ChoralNet Discussion

http://www.choralnet.org/2016/09/7-ways-love-choir-ryan-guth/

I loved this article. I think it is very important to love your choir and make sure that they know it. Caring for your students is very important. Students who feel valued and loved are more likely to open up and put in more effort. They will always remember you as a teacher and thank you when they grow up. The teachers that I remember are the ones who showed us that they cared and always asked how we were doing and would not only talk about the work that needed to be done. It is important to adjust your mood according to how your students are feeling. I really liked that in the article he provides some ideas for the different kinds of moods you are going to find in your students. Sharing stories helps them relate to you or sometimes even lighten the mood if it is funny. Everything he mentioned in the article are things that I am going to try and remember when I walk into a classroom. How about you? Do you think it is important to love your choir?

Post on reading assignment for chapter 4 in Singing to Children and Young Adults Jenevora Williams and chapter 13 in Vocal Technique by Julia Davids.

Comments/ A-ha moments

1) I learned a lot about puberty from the chapter in Williams's book. I knew that there were physical changes that happened during this period but did not fully understand why guys voices went so low. I know understand that it is because that vocal folds are growing and becoming longer and thicker by 65% for males and 34% for females.

2) I really liked in the Williams book when it said " Play with noises and have fun: the laughing pupil will learn more easily than the fearful one". I have had a lot of students who are shy and intimidated to work with teachers. It is always more productive when you make the lesson fun and informal. The students are most likely to open up and ask questions and get involved.

Questions:
1)  I was shocked to read their reasons for onset of puberty. Their reasons are things that I would have never thought about before. They say that puberty is happening earlier in age. Their reasons include improved diet, warmer climate, hormones in water supplies or beauty products, increased psychosexual stimulation, and increased overall exposure to light. Would these really cause changes for when puberty starts?

2) In the book by Davids it talks a lot about tension especially with the tongue. I have had this problem with clarinet playing where I would use too much tension with my tongue and it would influence my playing and my sound. Would the size of your tongue influence singing and having tension?

Post on reading assignment for chapters 1,2, 3, and interludes A, B, and C from Teaching Singing to Children and Young Adults by Jenevora Williams.

Comments:

1) I liked Interlude B on the learning process. It really shows that there are several steps to learning and several aspects that factor in. She states 7 stages of learning each focusing on something different. I don't think however that every child's brain works easy like this and that some kids are going to have more trouble in certain areas than others.

2) I enjoyed reading on the physical development and changes in kids. Being a music school teacher you are going to be faced with kids of all ages wanting to sing and it is important to understand what physical changes they might be going through. They are developing and you are going to want to know how to properly approach teaching them how to sing depending on where they are in developing so that they do not damage their voice.


Questions:

1) It says in chapter 1 that younger singers should avoid extended singing on pitches, or singing loudly or passages with fast notes, or singing long phrases, or any combination of these. I know it is important for their vocal health to develop their voice at a certain pace so that you do not damage it. However, we also see very young singers who are incredible and sing just as well as some adults. Are these kids damaging their voice or are they further developed than usual young children?

2) In the interlude A section it mentions that no child born able to sing in tune and that everyone needs to learn it. I liked this statement cause a lot of teachers would just say that the student is tone deaf. Why does it come faster to some kids than it does for others? Is it possible to have kids that can not match pitch at all?

Post on reading assignment for chapters 5 and 6 from Vocal Technique by Julia Davids and Stephen LaTour.

Comments/ A-ha moments:

1) I liked reading about the section on tongue position when singing vowels. I am not a singer so I have never learned any of this information before. Moving your tongue slightly will change the sound and intonation and with a choir that will be hard to blend. I would love to learn more about this topic since it affects the choir's sound so much!

2) I enjoyed reading on all the different ways to sing 'r'. You have flipped 'r', rolled 'r', and retroflex 'r'. Then there are different rules when singing in italian or german.



Questions:

1) Does the size of someone's tongue or mouth influence their ability to create nice resonating vowel sounds?

2) In the chapter on vowels it says that sopranos should avoid singing vowels [i] and [u] at high pitches. Is there rep that requires them to? If so, how would we approach this in an appropriate that still has a good tone?

Post on reading assignment for chapters 3 and 4 from Vocal Technique by Julia Davids and Stephen LaTour and  chapter 5 from Teaching singing to children and young adults by Jenevora Williams.

Comments/ A-ha moments:

1) In the book by Davids it talks about your soft palate in chapter 4 about resonance. I found it interesting to read about having an inner smile while you sing to lift the soft palate. I have experienced this concept while studying clarinet in university. In order for clarinettists to make sure air does not leak and to ensure they have a good focused tone we think of the inner smile while we play to close the soft palate. I was surprised to see that it is the same concept with singing.

2) In the book by Williams, I was fascinated to learn about how many times the vocal chords collide to create a certain frequency. The example they use is if you sing a middle C then the folds are colliding about 260 times a second. I would have never guessed that they collide so many times in just one second.

Questions:

1) The book by Davids goes pretty in depth about the vocal anatomy and gives detailed explanations of how singing works. When would a teacher introduce these concepts to the their student? Would you just keep it simple for them and teach them the basics of how to create sound and resonance?

2) In the book by Williams it has a section on vocal chords. It speaks about elongating the vocal folds to raise pitch and increasing the force of collision of the vocal folds to change loudness. How would you explain this concept to students? This is something that I don't think they will grasp right away. What are some healthy ways to explain these same concepts so they don't damage their vocal folds?

Response to Ted Talk : Lead like the great conductors by Itay Talgam

Throughout the ted talk by Itay Talgram, he discusses the different styles of conducting from great conductors of the 20^th century and points out crucial lessons. I liked when he talked about spreading happiness and the joy that is created when there is a concert. It reminds us of why people come to see a concert and that as the conductor you have the ability to bring joy to people. I thought it was funny when he said never look at the trombones because it only encourages them. This statement is very true and I have encountered this during several rehearsals. You have to let the music happen by itself and not interfere. I thought this was a great lesson because you want to let your players have the freedom to interpret the story and it will all come together beautifully. He mentions to make the musicians your partners and not tell them what to do.  I find it fascinating that you can control an ensemble with the tiniest movements or even with just the expression on your face. It is fascinating to watch how different yet effective each conductor’s style is and see the different ways you can communicate to your musicians. 

Welcome to Kenzie Does Music!


This blog is for ED2520 Voice and Choral Methods. It is a choral blog which allows me to be a part of a personal learning network.

I have a Bachelor of Music from Memorial University where I studied clarinet and I am currently studying music education as a second degree. My background with choral music is limited so I look forward to learning more and sharing it with others.