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
- The essays at the beginning provide context for the repertoire in the back, such as:
- Why is knowing the background of the composer important?
- Why is knowing historical information about the piece important?
- Why is it important to study a variety of materials from a variety of genres, cultural backgrounds and historical periods?
- 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.
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