fundamentals of choir leading warm-ups & exercises · pdf filefundamentals of choir...

Fundamentals of Choir Leading Warm-ups & Exercises

Workbook

This workbook comprises the worksheets and checklists from all the lessons in the

Warm-ups & Exercises course. You can access all the lesson documents individually on

the lesson pages.

This book is intended simply to be a convenient way to download the materials if you

wish to view them offline, for example on a tablet or smartphone, or printed out.


Lesson 2 Why do we do warm-ups?

Answer: To prepare our singers to sing

Many singers don’t see the point of warm-ups. You may have people in your choir who

grumble when you ask them to do vocal exercises and don’t engage fully with the

process. Here’s a quick run-down of the benefits of warm-ups.

We build our warm-up sessions using a four-tier structure, which we teach in this

course. Start at the bottom and work up.

Relaxation

Breathing

Vocalising

Teambuilding

Relaxation helps our singers to leave the hassles of the day behind them and bring their focus into the rehearsal room. It also releases tension, which can impede the voice, and promotes good posture.

Breath is the generator of the singing voice. Breathing exercises continue the relaxation process and begin to engage the singing muscles. Steady, controlled breathing supports a consistent, beautiful sound.

Vocalising gently engages the singing apparatus and increases the blood flow to the larynx and muscles, decreasing the risk of damage during singing. Over time, these exercises can improve the range and timbre of the voice.

Teambuilding is all about creating a great atmosphere within a choir. Singers often sit in the same place and interact with the same few people at every rehearsal. Teambuilding expands their experience and benefits the whole choir.


Lesson 3 How the voice works

All sound is produced in the same way. Energy causes something to vibrate. The sound

waves produced by the vibration resonate in a space:-

In the human voice, the generator is the breath (produced by muscular action), the

vibrator is the column of air passing through the larynx, and the resonators are the air

pockets in our heads, necks and throats. In addition, we have articulators, our mouths,

lips and tongues, that alter in shape and affect the timbre of the sound.

How the larynx works

The larynx (sometimes referred to as the ‘voice box’) sits at the top of the trachea

(windpipe). It contains two vocal folds (also called vocal ‘cords’) that open and close.

They are open when we breath and closed when we swallow (to prevent food getting

into our lungs). When we produce sound, the folds are almost closed and vibrating very

fast as the column of air from the lungs pushes through them.

Generator Vibrator Resonator

For an excellent animation of the larynx in action, check out this video on YouTube: How

the larynx produces sound

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Remember We shouldn’t lecture our singers in rehearsals, so detailed explanations of how the voice

works and the affect of particular exercises are probably counter-productive. However, it’s

important that we, as choir leaders, have a basic understanding of what’s going on in the

body when we sing.

http://bit.ly/1g1qnls


Lesson 4 Maintaining vocal health

As well as encouraging our singers to take care of their vocal instrument, it’s vitally

important that we look after our own voices.

During choir rehearsals, we speak to our choirs and, depending on the venue, we may be

required to project our voices to be heard by everyone. Most of us also demonstrate to

our choirs vocally, which will sometimes involve singing at the extremes of our range.

The combined effect of speaking and demonstrating to our choirs can be hard on our

voices, so it’s sensible to warm-up before we start each session.

Here’s a quick warm-up that you can do before every rehearsal. It will only take you 5

minutes, and it will help you to care for your vocal instrument.

1. Stretching & breathing

Gently roll your shoulders three times forward and three times backward.

Yawn deeply.

Stretch your arms out to the sides and up over your head as you breath in deeply

through the nose. Gradually lower your arms back to your sides as you breathe out

slowly through, saying ‘sss’. Repeat once more.

2. Check your posture

Stand tall and think about your posture, scanning your body mentally from the toes

upwards. Tuck your pelvis in slightly and imagine your navel moving towards your

lower back. Lift your chest and broaden your shoulders. Lengthen the back of your

neck and imagine a thread lifting you from the crown of your head.

Gently move your weight from foot to foot, then forward and back, until you find a

centred position.

3. Humming slides

On a gentle ‘hmm’, slide up and down from the lowest point in your voice to the

highest and back again. Do this twice.

4. Lip trills

Do a few descending lip trills, then give your temples and jaw a massage.

5. Drink some water!

It’s important to drink water before a rehearsal. Try to drink about 30 minutes

beforehand to give your body time to distribute it around your body and lubricate

your larynx.

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Remember A really important way that you can protect your voice in rehearsals is by NOT shouting. If

the choir is chattering and you’re finding it difficult to achieve silence so that you can speak,

don’t be tempted to shout over them.

Instead, look at the choir expectantly (don’t forget to smile!), with your arms raised, and

wait for them to come to silence.

If you’re hoarse the day after a choir rehearsal, you need to change something!


Lesson 5 Categories of warm-ups

As we make clear in the video lecture, categorising warm-ups is, to a great extent,

artificial, because many vocal exercises address multiple issues, and because the voice is

an integrated system.

However, thinking about vocal exercises in basic categories helps us to create balanced

warm-up sessions. Below is a table that expands upon the categories we talk about in the

video lectures.

Relaxation

• Stretching

• Yawning

• Moving limbs & joints

• Massaging

• Posture correction

Breathing

• Releasing the abdomen

• Opening the ribcage

• Engaging the support muscles

• Long breaths/notes

• Short, sharp breaths/hissing

Resonance

• Nasal consonants (mm, nn, ng)

• Humming/sirens

• Facial expression/mouth shape

• Vocal cord closure

Pitch/intonation

• Listening & repeating

• Scales & arpeggios

• Intervals

• Chords

Blend

• Rounds

• Mixing voices


• Dynamics

Rhythm

• Clapping rhythms


• Syncopation

• Note values

Articulation

• Vowel formation & modification

• Consonants

• Lip trills

• Facial expression/mouth shape

• Tongue-twisters

Team-building

• Improv games

• Rounds

• Clapping games

• Tongue-twisters

• Mixing voices


Lesson 6 Relaxation

Why should we do relaxation exercises?

For two reasons. They help us to leave the hassles of the day at the door and focus on the

rehearsal. They also release physical tension which can impede our vocal apparatus and

affect the sound we make when we sing.

Here’s a handy re-cap of the relaxation exercises demonstrated in the video lesson.

Stretching arms above head

Wiggling fingers and toes

Shoulder rolls, forward and backward

Shoulder squeeze on in-breath, release on out-breath

Gentle head turns to sides, up and down, and ears towards shoulders (note -

discourage allowing the head to flop back)

Shrugging shoulders rhythmically, adding knee bends and ‘ah’ sound

Lion breath

Posture correction - slouching, then ‘growing’ up, standing tall, lifting the chest

Breathing in, going up on tiptoes, breathing out, lower heels

Finding centre of balance

‘Tarzan’ massage, with ‘ah’ sound

‘Cleaning the teeth’ with the tongue

Yawning

Raise arms to side on in-breath, lower on out-breath, add a sigh

‘Rag doll’

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Remember Make sure you tell your singers to work within their own limitations. Let them know

explicitly that they shouldn’t do anything that causes them pain or discomfort.


Lesson 7 Breathing

Why should we do breathing exercises?

Exercises that concentrate on breathing help us to engage the support mechanism

comprising muscles in our abdomens, backs and ribs. Like any muscular system, it only

becomes stronger when put under stress, so the more we breathe, the better we breathe.

Here’s a handy re-cap of the breathing exercises demonstrated in the video lesson.

Sighing (really dramatic!)

Breathing in while holding imaginary heavy bags

‘Birthday cake’ (blowing out an imaginary candle with ‘ha’)

‘Bicycle tyres’ - breathe halfway in, breathe out with short, sharp hisses

Breathing with intention (imagine a delightful surprise!)

Quick breath in, long out-breath to hiss or hum, extending out-breath each

time

Lowering chin to chest on out-breath, raise on in-breath, long hum out

Remember The gestures we use to direct warm-ups are often as important as any verbal instructions

we give. When you indicate to the choir to breathe in, use an outward gesture (as if you

were playing an accordion) rather than an upward gesture. The former will unconsciously

encourage the choir to expand their ribcage, while the latter may result in raised shoulders.


Lesson 8 to 10 Vocalising

Why should we do vocalising exercises?

The larynx is a complex unit made of muscle, cartilage, ligaments and soft tissue. Gentle

vocalising warm-ups increase the blood flow to the larynx and raise the temperature in

the muscles, allowing them to stretch with greater ease.

Here’s a handy re-cap of the vocalising exercises demonstrated in the video lessons.

Resonance

Long note (getting longer each time)

Long note chords, repeated with dynamic changes

Perfect 5th slides

‘Rollercoaster’ (sirens exploring whole range) to ‘hoo’

Slides (through whole range, noticing position of most resonance)

‘Smiling faces’

Pitch

Thinking ‘up’ or ‘down’ when singing the opposite

Counting intervals

‘Ssh’ (scales with one or more notes replaced by ‘ssh’)

Blend

Balancing chords (triads, then with additional notes - 7th, 2nd, 6th etc)

Breathing together

Remember Keep your instructions simple. A demonstration is often more effective than an explanation.


Lesson 11 Teambuilding

What are teambuilding exercises?

We use the term ‘teambuilding’ to refer to any activity that encourages the choir to gel

and to work together. Sometimes they involve singing, sometimes not. The important

thing is that they’re fun. We’re not looking to make any technical advances with these

activities - it’s all about atmosphere.

Why should we do teambuilding exercises?

There are lots of reasons to do teambuilding activities. They continue the process of

relaxing the choir and creating a good atmosphere in rehearsal. They encourage choir

members to interact with others (particularly useful in large choirs). They change

singers’ perception and keep things fresh.

Here’s a handy re-cap of the teambuilding exercises demonstrated in the video lesson.

Papa’s Got a Head Like a Ping-Pong Ball

Clapping game

Nobody Knows the Trouble I’ve Seen

Bele Mama (including walking around)

Improvisation game

And here are some additional ideas you might like to try:-

‘Row, row, row your boat’ round. Start with two groups (second group coming

in halfway through), then four (coming in after each bar), then eight (coming

in every two beats), and even sixteen (coming in every beat).

12 bar blues improvisation. Divide into groups and improvise to a blues

backing track using ‘scat’ sounds.

Sharing a melody. Divide into two or more groups. Sing a familiar song in

unison. Each group only sings when pointed to by the leader (who could be

you or a choir member). The challenge is to make the song as seamless as

possible as it hops about between the groups.

Introductions. At a couple (or more) points during any rehearsal, ask the choir

to mix up and stand or sit next to someone new. They shake hands and

introduce themselves (even if they know each other, which gets over any

embarrassment about forgotten names). Then continue the rehearsal in this

mixed form until the next re-shuffle. This technique works best when time

isn’t particularly tight as it always takes a while for everyone to re-settle.

Ways to mix up your choir

When you’re practising rounds, or any activity that involves groups, you’ll need quick

and easy ways to select those groups. The simplest method is to gesture to sections of the

choir. (don’t worry about being absolutely exact - let the singers near the dividing line

between groups decide which way they’ll go).

That’s fine until you want to mix up the groups. If you have time and space, you can

physically move people around (and you can use moving around as part of the activity,

as we demonstrated in the video, or as an opportunity for ‘Introductions’ - see above).

If you’re working with a small choir, you can number them, ‘1, 2, 3, 4; 1, 2, 3, 4’ (or

however many groups you need), then have the number 1s sing together etc.

In a large choir, birthdays give you great way to mix up. If you need 4 groups, say,

everyone with a birthday from January to March will be group 1, April to June will be

group 2 etc. If you wanted 3 groups, you’d use 4 month blocks. This only works with

large groups. In smaller groups, you end up with clusters of birthdays and one group

that’s much bigger than the rest.

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Remember Teambuilding exercises are all about fun. Don’t get too hung up on ‘correctness’. The

improvement in atmosphere, relaxation and teamwork are an end in themselves.


Lesson 13 Building up your toolkit

Here are a few ideas for sources of inspiration and motivation that will help you keep

your warm-up sessions fresh.

Total Choir Resources - website and podcast

Well, we would say that, wouldn’t we! Total Choir Resources’ entire

purpose is to give choir leaders the tools, tips and training they

need to do a fantastic job.

Choralnet (choralnet.org)

The forum of the American Choral Directors

Association. A great place for wide-ranging

discussions about all things choir-related.

Try their associated Facebook group too.

YouTube

The go-to resource for video. Try searching for

‘teambuilding games’ and ‘ice-breakers’ to find ideas,

often from the corporate world, for silly things to do.

As ever, you may have to wade through some mud

before you strike gold.

Find Your Forte podcast (ryanguth.com)

A newcomer on the choral scene, Ryan Guth’s interview-based

podcast is a great source of motivation and new ideas. The podcast

includes episodes called ‘Motivation Monday’ and ‘Technique

Tuesday’.

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