In episode 39 of ChoralEd, Dr. Robert Jordan discusses a democratic approach to repertoire selection. In a democratic approach, Jordan invites students to search for repertoire and share their discovered works with the class. For younger singers, students select music from a list curated by the director. As students develop their musical skills, they begin […]
ChoralEd: Vocal Exercises
Beginning July 2024, ChoralEd briefly transitioned from episodes on pedagogical technique to vocal exercise videos for classroom use. For many choral educators, starting class can be a challenge. At the start of every class, teachers are expected to juggle multiple responsibilities (i.e. attendance, paperwork collection/distribution, behavior correction). Simultaneously, teachers must also actively engage students in […]
ChoralEd: Simplify the Music Learning Process: Harmonic Chord Chart
In episode 37, ChoralEd host Micah Bland recommends the use of a harmonic chord chart when sight-reading new performance repertoire. The implementation of a harmonic chord chart serves two purposes. First, pitch and rhythm are separated from each other allowing students to focus on one musical element at a time. This feature can be advantageous […]
ChoralEd: Avoiding Rote Teaching – Using Solfège to Introduce New Repertoire
Introducing music using a rote technique has its advantages in certain circumstances. However, possibly more impactful is connecting the sight-reading skills that are required in most state music standards with the learning of new performance repertoire. To begin, have students count the rhythm separately from the music. Concurrently with this step, students can begin to […]
ChoralEd: Identifying Potential Vocal Challenges in the Repertoire
Prior to introducing new repertoire to an ensemble, choral directors should carefully evaluate their selections for potential vocal challenges as they prepare for the rehearsal process. To identify potential vocal challenges choral directors should look at and sing through each voice part and consider the following questions. Where did I have trouble? Where will my […]
ChoralEd: Selecting Appropriate Repertoire
When selecting repertoire for the choral ensemble a great deal of care and thought should be given to each song as this music will serve as your curriculum for roughly eight weeks of rehearsal. By selecting repertoire that is at the appropriate difficulty level, (as opposed to music that is too easy or difficult) you […]