This is part 1 of a choral speaking presentation given to local Hong Kong teachers for English-Speaking Union of Hong Kong

1. All You Wanted to Know About
Choral Speaking
But Wasn‟t Sure Who to
Ask Part 1

2. Choral Speaking
No conductor is allowed.
Movements, costumes, props and music may
be used.

3. Harmonic Choral Speaking
A conductor is allowed.
Absolutely no body movement, gesture, mime
costume or props are allowed.
Suitable grouping patterns are allowed.
Emphasis is on clarity and harmony of speech.

4. Words spoken in unison
Lots of practice helps.
One student, in the centre, can count to three.
The counting has to be in English!
(Not yat, yih, saam.)

5. Numbers, numbers, numbers
Choral Speaking: 30 to 50 students
25 to 50 students
Harmonic Choral Speaking:

10. SAMPLE POEMS
The Steeple by Anonymous
A Case of Murder by Vernon Scannell

11. 1. What was the poet’s intention?
Silly? Serious?

12. 2. Are there any shifts in mood?
The word but generally signifies a
shift in mood.

13. 3. Do lines carry on in meaning?
Students
tend to
stop at the ends
of lines.
Students tend to drop their pitch and volume at
the ends of lines.

14. Enjambment
Be aware of the lines that carry on the
meaning in the poem.
Once Steeple Bumpstead
Had a steeple
Beloved by all
The village people.

15. 4. The beginning and the end are
important parts!
The beginning is generally a narrative voice.
It is neither fast nor slow, but moves along at
an average pace.
The ending generally slows right down to a
stop.

16. from The Steeple (Beginning)
Once Steeple Bumpstead
Had a steeple
Beloved by all
The village people.
It was so fine
And tall and stately,
No wonder they
Admired it greatly.

17. From The Steeple (Ending)
And all because
An angry wizard
Blew Steeple Bumpstead
Folk a blizzard.

18. VARIATION IS EVERYTHING
There are three elements that should be varied.
What do you think they are?
Pitch
Pace
Volume

19. Vary pitch.
Back rows - high pitch.
Front rows - low pitch.
It was so fine HIGH PITCH
And tall and stately,
LOW PITCH
No wonder they
Admired it greatly.

20. from The Three Little Pigs
“Little pig, little pig, let me come in!”
“Not by the hair of my chinny, chin chin!”
“Then I‟ll huff and I‟ll puff and I‟ll blow your
house down.”
And he huffed and he puffed and he blew the
house down.

21. from The Steeple
But long ago
An angry wizard
Blew Steeple Bumpstead Which words would
be spoken with
Folk a blizzard; a high pitch?
And suddenly the
Dust went dancing,
And hayracks in the fields
Went prancing.

22. From A Case of Murder
They should not have left him there alone,
Alone that is except for the cat.
He was only nine, not old enough And here?
To be be left alone in a basement flat,
Alone, that is, except for the cat

23. from A Case of Murder
And he took the stick and thrust it in,
Hard and quick in the furry dark,
The black fur squealed and he felt his skin
Prickle with sparks of dry delight.
Then the cat again came into sight,
Shot for the door that wasn‟t quite shut,
But the boy, quick too, slammed fast the door:

24. Vary pace.
There are three paces to follow.
What do you think they are?
Slow (caesural or suspensory pause)
Fast
Medium (narrative voice)

25. A caesural pause works!
A natural pause in the middle of a line
adds a bit more drama.
It was so fine Where could
the students pause?
And tall and stately,
No wonder they admired it greatly.

26. Make use of suspensory pauses
Carry enjambed lines forward by …
 lengthening the last syllable
 increasing inflection
 not taking a breath!

27. Faai di la!
And suddenly the
Dust when dancing,
And hayracks in the fields
Went prancing.
The win set windmill
Sails a-whirling,
And pots and pans
And dishes twirling;

28. Vary volume
Whispering should be „loud‟.
There shouldn‟t be any shouting.

29. It blew the thrifty
Mean and lazy,
Till one and all Which words could
be spoken at a
Were nearly crazy, higher volume?
And one and all,
Both dull and clever,
Cried „Lawksamussy!
Well, I never!‟

30. SPECIAL EFFECTS
There are many, many, many things one can
do to bring the words alive.
“You pulled everything out of your sleeve.”

31. Cause a Wave.
Make a wave with the voices to show walking
from one place to another, or something
flying across the sky, or something falling.

32. from A Case of Murder
Then the cat again came into sight,
Shot for the door that wasn‟t quite shut,

33. from The Steeple
The steeple once
So tall and splendid,
A heap of rubbish
Had descended;

34. Drop and Raise the Shoulders
To show sadness, have all students drop their
shoulders.

35. from The Steeple
And poked their puzzled,
Anxious faces,
From queer and un-
Expected places. RAISE SHOULDERS
But all at once the storm departed DROP SHOULDERS
As quick or quicker
Than it started;

36. More and More Voices
What‟s the easiest way to create this effect?

37. GROUPING
TEACHER
front
1 2 3 4
back
RIGHT LEFT

38. Add more and more voices
Start with 2 or 3 students, and keep adding 10
more.
TEACHER

39. Add more and more voices
And dumped the load of heavy fur
In the spidery cupboard under the stair
Where it‟s been for years, and though it died
It‟s grown in that cupboard and its hot low purr
Grows slowly louder year by year;

40. These lines will get progressively
louder.
TEACHER
And though
it died
And its hot Grows slowly
year by year
low purr louder
It‟s grown
in that cupboard

41. Make other sounds besides words.
Add ….
a sigh
a meow
breathy sounds

42. From The Steeple
It caught the farmer‟s
Wife so busy, What sounds
could be added?
And round she went
Till she was dizzy.

43. Students can lean forward when they
speak.
The beginning of A Case of Murder
They should not have left him there alone,
Alone that is except for the cat.
He was only nine, not old enough
To be left alone in a basement flat,
Alone, that is, except for the cat MOVE FORWARD

44. At the end of A Case of Murder
When the cupboard swells and all sides split
And the huge black cat pads out of it.

45. from The Steeple
And poked their puzzled,
Where could students
Anxious faces, move forward?
From queer and un-
Expected places.

46. Faces should be seen at all times
Sometimes props, like witches hats, signs, an
umbrella, get in the way.

47. Robotic movements are a no-no!
The movement should start just before the
students begin speaking, and should end
after the students have spoken.
Students should slowly bring their bodies back
to the original position.

48. Angle the choir
At the festival, risers are pre-arranged on stage.

49. Go solo.
Use solo voices sparingly.
The lone voice should be confident and loud.
A solo voice could be used to show something
singular, or a pronouncement.

50. from The Steeple
And tales were told,
And heads were shaken,
What could
To see a village be spoken
in solo?
So forsaken;

51. Props vs miming
Props can get quite clumsy.
Miming is easy.
If you use props, make them bigger than actual
size.

52. NOW YOU TRY IT!
Read The Bookshop by Judith Nicholls
Determine:
1. The poet‟s intention
2. The shifts in mood
3. Which lines carry on
4. How to deal with the beginning and ending

53. CONSIDER VARIETY IN:
Pitch High and Low
Pace Pauses and Fast
Volume Quiet and Loud