SINGSPIRATION
by
 Joan Wright

 

“Ideas for teaching group singing and making it interesting and rewarding for all”.

 The following comments, suggestions and ideas are based on my personal experience in the following areas: I hope they will prove useful either as new ideas, or just re-enforcing those ‘every day’ ideas you have adopted over a long period of time.

 Irrespective of the age and experience of your choir members, there are certain elements which will help you achieve success.

 

I am assuming that you are dealing with a group of singers who have varying degrees of musical ability. The aim should be to make it interesting, and rewarding for all, and of course this must include the accompanist and conductor, as well as the singers.

 

WHAT DO WE WANT OUR SINGERS TO LEARN IN REHEARSALS?

·         Vocal skills

·         Aural skills

·         Music reading skills: score, rhythm and pitch reading

·         Musicianship: phrasing, sensitivity

·         Performance skills: posture, expression, part-singing, memory, response to conductor

·         An understanding and appreciation (love) of a range of styles

·         Teamwork

·         Commitment

 

WHAT SHOULD A REHEARSAL BE LIKE? 

·         Fun

·         Uplifting

·         Focussed

·         Effective

·         Positive

·         Challenging

·         Varied

 

WHAT MAKES A REHEARSAL INTERESTING AND REWARDING? YOU!

Your attitude to your singers, your accompanist, your obvious dedication, your humour, your understanding and compassion when singers are too hot, too cold, too tired, feeling ill, or need to leave the rehearsal early etc.

 

A LIST OF DO’S AND DON’T’S & SOME IDEAS TO CONSIDER

 

·         Always acknowledge your accompanist and make it clear to your singers that you are a team:  Conductor, Singers and Accompanist!

 

·         Never growl about the people who are not there! (Those who are there have made the effort to be there, and they do not want to hear you complain about the people who are not!)

 

·         Always praise hard work, even if your singers have managed to sing a short, tricky phrase or passage well.  Maybe the altos did a particularly good job with their individual part etc. tell them they did: your praise will go a long way!

 

·         Always issue challenges to the choir, and never give your singers the opportunity to switch off during the rehearsal.  If you are rehearsing a particular section, invite the other sections to join in.  For example, encourage the soprano section join the altos when you are fixing a specific problem in the alto part. It will make them appreciate the difficulty, and understand why the time had to be spent getting it right, and of course, they will enhance their aural skills and general understanding of the whole piece

 

·         Consider limiting the use of the piano when learning and rehearsing. 

Maybe the accompanist plays every 2^nd bar, and then maybe every 4^th bar etc?

Perhaps the accompanist plays the bass line of the piano part to see if the choir can keep pitch?  Again this provides a challenge for your singers and encourages them to listen across the choir, rather than just the piano.

 

·         Always keep them on track. Perhaps some parts hum their lines while you rehearse another part.  Or, ask them to follow their music, and at any given time, ask the whole choir to join in.  This way they never know when you will invite them to join in, and it certainly keeps them on their toes, makes them hear their own lines, rather than singing them constantly.

 

·         Always plan an element of surprise for each rehearsal.

This could be as simple as alternating the seating arrangements for sections of the rehearsal. Rehearsals could be in circles, blocks of parts, lines, or rows of sections, Try sitting them in pairs mixing parts around the room, and for the really brave, and place them in the following way.  Soprano 1. Soprano 2. Alto, Bass, and then Soprano 1. Soprano 2., Alto, Bass etc. Obviously this will vary with each group, but you will find your singers will enjoy the challenge and the choir will develop a ‘ whole’ sound, and not just blocks of sound coming from a particular area.

(Be aware of the singers who may struggle with this: you do not want them to be intimidated, so suggest they tag along with a friend).

 

 

THE ROLE OF THE CONDUCTOR

 

“What comes from the heart, goes to the heart” Samuel Taylor Colleridge

 

This is a quotation I saw on a photo of a beautiful ocean beach recently: it reminded me of how I understand what happens to me when I am conducting a choir.

If your singers know what is in your heart, and you are able to transmit this to them, they will give you what you want in return. This will be transmitted to the listeners who will understand the real sense and meaning of the music you are performing.

 

Your facial expressions are as important as your hands and arms.

You are not dealing with instrumentalists who sit behind a music stand and watch their music and conductor: those performers are not required to express their music through their facial expressions as are members of a choir.

You must be encouraging in order to gain the best from your singers, and your facial expressions are a valuable tool.

 

YOUR PLANNING AND PREPARATION: THE KEY TO SUCCESS

 

Rehearsal planning ideas

Young people will be able to concentrate better at varying times in the rehearsal.

Make sure you have plenty of variation. Have a mixture of new work, reasonably well-known, and known work for polishing.

 

*Prepare a hand out diary of rehearsals and concerts for the year, setting out work to be covered in specific rehearsals.  Name of song, or even sections of a song, which will be the central focus of that particular rehearsal.  This way, if your singers are absent they will know what they have missed and hopefully prepare that work for the next rehearsal in their own time at home.

 

*If possible prepare a ‘ learning’ cd as it can be invaluable for singers.

It could contain, the single melody line, melody line with some accompaniment, and then accompaniment only. Maybe it could include samples of another choir’s rendition of the pieces you are working on.  All of this takes time, but it is very worthwhile.

 

*Use a white board to a brief outline and time allocation, which you have planned for the rehearsal. If the going is tough, your choir will know that the whole rehearsal is not going to be all hard work, and they will be keen to move on.

An example of an extended 90 minute rehearsal

3.30 Attendance, Warm Ups

3.45 Song X – On choir stands in performance places: this would be a well known song which has been memorised.

4.00- Song Y- Standing in circles for individual parts: this could be a partly known song, still needed support within each section.

4.10 - 4.30  Song Z – Sitting in learning circles:  this could be the newest, most challenging song for the rehearsal.  A good time for some solid work, before a break.

4. 30 Short break for notices etc

4. 40 Review Song Y on choir stands in performance places

4. 50 Choir member’s choice; Today Sarah has chosen Song B

 

*Using a white board will allow your choir to prepare their music at the beginning of the rehearsal and will prevent wasting time looking for it.

They should be encouraged to have their folders ready for work at 3.30, not 3.40!

If your singers use display folders, insist they remove the current songs from the plastic sleeves for the rehearsals, as they cannot write their own instructions through the plastic!

 

An example of a short lunchtime rehearsal:

1.15      Attendance, Distribution of Music

1.20     Warm Up - Stretching and in a personal space away from a chair or choir stand if possible. (Warm ups always planned to centre on a specific problem you know they have in a current song.  This could be octave leaps, downwards, preparing for a higher or lower note to commence a song, blending on a particular vowel etc). Don’t do warm ups which you singers can do on automatic pilot.  More productive would be to ‘tune’ your choir, learn a new technique, which they can then apply to a song you will be singing in that particular rehearsal.

1.35.      Revision of a well rehearsed song, maybe a straight sing through. This could be still standing, but in normal choir positions.

1.40        This is a time to do some very specific work on ‘tricky’ passages.  You may not do the whole song; it may be for this rehearsal, you work on only 2 or 3 pages, but making it clear, that this is the focus of the rehearsal, and the hard sections of the particular song.  Suggest sitting, and using circles for each part as the singers can support each other better in this situation.

1.50         Sing through a song they know well and enjoy, once again standing in normal performance places.

 

OTHER USEFUL TIPS

 

*Always end your rehearsal on a bright positive note. Time your rehearsal carefully so that you don’t have to leave a song in ‘mid air’

If you are running out of time, maybe just do the last 4 pages, rather than leave half way through the song. You want your singers leaving the rehearsal looking forward to the next!

 

*Encourage singers to have a notebook to record specific sections of the songs, which require their attention before the next rehearsal.

This could be as simple as Song X, page 3, bars 13- 28 ‘must do’ homework.

Memorise 2 pages of Song Y, learn last page of Song Z.

 

*Distribute written notes for particular songs which you would like your singers to transfer to their scores before the next rehearsal.  Yes, sometimes it is good to mark the music yourself, but if they have to do it, it will have far greater meaning.

 

*Make time for singers to get to know each other.  A choir will sing much better if they know each other by name, interests etc.

In a school situation, a camp is an excellent way of strengthening the unity of the choir, and in a community choir, an extended rehearsal with a meal break can achieve wonders.

 

SOME IDEAS TO HELP THOSE WHO ARE JUST LEARNING TO READ

 

Volume: 

 piano, forte, pp.

Use of a 12 hour clock:  I would like you to start this section at 3.00 and it gradually builds to 9.00 at bar 32, and the whole song finishes at 1.00.

Use of numbers on a scale of 1 – 10 is just as useful.
Or, use words to create the impression of the volume you require.

This part of the song starts way over the hill, and it comes closer, before going up another hill far away.

This can be useful if presented in a positive manner without being condescending. Use specific coloured pens for each volume level.  This is best kept to a minimum: red for loud, pale pink or soft etc.  These colours will serves as a visual reminder of what you are asking for, and gradually
replace them with the correct musical terms.

 

 

Colours for variation:

Encourage your singers to think in colours.  These will of course be individual, but they will produce the desired result.  A particular passage may require a splash of colour to change the mood: ask you singers to write in the colour they feel to be closest to what you are looking for.

If you are presenting a program of various songs, ask your choir to imagine a particular ‘colour’ for each individual song.  This will remove the ‘sameness’ which can easily creep into the performance.  You do not have time in a public performance to give long reminders, but one word ‘orange’ or ‘bright red’ can produce wonders.

 

Use of analogies and body movements to correct problems:

Don’t be afraid to use ball games as an example.

Netball and Basketball hoops:  you need to approach the ring from above, not slide up under the ring if you want to score!!

Darts on a dartboard, not an escalator ride.

Use of arms for both low and high notes.

 

Create your own ideas which will work for you.

.

Sharing with other choirs.

Invite another choir to join you in a rehearsal or concert.

Sometimes have a rehearsal which is ‘work in progress’ and discuss and work through specific issues each choir may have and  all choir members will see from the ‘outside’ what works and what does not.

 

Competitions have advantages and disadvantages, but they can be very useful for some of the following reasons:

q       They can build unity and pride within the choir.

q       They can provide opportunities to share music, to listen and observe other choirs in performance.

q       They can stimulate and provide an incentive to achieve better results next time

 They can provide ‘living proof’ of what you have been telling them during your own rehearsals! 

Conductors Without Borders

 new IFCM initiative