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SGP Conducting
- 1. Choral Conducting By Sam Musetti
- 2. PowerPoint Application Recording Class Activity Breathing Exercise Overview
- 3. Thesis Statement An exceptional choir engulfs the emotional spectrum. It is not only the singing, in fact, there are many complex dimensions to choral music.
- 7. Music Dictionary Adagio Rhythm Dynamics Harmony Acapella Voice Parts Circle of Fifths
- 9. Types of Choirs Jazz Choir Church Choir Show Choir Gospel Choir
- 10. Voice Parts Soprano Alto Tenor Bass
- 11. “Proper breathing is essential to good singing; it helps the singer develop beautiful tone quality, sustain musical phrases, and sing consistently in tune.” Breathing
- 12. Posture Feet slightly apart Shoulders back Chest raised
- 13. Warm Ups “A brief ten-minute warm-up period that is focused on preparing chorus members to sing, listen, and learn establishes the direction of the rehearsal and furthers ongoing vocal and musical development.”
- 14. Teaching
- 15. Teaching
- 16. Dynamics
- 17. Diction
- 18. Tone Breath support Head voice Open, relaxed throat
- 19. Intonation
- 20. Rhythm Time Signature Tempo
- 21. Blending “When a choir blends well, no individual voice stands out but there is a unified choral sound. When a choir is well-balanced, no section stands out either.”
- 23. Successful Choir
- 24. Evolution
- 25. History Ancient Greece Cheironomy
- 26. The Medieval Era Plainsong Polyphony
- 28. The Baroque Era
- 30. The RomanticEra Art song Poetic Lyrical
- 33. Eric Whitacre
- 34. Felix Mendelssohn Romantic Era Sacred Works
- 35. George Frederick Handel Messiah 42 Operas 29 Oratorios
- 36. Jean Sibelius ”Sibelius is so concentrated and exact. With Sibelius you feel that if one drop touches your skin it would burn right through the bone."Simon Rattle
- 37. Application
- 38. Class Activity Stretching Breathing Exercise
- 39. Conclusion
- 40. Works Cited Cleobury, Stephen. "Face to Face with Orchestra and Chorus: A Handbook for Choral Conductors." ProQuest Newspapers. Music & Letters. Oxford, Aug 2006. Web. 4 Nov. 2009. Isbell, Daniel. "Music Education in Rural Areas: A Few Keys to Success." JSTOR. MENC: The National Association for Music Education, 11 May 2006. Web. 4 Nov. 2009 Fuchs, Craig. "Dissecting Conducting." ProQuest Newspapers. The Instrumentalist, Sept. 2007. Web. 4 Nov. 2009. McCarthy, David. "The E-Magazine to Help Volunteer Choir Directors and Promote Small Choirs." Start a Choir. David McCarthy Music, Feb. 2008. Web. 2 Dec. 2009. Adkins, Mary Rose. “Choral Conducting: Philosophy and Practice.” JSTOR. N.p., 25 June 2005. Web. 1 Apr. 2010. <http://jstor.org>.
- 41. Works Cited Eakle, Kit. "Some Basic Tips for Vocal Health." Rev. of MusicKit and Mr. E's Virtual Music Classroom, by Kit Eakle. MusicKit Virtual Classroom. N.p., n.d. Web. 2 Dec. 2009. <http://www.musickit.com/resources/vocal.html>. Schonberg, Harold C. The Great Conductors. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1967. Print. The Milton Cross New Encyclopedia of The Great Composers and Their Music. Vol. II. Garden City: Doubleday & Company, Inc., 1969. Print Choral Conducting: a Symposium . Englewood Cliffs: Prentice Hall, 1973. Print. Corbin, Lynn A. “Building a Positive Choral Attitude.” Music Educators Journal. 24-26. JSTOR. Web. 1 Apr. 2010. <http://jstor.org>.
- 42. Works Cited Davison, Archibald. Choral Conducting. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1971. Print. Garretson, Robert. Conduction Choral Music. Boston: Allyn and Bacon, 1970. Print. Guelker-Cone, Leslie. “The Unaccompanied Choral Rehearsal.” JSTOR. The National Association for Music Education, n.d. Web. 1 Apr. 2010. <http://jstor.org>. Stamer, Rick A. “Choral Ensembles for Independant Musicianship .” JSTOR. The National Association for Music Education, May 2002. Web. 1 Apr. 2010. <http://jstor.org>. Surplus, Robert W. Follow the Leader the Story of Conducting. Minneapolis : Lerner Publications, 1970. Print.
- 43. Works Cited "Felix Mendelssohn." Felix Mendelssohn. N.p., 25 Nov. 2009. Web. 1 Apr. 2010. http://felixmendelssohn.com Sibelius, Jean. "Jean Sibelius as a Composer." Jean Sibelius. N.p., 2010. Web. 1 Apr. 2010. <http://www.sibelius.fi/english/musiikki/ js_saveltajana.html> "ThinkQuest." Think Quest. N.p., 15 Aug. 2008. Web. 1 Apr. 2010. http://library.thinkquest.org Vickers, David, and Brad Leissa. "Handel." Handel. N.p., 2008. Web. 1 Apr. 2010. http://gfhandel.org Whitacre, Eric. "Eric Whitacre - Composer and Conductor." Eric Whitacre. N.p., 2010. Web. 1 Apr. 2010. <http://ericwhitacre.com>
Editor's Notes
- www.flickrcc.bluemountains.net
- www.flickrcc.bluemountains.net
- www.flickrcc.bluemountains.net
- As far as choir goes, singing was the only aspect I saw it from. For my Senior Graduation Project, I decided to switch things around in my choral perspective and become the teacher. Choir has been a big part of my life ever since I was about 12. My main goal was to teach others what I love to do.www.flickrcc.bluemountains.net
- Music plays an extremely vital role in society. Imagine what life would be like today without all of your favorite artists. What would you do? Music has evolved so much to become what it is today. What I’m teaching is not as popular as it once was. However, it’s still around in churches and other choirs all over the country.www.flickrcc.bluemountains.net
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- I know not everyone is familiar with music so here’s a mini-dictionary just to get a taste of some of the words. Also so you wont be completely confused throughout my powerpoint. Adagio – slow, at easeRhythm –The element of music pertaining to time, played as a grouping of notes into accented and unaccented beats.Dynamics – volume of sound the singer/instrument is producingHarmony- the combination of different notes added to the melody to create chordsAcapella- No instruments, just voiceVoice Parts- all of the different harmonies in a song ex. Soprano, Alto, Tenor, BassCircle of Fifths- rules of key signatures Major and minorRobert Garettsonwww.google.com/images
- Analyzing the music is just another step in the process of teaching. You really want the students to look at the full score of music rather than just their voice part. It helps them get a better understanding of music theory (i.e. reading music). So reading the text and understanding what the composer was trying to say, why he specifically made every dynamic mark what it is, all of the harmonies, rhythm and it goes on. Helping them by explaining simple things to them, they will surely understand a bit more of music each and every time. Even if they don’t realize they are learning, they are. Mary Rose Adkinswww.google.com/images
- Show choir- for example, glee. A show choir is a group of people who combine choral singing with dance movements, sometimes within the context of a specific idea or story.Church choir- Usually just sings hymns during church masses. Jazz choir- There are often fewer singers in jazz choir. There is a strong emphasis on development of good rhythmic feel.Gospel Choir-Gospel music is music that is written to express either personal or a communal belief regarding Christian lifeRobert Garettsonwww.google.com/images
- People can either sing in unison, or they can sing different voice parts. There’s a main tune to the song, which is the melody. And usually three other voice parts which are the harmonies. The sopranos almost always have the melody of the song. Sopranos are the higher female voice, alto is the lower female voice. Tenor is the higher male voice while bass is the lower male voice. Sometimes the bass has the melody along with the sopranos. The two middle voices, alto and tenor, generally always sing harmony. Archibald Davidwww.google.com/images
- Proper air support is essential to singing and staying in tune. The breath intake should come straight from the diaphragm and not the chest. While taking the breath, the abdominal muscles should support the control of the air flow, which gives the sound more quality. Leslie Guelker-Conewww.google.com/images
- When trying to produce a quality tone, posture is an important factor. A relaxed pose can conflict with singing because it causes a tendency to sing from one’s throat. Singers should be sitting in a relaxed comfortable position. A singer should be relaxed but alert. If the singer is sitting down, they should sit upright and keep away from the back of the chair. Robert Garettsonwww.google.com/images
- Vocal Warm ups are essential to any type of singer. You can’t just start performing out of the blue without warming up the vocal chords and getting them ready. If you do not warm up before singing, it could cause future damage to your throat/vocal chords. Prior to each rehearsal, take ten minutes to sing a quick and easy warm up.www.photobucket.comRick A. Stamer
- Making the rehearsals good and use your time wisely. Teaching the notes so the students can understand it. Also, it’s a good idea to give the choir notes on what they are doing wrong so they can write it down on their music and see it the next time so it won’t happen again. Be very enthusiastic because the choir will respond to a positive energy. Showing them how to do things and putting your body into it can be very helpful. Give lots of examples, notes be enthusiastic.Lynn A. Corbinwww.flickrcc.bluemountains.net
- Take some time just to listen them sing, even if they don’t know that particular section yet. Its always good to see how much they can sight sing. Make regular rehearsals so they accustomed to it. Also, when you show confidence, they will have confidence. If you don’t they will not be sure of what they are singing and it will be a catastrophe. Conducting requires the complex skill of multitasking. You have to listen to all the different parts and interpret what they are doing. Lynn A. Corbinwww.flickrcc.bluemountains.net
- Dynamics are the volume changes. There is a large variety of volume’s like fortissimo, mezzo forte, forte, piano and many more. However, there are also crescendos and decrescendos. A crescendo is when you start soft and then gradually increase the volume while a decrescendo is vice versa. There are many different dynamic markings and I personally really like to focus on the dynamics. Dynamics set the mood of the song and give it more flavor. (Conducting Guidelines)www.google.com/images
- In music, correctvowel pronunciations are what make your choir sound professional. Singing the vowels incorrectly can make the choir sound like a bunch of fourth graders. Consonants can be tricky sometimes too. There are many different techniques to make it sound like a professional choir. For example, to eliminate a sibilance “d” sound, you simply raise your tongue to the pallet. The letters “s”, “r” and “t” are probably the most difficult to extinguish. Especially to make your choir do cut off the sound in unison. To eliminate the “sssss”, try putting a French schwa after the word that ends in “s”. While singing, it is best completely neglect the English pronunciation. For example, in English we have different enunciations for vowels. If the lyrics in a song say the word apple, take the long “a” sound and but an “h” after it to make an “ah”. (Conducting Guidelines)www.google.com/images
- Tone quality is very important. An incorrect tone quality is pushing too much from your throat. As a consequence, it can cause vital damage to your vocal chords. When I say head voice and pointed tone, I mean to try and place the sound somewhere other than the throat. Also, tongue placement and the shape of your mouth can both play a vital role in your tone. If you don’t have your mouth open very wide and it seems more horizontal-looking, you’re doing it wrong. You need to have your mouth wide open and purse your lips a little more to make it more vertical-looking. Craig Fuchswww.photobucket.com
- Intonation is the accuracy of the pitch being sung, but that’s just a definition. While singing, you have a lot of things to be thinking about. If you are being judged, intonation can sometimes be the most strenuous concept. Judged intonation will consists of the following: accurate pitches, good breath support, your listening ability, the ends of your phrases, good vowel pronunciation and sometimes mental anticipation. Rick A. Stamerwww.photobucket.com
- To teach a group of people something, you need to fully understand it yourself. Rhythm, for some people, can be the hardest aspect to music. First, there are time signatures. Times signature consists of two numbers. The top number indicates the number of beats per measure. The bottom number identifies the type of note that receives the beat per measure. It’s a bit confusing. While conducting, it sometimes can be difficult to keep a steady tempo. Tempo is the speed of the song. LeslieGuelker-Conehttp://flickrcc.bluemountains.net/
- Blending is what a choir does. All it takes is one person to not blend correctly and they stick out like a sore thumb. A choir is to fuse together harmonies to create different chords and become a unit. When done correctly, it can sound more beautiful than anything you’ve ever heard.. It makes a more open and rounded tone which creates a aura of sound. Blending can also be improved depending on the acoustics in the room. An open chapel is one of the best places to produce an alluring sound. That’s where it was created. To generate the blending technique it is necessary to drop the jaw or open the mouth wider, which creates a richer, deeper tone. Make sure that the students listen to each section. If they can hear each voice part, then so can everyone.(Stephen Cleobury)www.google.com/images
- Cueing is the indication of entries, when a performer or section should begin playing (perhaps after a long period of silence). Cueing is achieved by engaging the players before their entry and executing a clear preparation, often directed towards the specific players. An inhalation, which may or may not be a semi-audible "sniff" from the conductor, is a common element in the cueing technique of many conductors.Rick A. Stamerwww.photobucket.com
- These ambitions for a choir are simple, yet rewarding. In the end, its all worth it to be a part of something wonderful. When you look back and listen to what you sang, you think “Wow, I did that.” That can really mean something to someone and it certainly does to me. (Conducting Guidelines)www.google.com/images
- Music has come such a long way since the beginning of its time. Choral music however, hasn’t changed quite as much. However, there were a few era’s where it evolved into something wonderful during its time which gave it even more originality. (Jason John)www.google.com/images
- The earliest records of choir repertoire is from ancient Greece. An early form of conducting is cheironomy,the use of hand gestures to indicate melodic shape. This has been practiced at least as far back as the Middle Ages. By the early 19th century, it became normal to have a dedicated conductor, who did not also play an instrument during the performance. Berlioz is considered the first virtuoso conductor. Wagner was largely responsible for shaping the conductor's role as one who imposes his own view of a piece onto the performance rather than one who is just responsible for ensuring entries are made at the right time and that there is a unified beat.www.google.com/imagesRobert Surplus
- Medieval This era begins with the fall of the Roman Empire and ends in approximately the middle of the fifteenth century. One of the most common vocal forms of the time was called plainchant, the Gregorian chant, or plainsong. It is known that this form of vocal music was the main root of polyphony during both the medieval era and in the Renaissance era. Polyphony is music consisting of several melodic lines, each having individual significance and independence. During the medieval times, they sang multiple styles of music during their old art and new art eras. http://library.thinkquest.org/15413/history/music-history.htmwww.google.com/images
- The RenaissanceDuring the beginning of the Renaissance period-which was from as early as 1300 to about the 1470’s-musical form followed the same basic principles that were used the medieval era. However, techniques evolved and new styles emerged. The three main forms used up to the sixteenth century were mass, motet and chanson. They were similar in that they all were polyphonic (music consisting of several melodic lines, each significant and independent) in texture, had four to six parts, and were all composed for voice. Additionally, the carol was also a popular Renaissance form. A carol consisted of two parts and was sung to a religious poem of numerous stanzas with the same music and refrain. It was very popular in England. http://library.thinkquest.org/15413/history/music-history.htmwww.google.com/images
- Baroque opera developed from the stories of ancient Greek tragedy. Italian musicians sought to express the emotion and depth of these Greek tragedies and thus integrated them into their own modern form, the opera. There are certain things that make up an opera. The music, orchestra, libretto, performers, costuming, and stage design (complete with scenery and lighting). There would almost always be some sort of solo part, whether it be a solo aria, duet, or trio. The opera would open with the overture, the instrumental piece that the orchestra would play to introduce the performance. Along with the orchestra a chorus was also present in the opera.Vocal chamber music was a form of music that was non-theatrical less important than opera, and composed for a few performers and an intimate audience in a small room. There are two sub categories to chamber music: solo song and chamber cantata. Solo song was vocal music for one performer. Chamber cantata was a non-theatrical, short composition. http://library.thinkquest.org/15413/history/music-history.htmwww.google.com/images
- Classical MusicThe Classical Era began around 1750 and came to an end in1820’s. Classical music was severely influenced by the musical eras previous to its own. Mainly operatic and baroque techniques still remain virtually throughout classical choral arrangements. Church masses especially held a strong amount of operatic styled pieces of music. http://library.thinkquest.org/15413/history/music-history.htmwww.google.com/images
- The Romantic EraOccurred roughly during 1815-1910. The art song became its own special category of vocal music - separate from folk song, operatic aria, and popular song. It was very lyrical. Composers made great strides during this time period to closely associate the text or words of a piece with its musical counterpart. The art song was poetic in nature, and its tones were more lyrical than the dramatic tones of an opera. An art song would turn written poetry into something tangible that could be emotionalized through its music. Its goal was to turn specific words or phrases into a musical scene. http://library.thinkquest.org/15413/history/music-history.htmwww.google.com/images
- Throughout the twentieth century, many trends developed. These trends permeated all the different areas of music and did not specifically happen at a given point in time or take on a strict form. Some of these trends were incorporated together into the same piece of music. The twentieth century broke all the musical rules of the past and let one form and style flow right into another. It is still important to note that although much change came with the turn of the century, Romantic music continued throughout this era, and remained the dominant form for quite some time. http://library.thinkquest.org/15413/history/music-history.htmwww.google.com/images
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- My personal favorite conductor/composer. This man brings the emotion to an entire new level. An accomplished composer and conductor, Eric Whitacre has quickly become one of the most popular and performed composers of his generation. Whitacre had received no training what-so-ever before entering his college choir. Three years later, he finished his first choral piece, Go, Lovely Rose. He later went on to Julliard and earned his Master of Music degree. To date, his forty-four published concert pieces have sold over 1,000,000 copies. http://ericwhitacre.com/
- Jakob Ludwig Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy, February 3, 1809 – November 4, 1847, was a German composer, pianist, organist, and conductor of the early Romantic period. He actually composed one of the very famous Christmas carols, Hark! The Herald Angels Sing. The young Mendelssohn was greatly influenced in his childhood by the music of Bach, Beethoven and Mozartand traces of these can all be seen in the twelve early string symphonies, mainly written for performance in the Mendelssohn household and not published or publicly performed until long after his death. He wrote these from 1821 to 1823, when he was between the ages of 12 and 14 years old. Mendelssohn wrote many sacred works, he was very biblical with his compositions. Mendelssohn suffered from bad health in the final years of his life, probably aggravated by nervous problems and overwork. www.felixmendelssohn.comwww.google.com/images
- Considered to be one of the most famous conductors/composers. His most famous work would be the Messiah which consists of the famous Hallelujah Chorus. The Messiah was performed first in front of King George II. The piece moved him so much he stood before God which is very meaningful. What he was saying by standing was that there was no higher power than God, not even the king. After Handel’s death, many composers wrote works based on or inspired by his music. He was very inspirational which says something because his was definitely ahead of his time. Churches still praise his works by singing them in their masses today. gfhandel.orgwww.google.com/images
- Jean Sibelius is one of the world’s most famous composers/conductor. He originally started in law but then moved to music because it took up all of his time. He composed many pieces of work and the academy that he went to changed their name to The Sibelius Academy in his honor. There are also programs dedicated to him for people who want to make music. (http://www.sibelius.fi/english/index.htm)www.google.com/images
- For my application, I put together a small choir and I taught them the song “Prayer of the Children”. We recorded the song using Garageband which turned out to be a bit more diffficult than I thought. On top of teaching everyone the song I had to piece everything together electronically and teach myself a little bit about garageband. Getting everyone together was also difficult. We worked on the song a few weeks before recording. The recording process took much longer than I expected.
- It is essential that a singer’s breath intake must come from the diaphragm and not the chest. However, not only a singer should do this. Most people have forgotten how to breathe properly. For example, the next time you see a baby sleeping, take a look at how its stomach is rising and then falling. It is the most soothing and resourceful way to inhale. First however, we’re going to stretch. Standing up, neck to both sides. Then roll it around. Stick your arms up in the air, take a deep breath and then let it out. Roll your shoulders around a little bit and loosen up. Then put your hands on your stomach where your diaphragm is placed then take another deep breath and let it out smoothly. Stomach should inflate while inhaling and deflate while exhaling. Take another breath. No chest should be rising, it should remain still. Only the stomach moving in and out. www.photobucket.com
- Throughout my research I had never realized what it takes to lead the choir and so many different things you have to worry about. Conducting is much easier said than done. However, the joy it can bring to your students is well worth the effort. www.photobucket.com