MS Choral Presentation FINAL

Middle School Choral Pedagogy & Reading Session by Dr. Mirna Y. Cabrera [email protected] Beautiful Tone • Developing a beautiful choral sound takes time. • Start with head voice, descending 5-note pentachord. • Unify ensemble sound to attain tuneful singing, using free and open vowels from all singers. o Use pure vowel sounds. • Unify a) vowels, b) volume, c) vibrato (if present). In-tune singing principles • Identify instances when notes are most likely to go out of tune: o a) repeated notes o b) sustained notes o c) descending patterns. • Practice with a UNISON a cappella piece learned by rote with text, then solfege by discovery, then score. Add ostinati as part singing and for tuning purposes. UNISON piece in solfege by rote, a cappella, then score. Add ostinati as part singing and for tuning purposes. Directing • “Follow me” – All things are prepared in live music performance; each performance is slightly different from previous or future ones. As directors, our duty is to create organic performances where we get to influence our groups’ musical interpretation. In order to avoid a carefully-prepared choreographed performance (in opposition to an organic one), teach singers to understand that our gestures are meaningful and must be learned to follow. • By preparing the following elements, among others, we can create beautiful and meaningful performances. o Breath o Entries o Cut-offs o Dynamics o Tempo changes o Character changes/transitions o Rhythmic subtleties • Ultimately, our personal musicianship will carry us as we lead our groups. o Establish tempo before starting a piece, by hearing it first in your head. • TCD: Prepatory beat shows Tempo, Character, Dynamics. o Give one full beat only when bringing in a group together to sing (partial beat entries require we show the previous full beat). All must breathe together and learn to discern a director’s non-verbal cues. o Practice this until mastered. • Cut offs – create a point of intersection of two non-parallel fields, cutting off in character. Avoid circle cut-offs—a circle has no beginning nor end. Musicianship – Passing on the Gift • Passing on the gift of musicianship and music literacy should be thought as an investment in your group and one at large. It requires time but bears endless fruit. • In the beginning, all groups can be treated as older beginners of musicianship. o If they are advanced, they can progress immediately through the tonal and rhythmic elements and treat the older beginner lesson as review. Middle School Choral Pedagogy & Reading Session, Dr. Mirna Y. Cabrera 1 o If they are less experienced, they will need more time to master each of the elements, while gradually progressing. • Training our singers’ musicianship and developing their listening skills will develop their inner ear and ultimately, music reading readiness and musical independence. o Gradually breaking down a score as much as possible before handing it to them, will guarantee a successful first read, later allowing more time to master all the other musical elements. • Vowel unification is essential at all times, and part of musicianship and tuning. o Teaching singers the vowel placement principles of the five pure vowels must be paired with close monitoring of improvements and challenges in every rehearsal. • Selecting appropriate and high-quality repertoire is essential to each singer’s musical education, emotional development, and furthering of their technique. Folk song arrangements are preferable for beginning repertoire since their melodies have been a) o o Teaching singerso Teaching the vowel singers placement the vowel principles placement of the principles five pure of vowels the five must pure be vowels paired mustwith be paired with composed through closeoral intergenerational monitoringclose of improvementsmonitoring tradition, b)of areimprovementsand a challengesfamiliar element andin every challenges to rehearsal.the culture in every rehearsal. surrounding us, and c) stood the test of time. • Selecting appropriate• Selecting and appropriate high-quality and repertoire high-quality is essential repertoire to each is essential singer’s to musical each singer’s education, musical education, Folk repertoire can serve as vehicles to mastery of art music, including world music repertoire. o emotional development,emotional and development, furthering andof their furthe technique.ring of their technique. o Use pop/Disney music sparingly. o Folk song arrangementso Folk song are arrangements preferable forare beginningpreferable repertoirefor beginning since repertoire their melodies since theirhave melodiesbeen have been • Pitching warm-ups in highera) keyscomposed will expand througha) composed singers’ oral intergenerational throughrange and oral help intergenerational tradition,them shift b) smoothly are tradition, a familiar into b) mixed element are a familiar to the elementculture to the culture resonance. surrounding us,surrounding and c) stood us, the and test c) of stood time. the test of time. If someone does not match at first, stick to this plan and they will eventually find their upper o • Pitching warm• -Pitchingups in higher warm keys-ups willin higher expand keys singers’ will expand range. singers’ range. range just by matching the group—group effort is a powerful tool. o If someoneo does If notsomeone match does at first, not stickmatch to at this first, plan stick and to they this will plan eventually and they will find eventually their upper find their upper Musicianship – Solfege Discovery through Warm-ups range just by matchingrange just the by group matching—group the effortgroup —is groupa powerful effort tool. is a powerful tool. • Vocal warm-upsMusicianship using do pentatonic Musicianship– Solfege scale Discovery tones – Solfege. through Discovery Warm through-ups Warm-ups m-r-d pattern on ‘oo’, preferably start in a higher key to develop range (E=do, ascend by whole o • Vocal warm• -upsVocal using warm do-pentatonic-ups using scaledo-pentatonic tones. scale tones. step). Have students show melodic contour by moving hands according to pattern. o m-r-d patterno onm -‘oo’,r-d pattern preferably on ‘oo’, start preferably in a higher start key in to a develop higher keyrange to (developE=do, ascend range (byE=do, ascend by § Students can show melodic contour by moving hands according to pattern. whole step). Havewhole students step). showHave melodicstudents contourshow melodic by mov contouring hands by accordingmoving hands to pattern according. to pattern. o Ask: “How is this musical pattern moving?” (down). “Are the notes close to each other or do you o Ask: “Howo is thisAsk: musical “How ispattern this musical moving?” pattern (down). moving?” “Are the (down). notes “Areclose theto eachnotes other close or to do each other or do hear skips?” (Close to each other. Label them as ‘moving by step’). T labels the tones + Curwen you hear skips?”you (Close hear skips?”to each (Closeother. Label to each them other. as ‘movingLabel them by asstep’). ‘moving T labels by step’). the tones T labels + the tones + hand signs (mrd), Sts sing back. Write tones on tone ladder on board, point to ladder on each set. hand signs (mrdhand), Sts signs sing (back.mrd), WriteSts sing ton back.es on Writetone ladder tones on toneboard ladder. on board. Tone body placement: do-waist, re-cross arms across the chest, mi-shoulders. T. sings improvised patterns,o Sts sing _m_ back _|m _ |using body placement of tones. _r_| _r_|m m r r _d_| _dd_ | d o Extend to m-s-mo. TExtend sings mi to ‘oo’mo- s -mimExtend. (usingT sings to F mmi or-s -‘oo’Gm .as T mi dosings (using). Sts mi show ‘oo’F or Gmimelodic as (using do) .contour. AskF or: G“Are asAsk do the: )“Are. notesAsk : “Aremoving the bynotes step moving by step the notes moving byor step by skip?” or by skip?”(Singor by it( Sing skip?”slowly it slowly (soSing they it so slowlyhear they a hearskipso they a[if skip theyhear [if answera theyskip answer[if “next they to“next answer each to other,” “next tothen each sing other,” then sing each other,” then singmi- mifa -onfa ‘oo’on ‘oo’ andmi and- sayfa onsay ‘this ‘oo’ ‘this is and a is step; asay step; T‘this sings T singsis ami step; ‘oo’mi ‘oo’T mi sings, miask, miask again, ‘oo’ again, bymi ,nowby ask now theyagain, will by hearnow thethey will hear the they will hear the skip)skip).. T T labels labels theskip). the new new T tone labelstone + + Curwenthe hand new sign. handtone Sts +sign. singhand Sts back. sign. sing WriteSts back. sing new Write back. tone new Write on tone new ladder tone on tone ladder on tone on tone ladderboard on board.. Review Review boardby singing by. Reviewsinging ascending byascending singing & descending &ascending descending pattern& descending pattern d r md r smpattern m s r md. d rr d.m s m r d. Tone body placement: so-head . T. sings improvised patterns, Sts sing back using body placement of tones/Curwen hand signs. _s_ | _s_ | __ | __| s _m_| _m_| m _r_| _r_| r d _d_| _d_| o Extend to la above sol. T sings m-s- ‘oo’-s – m, students show melodic contour with hands while singing. Ask: “Is this tone higher or lower than so? (Higher). Is it a step or a skip above so? Extend to la above sol. T sings m-s- ‘oo’-s – m, students show melodic contour with hands (Step). T sings patterno and labelso theExtend new totone la above+ hand sol sign.. T singsWrite m new-s- ‘oo’tone- son – tonem, students ladder onshow melodic contour with hands while singing. Ask:while “Is singing. this tone Ask: higher “Is this or lowertone higher than so or? lower(Higher). than Is so it? a(Higher). step or a Isskip it a above step or a skip above Middle School Choral Pedagogy & Reading Sessionso? (Step)., Dr.

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