Chorus

Practice and Technique

Practice and Technique:

Great sprinters learn to incline their body forward about 5 degrees as they drive their legs up and out ahead. If you want to be a great sprinter, practicing and refining that technique would help you run faster. Because this technique is an action, the more you practice it, the better you get. Deciding to do 100 sprints doesn’t mean you will run any faster, but running 100 sprints with just the right body position does. This is why, in the end, focusing on honing and improving specific techniques is the fastest route to success.

This is true for singing as well. If you practice a song 100 times with no goals in mind, you will not improve your technique the same way you would if you sang with purpose and awareness. The most effective technique to improve purely vocal technique that will build range, flexibility, freedom from strain, strength, and endurance begins with our lip trill. The lip trill helps manage the air flow so that your vocal folds adduct (close) firmly, evenly, and in a low, stable position. If you are serious about becoming a great singer, this tool should be consistently used. How do you use it? It’s quite simple. Sing through any song you sing on a lip trill. As you sing with the lip trill there are indicators that it is or is not working to its maximum effect.

• Put your hand on your larynx and swallow. Notice that it goes up and down. When singing we want the larynx low and stable (not moving or jumping around)

• If it is jumping around or high, use the dumb and/or hooty sound to help keep it down. Try not to use your tongue to keep it down.

• Pay attention to how fast your lips are vibrating. If they speed up it means you are not regulating the airflow evenly. Do your best to let your lips vibrate at the same speed regardless of how high or low the notes are.

• Finally, check your nose. The vibrations should not be in your nose, although they may be around your nose and in the mask (cheekbones and head).

• Try plugging your nose as you lip trill. If you feel the vibrations in your nose, do something to remove those vibrations.

If you practice consistently with this tool and awareness you will find that singing is easier, more in tune, and more enjoyable, your range will increase, you will be able to sing through the notes with greater agility and freedom, vocal strain will diminish, and you will sing fuller and longer. The better you sing, the more expressive you will be and the more fun you will have.

Posted at 02:21 PM | Permalink

Fundamentals of Practicing

When we practice we want to practice effectively in order to not only improve our vocal technique but also our musical artistry. The better we sing, the more fun we have and the more expressive we can be. Here are some tools for practicing.

Lip Trill through musical examples with awareness.
Make sure to look at the music as you practice
Listen to the pitches as you sing and make sure you are matching the recording.
If you find that you are singing a wrong pitch on the lip trill it is very unlikely that you will sing it correctly on the words.
Circle your music where you are having difficulty matching pitch.
Isolate that section and work only on it. If the difficulty is precisely at 30 seconds, I would suggest starting a few seconds earlier to give yourself room to prepare. (Remember, when we fail to prepare, we are preparing to fail.)
Repeat that section until you can’t get it wrong (An amateur practices until he/she gets it right. A professional practices until he/she can’t get it wrong.)
If you find that you are making a rhythmic error circle which rhythms you are having difficulty with.
Find that rhythm on the appropriate rhythm sheet
Practice it with or without the learning file, whichever you are more comfortable with. Start slow and gradually increase the tempo until you reach performance tempo. Do this until you can’t do it wrong (a minimum of three times in a row, preferably 5-10)
Go back to the music. Speak the rhythm on the words instead of the numbers. Make sure to use good diction. Do this until you can’t get it wrong.
Now sing just that section with the learning file until you can’t get it wrong.

Posted at 07:18 AM | Permalink

Practice Sheet and Chorus Handbook Due Friday the 13th!!!

Students are to have their practice sheets and Chorus Handbook filled out and ready to turn in this Friday the 13th.

Posted at 05:14 PM | Permalink

Chorus and Music Appreciation Syllabi

Click the links below to view the either the Chorus or Music Appreciation Syllabus

Download Chorus Handbook 2012 Jan-May

Download Music Appreciation 2012 Jan-Mar

Posted at 06:55 AM | Permalink

LGPE Sight-Reading!!!

Click the link below to download sight-reading examples similar to ones we will sing at LGPE.

Download LGPE Sight-Reading 2-Part

Posted at 07:21 PM | Permalink

After School Rehearsals

To prepare for our upcoming concert on February 28th, DIVA DAY on February 4th, and Large Group Performance Evaluation on March 8th and 9th, I have donated time after school every Monday through Thursday from 4:30-5:45 PM. Students are encouraged to take advantage of this to improve their sight-reading, vocal technique, and musicianship. Students in Voices of Cooper are expected to attend the rehearsals marked Voices of Cooper. Students attending DIVA DAY are expected to attend at least 4 DIVA DAY rehearsals. All other dates are for any chorus student. Look below for specifics on when students should come.

January 11^th Voices of Cooper Rehearsal (select students) 4:30-5:45 PM

January 17^th Diva Day Practice (select students) 4:30-5:30 PM

January 18^th Voices of Cooper Rehearsal (select students) 4:30-5:45 PM

January 19^th Diva Day Practice (select students) 4:30-5:30 PM

January 23^rd LGPE Practice 4:30-5:30 PM

January 24^th Diva Day Practice (select students) 4:30-5:30 PM

January 25^th Voices of Cooper Rehearsal (select students) 4:30-5:45 PM

January 26^th Diva Day Practice (select students) 4:30-5:30 PM

January 30^th LGPE Practice 4:30-5:30 PM

January 31^st Diva Day Practice (select students) 4:30-5:30 PM

February 1^st Voices of Cooper Rehearsal (select students) 4:30-5:45 PM

February 2^nd Diva Day Practice (select students) 4:30-5:30 PM

February 4^th Diva Day (select students) TBD

Feb 6^th LGPE Practice 4:30-5:30 PM

Feb 7^th LGPE Practice 4:30-5:30 PM

Feb 8^th Voices of Cooper Rehearsal (select students) 4:30-5:45 PM

Feb 9^th LGPE Practice 4:30-5:30 PM

Feb 13^th LGPE Practice 4:30-5:30 PM

Feb 14^th LGPE Practice 4:30-5:30 PM

Feb 15^th Voices of Cooper Rehearsal 4:30-5:45 PM

Feb 16^th LGPE Practice 4:30-5:30 PM

Feb 21^st LGPE Practice 4:30-5:30 PM

Feb 22^nd Voices of Cooper Rehearsal 4:30-5:45 PM

Feb 23^rd LGPE Practice 4:30-5:30 PM

Feb 24^th LGPE Practice 4:30-5:30 PM

February 27^th After School Rehearsal (ALL GRADES REQUIRED) 4:30-6:00 PM

February 28^th Pre-LGPE Concert 7:00-7:30 PM

February 29^th Voices of Cooper Rehearsal 4:30-5:45 PM

March 1^st LGPE Practice 4:30-5:45 PM

March 5^th LGPE Practice (6^th and 7^th REQUIRED) 4:30-5:30 PM

March 6^th LGPE Practice 4:30-5:30 PM

March 7^th NO VOICES OF COOPER TODAY!!!

March 8, 9 LGPE During School

Posted at 04:48 PM | Permalink

Chorus Calendar

Students have asked for a more specific calendar to look at so they can prepare better for class and upcoming concerts. To help them out I have planned out the next two weeks minute by minute. Please click below to see more specifically what we will be doing in class between now and January 20th.

Download 6th-7th Calendar

Download 8th Grade Calendar

Posted at 04:42 PM | Permalink