While almost every choral director wants musically literate musicians, the sight-singing process can often be a vulnerable and downright painful one, especially for middle and high school choristers. This interactive session will provide teachers with a practical and comprehensive Music Learning Theory-based skill set that will make sight-singing accessible, enjoyable, and successful, thus inspiring confidence, […]
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Recruiting and Retaining Adolescent Males in Urban School
Gender studies have shown that boys and girls respond to school music differently; generally boys are less interested and involved in music, especially choral programs. Singing in a school choir for a male can sometimes carry gender stereotypes that exist for their male counterparts who play instruments that are stereotypically labeled as feminine—i.e., flute. Sexual […]
The Quest for Quality Literature
In a time when more sheet music is available than ever before, it seems the variety of composers, texts, and musical styles appearing on concert programs and in retailers’ catalogs may be becoming more limited. “Repertoire is essential to what the choir will become and what the conductor will become.” Dale Warland’s words remind us […]
Performance Practice: A Linguistic Approach to Dialect Found in Spirituals
The interpretation of a piece of music is dependent on a number of factors that may include its melody, harmony, and rhythm. However, in the area of choral music it is the text that serves as a defining characteristic. The pronunciation and interpretation of text is key to understanding its meaning and cultural interpretation. One […]
Overtone Singing as a Choral Art
In recent years, overtone singing has become more widely known and appreciated. Overtone singing can be heard in pop music, movie soundtracks, and even prime-time television commercials. The rise in popularity is largely due to successful tours and recordings by musicians from Asia representing two major styles: Tibetan Buddhist chant and Tuvan/Mongolian throat singing. Both […]
The Only Man in the Choir Room
This session will explore ways male conductors can evoke strength and beauty from a female chorus using several oft-forgotten Bel Canto techniques, such as sustained tones, portamento, onsets, and register exercises. Based on historical pedagogy and modern voice science, the session will offer specific exercises that can strengthen the voice, improve tone quality, and increase […]
