating kids in music we are setting the future of the music industry up for bigger and better things by making consumers more educated and engaged listeners? This point was very interesting to me.

2. I'm wondering what it means exactly for education to be "aesthetic?" I always thought this word was a sort of visual thing, but after reading about it a lot it seems to mean a lot more than I thought. It says in this article that "comprehensive choral education" should be aesthetic. What does this mean?

Comprehensive Choral Music Education, John B. Hylton

Itay Talgam: Lead like the great conductors, TED Talk Response

This is one of my favourite TED Talks!! I've seen it before and I often recommend it to my friends to watch. I think it says a lot not only about what it means to be a great conductor, but also a great leader in general. I love how Mr. Talgam talks about how being a good conductor doesn't mean being intimidating and commanding, but rather working in partnership with the orchestra (and even the audience) to create a full experience. I really agree with the idea that a conductor (or any kind of leader) is most successful when he has faith in the work that his team has done, and he is confident enough in them that he can sit back and enjoy the end result. Mr. Talgam pointed out how, when the conductor sat back and let the soloists do their thing without him, it made the soloist feel proud of his accomplishments and independence in his part. I also really liked the idea that the conductor is not always there to simply give instructions, but rather to motivate and inspire the group to do their best. He said that you could see the music on the conductors face, and I think that is a great way to think about it. I think the last conductor he showed really embodied that - you could see the pride on his face. How could you ever play for him and not feel joyful??

Itay Talgam: Lead like the great conductors

Welcome!

Welcome to my blog! The purpose of this blog is to respond to readings and further class discussion.

My name is Hayley Hynes and I am from Labrador City! I'm a pianist and I have a BMus from the Memorial University of Newfoundland. I have sung in many choirs since I was a little girl, and I'm excited to learn more about choral music in schools!!