The techniques and elements of a Speech Choir

1. The
Singing
BEE

3. What is a Speech
Choir?

4.  Speech choirs are
performance groups
that recite speeches in
unison, often with
elements of
choreography and
costuming to help bring
the speech to life.

5.  A verse choir is a
group of people
experiencing
together, expressing
thoughts and feelings
largely and freely for
the purpose of
communicating

6. with each other and
an audience, being
led by a director and
adapting themselves
to the disciplines of
the art of group oral
interpretation.

7.  A speech choir is a
powerful art that is
experiencing a revival.
There is tremendous
satisfaction that
comes from
learning to speak well,

8. and even a greater
enjoyment that
comes from speaking
elegantly and
powerfully as a
group.

9.  It is also called
choral speaking. It has
a hallowed tradition.
The first plays put on
by the Greeks
featured choruses of
speakers.

10.  It operates like a
musical choir minus
the music, instead of
singing, speech choirs
perform spoken-word
pieces like poems.

11. 2 Types of Speech Choir

12. 1. Conventional Speech
Choir
or
Traditional Speech Choir

13.  It does not require to use
costumes, props, nor
choreography.
-the choir just simply
speaks or reads a literary
piece

14. 2. Dynamic Speech Choir
or
Theatrical Speech Choir

15. Which makes use of props,
costumes, and sometimes,
choreography.
-it is the reverse of
the conventional
speech choir

16. Elements of a
Speech Choir

17.  Members
Pieces
Choreography
 Costuming
Voice Quality
Number of Voices
 Pitch
Power
Tempo
Staging
Phrasing and Rhythm

18. Members
The speech choir is
typically the
same size of a singing
choir
having anywhere from
12 to 100
members or more.

19. However, most schools and
competitions features choir
of 25 to 40 members. The
group is typically are divided
into groups based on the
members’ natural voices or
speaking voices.

20. Pieces
Selections are typically poems or
poetic passages, such as from
Greek dramas or Shakespeare’s
plays. The conductor gives some
thought to the passage, breaking
into parts.

21. Facial expressions and
intonation are also carefully
planned so all the members can
practice in unison. Solo parts for
specific members can add
dramatic effect.

22. Choreography
Choreography of movement is not
necessary component for speech choir.
Many successful competition choirs
recite their pieces while standing in
place with their hands at their sides,
attention directed solely at the
conductor.

23. *However, in Greek tradition, speech
choirs marched from side to side in
alternating patterns called “strophe”
and “antistrophe”. Thus, movement is
a part of the rich history of speech
choir and some conductors choose to
choreograph elaborate movement to
accompany their pieces.

24. Costuming
As with any other performance art,
thought should be put into how the
speech choir will dress. Costumes can
be as simple as matching outfits or
robes, such as a vocal choir would
wear, or elaborate theatrical garb.

25. *Plain uniforms allow the
audience to concentrate on
facial expressions and allow the
choir to recite several very
different pieces in one
performance.

26. *Themed costume for a single
piece can
highlight its meaning or help to
differentiate between voice
groups.

28. Voice Quality
The ability to combine successfully
the light, medium, and dark voices
in the choir . it is the ability to
communicate through voice,
reactions to thoughts or emotions.

29. Number of Voices
The ability to add or subtract whole
sections, banks, smaller groups, or
solo speakers to increase or diminish
the power or richness of the sound to
better express the meaning.

30. Pitch
Pitch refers to the variations of
the voice on the musical scale
and is generally referred to as
the inflection. Children generally
have little problem with pitch
because they use it naturally and
freely.

31. Power
Ability to use volume, force, or
loudness as emphasis in
appropriate places to better
express feeling and
meaning. A power build should
be related to the elements of a
sentence and growing emotion.

32. Phrasing and Rhythm
Ability to use phrasing and
rhythm as reinforcements for
each other. Each must blend to
better express the meaning of
the verse.

33. Tempo
Tempo refers to the rate of speed
at which a reading progresses.
The ability to balance the rhythm
of a piece and the tempo of
performance. Tempo should
relate to the central “beat” of the
poem. If it is too fast or too slow.

34. Staging
The ability to successfully organize
and position the choir on stage or
risers for the performance effect.
The ability to stage entrances and
exits which enhance the mood of
the poem and the performance.

35. The ability to “costume” speakers
in a way which also enhances the
performance as a
whole.

36. What are the things to
be remembered in
doing the Speech
Choir?

37. Breathing
The most important part of any
performing art, from playing an
instrument to acting in a play is
BREATHING. While we breath
involuntarily all the time, many
green performers forget to breath
while on stage.

38. Connection to the group
A speech choir is a living organism
made up on individuals, never
forget that. You are not performing
a monologue, you are a part of a
group performance. Onstage, the
choir is your family.

39. Connecting with them will
eliminate any stage fright. If
anything unexpected happens, the
group must respond and correct
together.

40. The Text
The text is your guide; it’s what the
audience came to see and hear you
perform. Performing the texts
requires you to know the text
inside and out. Once you know
what you are saying, add color and
meaning to the words.

41. Let the audience “see” what you
are saying. Let your personal
reaction to the words sprinkle
meaning on the performance.

42. Some Tips for
Speech Choir

43. 1. Teach the students pronunciation.
Simply use a dictionary that
has a pronunciation guide to
it. Refer to its pronunciation
key which you can find on its
introductory pages to
determine how a word is
pronounced.

44. 2. Teach them stress and
intonation.
Things such as rising intonation
and falling intonation are crucial
in speech choir. Which word to
be stressed depends also on your
intended meaning.

45. 3. A good number for
speech choir is 40
members. But you can
have 20-25 participants if
so desired.

46. 4. The contest piece is often
a poem.

47. 5. Divide your participants
into three voices: light,
medium and dark.
Medium are also females with
deep voices. Dark are of course
only males with very deep
voices.

48. There should also be a solo for
each voice: solo light, solo
medium and solo dark.

49. 5. Arrange the contest
piece before giving it to
your participants.
This means that you have already
assigned parts for each voice, for
the solo and for the unison
(meaning all three voices).

50. Keep in mind though that
even if all three voices speak
together but their voices
should be clearly distinct from
each other. This is called
blending.

51. 6. Memorize the piece
If you are the conductor, the
more you should memorize it.
Before giving the contest piece to
your participants, see to it that
you have double-checked its
pronunciation in the dictionary
or the web.

52. 7. Drill into your participants to
feel the piece.
Their facial expression should
reflect what they are speaking.
Facial expressions can’t be taught.
It should come from within. It
should not look artificial but
should come from their hearts.

53. 8.Deliver with the intent to be
understood.
-for conventional speech choir, actions
and props are unnecessary. Simply
standing with hands on their sides is
enough. What counts are the voice and
the facial expression. Remember the
audience should understand what you
are talking about.

54. 9.The conductor may stand
at the back of the judges.
He may conduct in any manner he
wants as long as he is able to guide
his participants for an effective
speech choir presentation.

55. 10. Speech choir participants
should only look at the
conductor the whole time of
their presentation.
They should not fidget or make
unnecessary moves throughout
their delivery .

56. Nevertheless they
should not be standing tensed in
front of the crowd but relaxed.

57. You don't stop performing
because you grow old; you grow
old because you stop performing!
The World needs to hear what
you have...it's valuable...it's
important...it's beautiful!

58. Only a VERY small percentage of
things are beautiful because they
are perfect; most things are
beautiful because of their
imperfections. It's not important
for you to be perfect; it's
important for you to be the best
you! –Rita Allen

59. "Let your audience “see’
what you are saying."
"Let your personal reaction
to the words sprinkle
meaning on the
performance."