Developing Vocal Techniques for Elementary Singers

Sandra A. Howard, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Music
Keene State College
[email protected]
2015 NAfME Eastern Division Conference
Friday, April 10, 2015
9:15-10:15 a.m.
Developing Vocal Techniques
for Elementary Singers
Warm Up Checklist:
1. Physical deconstruction
2. Alignment, six points of balance
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.
Feet
Knees
Hips
Pelvis/Core
Shoulders
A/O joint
3. Integration of mental focus & breathing to release tension
4. Diagnostic vocal sigh
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.
Finding the “cave”
[u] to create high, forward resonance
wrap lips around the sound
up and over gesture (soft palate lift & spine lengthen)
daily assessment of vocal health
lowers & relaxes larynx
5. Establish breath connection without pitch
a.
b.
c.
d.
8-handed breath technique: ribs, chest wall, diaphragm, pelvic floor
cyclical breath, no holding of breath
‘ss’ releases
breath “kneading” gesture
6. Building resonance
a. [m], [n], [ng]
b. forward, closed vowels – [u] and [i]
c. lip trills
7. Registration
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.
Middle to lower range, slow legato descent to bring headvoice down, stepwise, then using skips
VOCAL SIGH
Middle to upper range, descending, then upward range extension
VOCAL SIGH
*** Determine which core vocal exercises will be used every day to measure progress over time.
NOW – integrate vocal exercises that will reinforce specific technical demands from the repertoire!
8. Choral Ensemble Warm up
a. Aural Immersion & Intonation Exercises
9. VOCAL SIGH (*use during repertoire rehearsal to reset the mechanism)
Repertoire Selection:
*** In addition to other selection criteria used to provide singers with a varied and balanced
singing experience, choral music educators must include the development of vocal techniques when
considering repertoire.
Dynamics – maintain high, forward resonance & internal space, piano dynamics require
“wrapping lips around the sound”
EXERCISE:
[du, do, da, dE, di] on unison G
Crescendo/Decrescendo – “air spin” gesture, increase of airflow and resonance space (i.e.
drop jaw) form crescendo, slight opening and vowel modification needed
EXERCISE:
use “air spin” gesture & isolate airflow on “ss”,
then sing [u] on unison G
Range Extension Upward – requires breath, increased pharyngeal space, low and relaxed
larynx, vowel modification, broken chords at fast tempo, use open vowel [o] or [a], tension
release gestures (i.e. Frisbee toss, breath pulse, dunk the basketball, step forward “ta da”),
also encourages vocal flexibility
EXERCISE:
start Db Major, ascending by half steps, sing [o]
1-3-5-3-1, or 1-3-5-8-5-3-1
Range Extension Downward – focus on bringing head voice downward, maintain high
and forward resonance, avoid “swallowing” the sound, avoid crescendos, requires bright
vowel [u] or [i], slow tempo, stepwise, resonance focusing gesture (i.e. heel on forehead, up
and over, upward string pull)
EXERCISE:
start D Major, descending by half steps, sing [u]
5-4-3-2-1, or 5-4-3-2-1-5-1
Leaps – bright vowel [u] or [i], increase “cave” space on upward leap, wrap lips around
sound to focus vowel, modify vowel, increase speed of air before the leap (i.e. air spin
gesture, breath pulse, breath kneading)
EXERCISE:
start Eb Major, sing [i] 1-2-1-3-1-4-1-5, stop when it comes off the
breath or larynx raises, sing downward leaps to bring head voice
down to develop muscle memory = 5-1-5, 4-1-4, etc.
Legato – breath “kneading” gesture, choir “moans” line (mmmmm), establish phrase goal
(i.e. text stress), physical movement to illustrate phrase direction, “re-sing” vowel on each
new note to maintain purity
EXERCISE:
start Db Major, “mmm” on 1-2-3-4 -5-4-3- 2-1,
then on [a], then on text
“I--------love----to sing”
Martellato – midway between legato and staccato, encouraged to avoid dry staccato
approach, which results in undue pressure in larynx and interrupts breath flow, use
martellato for articulating melismas, pointing gesture with light weight and releases
EXERCISE:
extract passage from repertoire, or start Eb Major, sing triplets
rearticulated [da] on 54321, then 565-454-343-232-1, then only initial
pitch of grouping increasing tempo
Conable, B. (2000). The structures and movement of breathing. Chicago, IL: GIA Publications.
Holt, M., & Jordan, J. (2008). The school choral program. Chicago, IL: GIA Publications.
Jordan, J. (2005). Evoking sound: The choral warm-up: Method, procedures, and core vocal exercises. Chicago, IL:
GIA Publications.
Identification of Vocal Techniques through Score Study:
***Identify primary and secondary vocal techniques addressed in each selection:
Marienwürmchen
Brahms/ed. Goetze
Unison
1724772
Kalinka
arr. Snyder
2-part
10364619
Je le vous dirai!
Certon/ ed. Leavitt
SSA
10278566
Three Mountain Ballads
arr. Nelson
SSA
710822
Bonse Aba
Johnson
SSA
10307386
Durme, Durme
arr. Snyder
2-part
3289782
Songs from Above
Ramsey
2-part
10073958
The Swing
Sharrock
unison
manuscript
J’entends le Moulin
arr. Crocker
2-part
10030298
Two Handel Classics
Handel/ ed. Perry
2-part
1692961
Peace Canon
Beethoven/Moore
2-part
3015500
Ani Ma’Amin
Caldwell & Ivory
unison
10018339
2-part
3138583
Children, Go Where I Send Thee arr. Schram
Thank you to J.W. Pepper & Sons, Inc. for providing these complimentary scores!
Other Selections that Address Specific Vocal Techniques:
Dynamics –
Crescendo/Decrescendo –
Range Extension Upward –
Range Extension Downward –
Leaps –
Legato –
Martellato –