Some Guidelines for Teaching a Choir

Teaching the Choir:

Vocalization - determine selection from the hymns to be sung/learned

- start from simple to complicated

- can start slow to actual/faster tempo

Intro: background of the piece

Listening

Synthesis – Analysis – Synthesis

Chanting: rhythmic patterns/phrasings

- speaking prepares the words for singing

Sectionals: for non-reading choirs or mixed choir (reading and non-reading)

ALL voices: sing melody

- Play first = listen

- Sing melodic line = softly/ humming

- Mark spots that are wrong

Other Voices:

- Can tell everyone to sing other voices to get them to blend

- “Ooh” = less focused/less noisy > tenor & soprano

 “sectional syllable”

- “Mmm” = base & alto

- Add another syllable for each added voice

- If all is good, go to actual words

Listen to the whole choir: TUTI

- Pinpoint problematic spots:

o Flatting

 No support

 Posture

 Mouth opening

o Sharping

 Over excitement

 Over shooting

 If they can’t follow the notes, play the chord

o Other problems: find its causes & solutions

Work on the following:

- Vocal production

- Phrasing

- Balancing

- Diction

- Interpretation/Dynamics works together

- Tempo

- Memorization

- Mastery

*You know you can sing the hymn well if you can sing SLOWLY

Less singing, More listening:

- Listen to the choir

- Avoid for choir to hear your mistakes

- We are POLISHERS, NOT singers

When choir is tired or too uptight:

- Crack jokes occasionally

- Jump to another topic when choir

- Boost rapport with them

Things to do:

- Challenge singers ability to sight sing

- Record for evaluation, further cleaning & memorization

Think:

- this chord is nice

- have to change this

- emphasize on “heart” of the song

Acapella:

- 2 voices w/ 2 different sounds being sung

- To sing in relation to other voices

- Fast sectionals

- Focus on mistakes

Generally, the order of teaching the voices:

1. Melody

2. Base Line

3. Alto

4. Tenor

- Can...