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!!