Choral settings of the African American spiritual were first sung by the fabled Fisk Jubilee Singers after slavery. Composers like Dett, Dawson, Hall Johnson, and Work, and more recently, Hogan, built on these beginnings, making impressively artful settings of these songs. We are faced with the question, “How shall we sing this music?” This session […]
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Sight-Singing Alchemy: Transforming Singers into Musicians
This session will present techniques, strategies, tips, tools, and resources for creating and developing a comprehensive sight-singing curriculum in the choral classroom. Special attention will be given to teaching beginning singers with no background in sight-singing. Topics to be discussed include the role and methods of individual assessment, unison and harmonic sight-singing, incorporating reading skills […]
Service Learning, Ubuntu, and Choral Music
Ubuntu is an African term that con-notes humanity’s inability to exist in isolation. As we know, one of the distinctive qualities of choral singing is that of human beings in community. Choral music becomes a transformative power when it functions as a vehicle for social inclusion and education in under served communities. This session will […]
Re-Voicing Public Domain Choral Music for SSA, TTBB, etc.: Tips, Tricks, and Time Savers
This session will focus on re-voicing public domain choral music from mixed voices (SATB) to alternate voicings, including SSA(A) and TTBB. Source material may include choral music from the Renaissance, baroque, classical, and/or romantic eras and folk music.
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 […]
Rehearsing through the Composer’s Eye
By understanding how a composer analyzes, explores, and sets a text, a conductor can gain insights that will enhance score study, illuminate a choir’s understanding of the music, and inspire choir members and student composers in their creativity. As a conductor and composer, Dwight Bigler will demonstrate this process using his own and others’ compositions. […]
