Since the creation of the National Standards for Music Education in 1994, choral music educators have been distinctly responsible for singing varied repertoire (Standard 1) and for studying the relationships between music and world/historical cultures (Standard 9). Concurrently we have enjoyed an influx of great choral repertoire for school, community, and church choirs from around […]
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Teach Phrasing First: Practical Considerations for Teaching Artistry at the Beginning of the Rehearsal Process
Choirs learn, internalize, and repeat in performance what they do most often in rehearsal. Good choral pedagogy includes the separation and integration of the technical aspects of the music and the articulation of the music’s artistic and expressive content. If, however, music learning is completely separated from musical expression and artistry, or artistic concerns are […]
Teaching Jazz Concepts in the Vocal Jazz Ensemble Rehearsal
This clinic will provide directors with possible ways to efficiently incorporate important aspects of jazz styles—rhythmic feel, song form, improvisation, and harmony—into the rehearsal by showing connections between these concepts and the literature the ensemble is learning.
Teaching Harmonic Context through Solfeggio
Improve your singer’s ear for intonation and sight-reading skills by teaching solfeggio from a harmonic perspective. This session outlines a process developed by the presenter in response to frustration with unsuccessful attempts to improve intonation and sight-singing ability through other methods. By teaching solfege syllables as part of traditional harmonic progressions, students are able to […]
Sight-Singing in the Choral Classroom
This workshop acquaints choral conductors with the tools and materials needed to integrate sight-singing instruction into rehearsals. First, an overview of an effective choral rehearsal plan, which includes warm-ups, tuning exercises, sight-singing, and rehearsing of literature, will be delineated. Next, the sight-singing portion of the rehearsal will be carefully examined. Tools for teaching sight-singing, including […]
Resonance in the Choral Voice: All Things are Possible!
Singing in the resonance of the voice makes possible all things choral: intonation, blend, dynamics, and tonal color. The coordination of two vital components produces resonant singing reliably: the appoggio breath posture and acoustical vowels. This interactive session teaches specific exercises that enable directors to train singers organically in rehearsal and presents underlying principles that […]
