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Thoughts on These Times, by Lynne Gackle

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The realities of our new “normal” are becoming more apparent each day as we end one semester and plan for the way things might look in the fall. Many things have changed and, as the “visionary adapters” that we are, we have taken things in stride and made necessary changes to our teaching, our communication, and our music-making. Those changes have pushed many of us far outside our comfort zones into places that we never thought about or ever wanted to be.

Ideas for teaching online swirl over social media. Virtual choirs continue to demonstrate the ability to sing “together” and somehow fill the need that people have to create music together. Zoom and other communication platforms have shown that instruction can continue. The technology that allows for all of this, though imperfect, is a wonderful gift available even to those of us who are not as technologically savvy as others.

People are also sharing information in new ways. Teachers are helping teachers, and music businesses have come to the aid of programs across the country. In the spirit of achieving a common goal, resources and ideas are being made available to help us continue. All of these adaptations speak to the spirit within our membership’s heart to share, to give, and to reach out through the choral art.

At the same time, these adaptations can never completely fulfill the artistic and educational objectives of the “in person” choral experience for singer, conductor/teacher, and audience. In fact, many might view these current adaptations as limitations.

There is no denying that we have been limited – quarantine has a way of doing that! This invisible foe we face has forced us into the corner for a moment because limiting our “presence” is the best tool we have right now to fight this deadly menace.

However, that will change. A vaccine will be found, and life and human interaction will occur again. I also have no doubt that we will adapt and become safer, more intentional, and more thoughtful in our approach to our work and to each other in the future. In the meantime, we have a choice about how we view these limitations.

In his book Free Play: Improvisation in Life and Art, Stephen Nachmanovitch penned a chapter entitled “The Power of Limits” in which he discusses “form” as a type of limitation. “If form is mechanically applied, it may indeed result in work that is conventional, if not pedantic or stupid. But form used well can become the very vehicle of freedom, of discovering the creative surprises that liberate mind-at-play.”

Similarly, poet Wendell Berry writes: “There are, it seems, two Muses: the Muse of Inspiration, who gives us inarticulate vision and desires, and the Muse of Realization, who returns again and again to say, “It is yet more difficult than you thought.” This is the Muse of form. . . . It may be that form serves us best when it works as an obstruction to baffle us and deflect our intended course. It may be that when we no longer know what to do we have come to our real work and that when we no longer know which way to go we have begun our real journey. The mind that is not baffled is not employed. The impeded stream is the one that sings.”

We all want to sing again – together! And we will! Music created in the moment, in the present, reminds all of us, performers and singers alike, of our connectedness and our humanness. As Brené Brown has stated, “We are hardwired to connect with others, it’s what gives purpose and meaning to our lives, and without it there is suffering.”

I am reminded of the meme that has recently floated around the internet. Accompanying a picture of empty chairs and music stands in a rehearsal room is the statement “Someday soon choirs, bands, and orchestras will gather together again. The conductor will signal for the first note to sound, and musicians will remember it’s hard to read music with tears in their eyes.”

What a happy day that will be.

Lynne Gackle is national president of American Choral Directors Association. She is the Director of Choral Activities at Baylor University and holds the Mary Jane Gibbs Professor of Music Chair. 

“Here Rests In Honored Glory”

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By Donald B. Miller

On December 28, 2018, New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo signed a law making “Here Rests In Honored Glory” New York State’s Official Hymn of Remembrance in honor of all American Veterans. The composition is scored for SATB chorus, three trumpets, two trombones, tuba, timpani, and organ. This work is intended for any patriotic holiday, concert or service, and is published and distributed by Hal Leonard Publishing, Inc. All composer’s royalties are divided between two veterans’ groups: Paralyzed Veterans of America and Vietnam Veterans of America.

During the 1960s I was eligible for the military draft but was never called to serve. I always felt guilty that I did not serve in the Vietnam War. My feelings of guilt combined with the reception our military personnel received on coming home, led me to want to do something positive. I realized we have a national anthem, but we don’t have a national hymn of remembrance for our veterans. With that, “Here Rests In Honored Glory” was born. The work was created in 1986 and was inspired by the inscription on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, Arlington National Cemetery, and is the only musical setting of the text on the Tomb.

A brief summary of the composition is as follows:

  • The piece has been adopted by Paralyzed Veterans of America and Vietnam Veterans of America as their “Official Hymn of Remembrance.” All composer’s royalties go to these two organizations.
  • The work has been performed in Arlington National Cemetery Amphitheater, the Vietnam Wall, the United States Naval Academy, Annapolis, MD, during a Sunday worship service, aired on NPR and other FM stations during Memorial Day and other patriotic occasions.
  • In 2006 the work was recorded by the North Carolina Master Chorale, Raleigh, NC, and the sale of the CD benefited TAPS (Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors). For seven years my wife and I raised money for TAPS, a national organization that serves our military families who have had a loved one die while on active duty. I shall never forget one Memorial Day weekend while attending TAPS’ national conference in Crystal City, VA, a young man and his two young children came up to me and said they were going to go to Arlington National Cemetery to celebrate Memorial Day. He and his children were going to have a picnic. They were going to spread a large blanket over his wife’s grave, play the CD of “Here Rests In Honored Glory” and share a meal. It goes without saying, this was the most humbling experience of my life. I wrote the work to bring honor and comfort to our Veterans and all those who serve. We can never thank them enough.
  • In 2008 the work received the George Washington Medal of Honor from the Freedoms Foundation at Valley Forge.
  • In August 2015 in Normandy, France, I was presented the D-Day Medal from the Memorial Museum of the Battle of Normandy by the Curator of the Museum. I was told that each June 6 the museum will play the CD of the work in commemoration of D-Day.
  • On December 28, 2018 the piece was established by law as New York State’s Official Hymn of Remembrance in honor of American Veterans.

You may listen to the piece here, performed by North Carolina Master Chorale in Raleigh: https://ensemble.itec.suny.edu/hapi/v1/contents/permalinks/Rg4w8PXs/view.

Donald B. Miller, DMA, is a former New York ACDA President. His career included full-time teaching at Onondaga Community College and part-time at LeMoyne College (Syracuse, NY). He directed choirs, taught classical and jazz guitar, and music history. In retirement he continues to compose and arrange music. His published body of works includes compositions for chorus, guitar ensemble arrangements, and compositions for orchestra and instrumental music.

The Philosophy Behind the Sight-Reading Imperative

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By Stuart Hunt

Why your students will love you for raising the bar

I struggle writing this. My passion for building musicianship drove me to create a business whose sole focus is to address literacy in the three parts of sight-reading:

  1. counting
  2. interval recognition
  3. part-singing

For me it is both imperative for our students who recognize the benefits and at least ascent to the brief time we invest in learning to read better, and seeing some who have even developed a passion for it. Yet, I must honestly and regretfully say, my experience tells me we are clearly a small minority. We too often choose to invest the time or use our rehearsal time in other ways.

Teaching literacy in music reading is a professional choice. I will attempt to professionally address the whys and the benefits. I struggle with the opposite philosophy, but either way, I believe it is always philosophy that guides our decision.

For example, why do or don’t we

  • exercise
  • read
  • maintain our car
  • learn to cook
  • prefer indoor or outdoor exercise
  • marry or remain unmarried

Some of these are weighty questions; some are not. However, it is our personal philosophy that guides our responses and action. I freely admit that parts of this blog may be uncomfortable. It is uncomfortable to write, but it is not taboo.

Investing in sight-reading

There are only pluses, no minuses.

Given the narrow window of time we actually get to engage choristers, and considering the number of skills they need to acquire and master, the variables in rehearsal, and the outside options and mandates (concerts, performances, assemblies, testing, etc.), what we do with every second of rehearsal adds to or subtracts from musical excellence. Time is not our friend, therefore, as we all know, detailed planning of those activities that enhance skill acquisition and mastery are the stuff excellence feeds on.

Spending something does not yield a return. Investing does. I cannot countenance or advocate for deciding not to invest in teaching the myriad skills acquired in effective sight-reading skills, but here are a few reasons to consider:

  • Sight-reading teaches heuristic (self-learning) skills. Those who acquire critical skills altruistically teach their choirmates, saving valuable rehearsal time.
  • When students are engaged in learning, they are not interested in any form of distraction. Actually, they oppose distractions.
  • With guided, planned, focused skill acquisition and mastery, decisions about literature are vastlyaltered. What was never thought possible is believed to be achievable
  • When reading and note-learning / correction / drill are not an issue, there is more rehearsal time available for meaningful, deeper discussions about culture, intent of the composer, interpretation, listening examples, guest conductors, choir exchanges, concert detail planning, audience engagement, facial expression, movement or choralography, and so on.
  • When a conductor plays a recording of music they know will deeply impact the choir and the audience, regardless of musical challenges, the choir can see and hear themselves come up to the challenge, and be willing to engage it.
  • The culture described by Dr. Robert Shaw begins to develop: “I don’t desire to be a part of a choir that sings because they want to, but because they have to.”

How else and who else will develop future audiences unless we, choral conductors do that? One does not join an Olympic bobsled team for the experience.  That person must bring something to the party: skill, passion, team-spirit, inspiration. Skills they have already acquired. So, what’s the difference with the choral art?

How are singers supposed to acquire the ability to read music?

Just by singing? How? If our literature choices are limited by our student’s poor skills, it is a zero-sum gain. Charles Ives said: 

“If you always feed a 3-year old candy for breakfast,
they will always be a 3-year old
and the oatmeal market will die!”

Stop for a moment. Take stock of your rehearsals. Take stock of the learning rate of your choirs. Is it all you have ever wanted?

  • Why or why not?
  • Do you regularly get choked up in rehearsal?
  • When was the last time?
  • Why?
  • Did you talk about that with the choir?
  • Are your audiences ever brought to tears?
  • Why or why not?

Consider this metaphor as a foundational reason to make sight-reading a daily regimen:

  • A tall building must have a strong foundation if it is to stand for a long time (legacy, inspiration, space for all and welcome for all).
  • A good foundationprovides overall lateral stability for the structure (choral integrity and trust building).
  • It also provides a level surface for the construction of substructure (positive leadership and sectional pride).
  • Load distribution is carried out evenly (rehearsal absence is not an option; no dissention; focus is on the most important musical elements).
  • Anchor it against natural forces such as earthquakes. Yes Dorothy, stuff happens even in great choirs. When it does, do we bend and focus on solutions or dissolve into petty arguments? We have all experienced that.

Reflect for a moment on your college and university experience and recall those moments when time just stopped. There was not another place on earth you had to, or would rather, be at that moment. Do your choirs regularly experience and talk about those with their peers and siblings? That is how great choirs are built.

I once saw a statistic that 80 percent of those who sang in a choir were recruited by someone else. I am one of those. I only sang in choir the last quarter of my senior year in high school. It totally changed my life.

Forty-eight years of conducting public and private choirs on both American coasts, throughout British Columbia, and 23 concert tours including 2 five-nation concert tours and competitions of Central Europe later, I can say that choral music is not a vocation. It is greater than a profession. It is a life! By committing our choirs to music literacy, we have all had experiences that none of us ever dreamed of, and we got there together, as a team of growing artists.

Choose your sight-reading system to fit your needs. Don’t go for low-hanging fruit. Commit to rigorous standards and stick with them! Your singers will not object – they will love you for teaching and motivating them to seek a higher challenge.

In fact, they will insist on raising the bar!

Great musical skills equip them to look beyond just the possible. You will give them new glasses to see, in their own way, that because they SOARED in a choir, and it altered their perception of what is possible. You will change their lives because, as Pat Riley said, “it is the result of always striving to do better.” It is not a skill, it is an attitude, rooted in competence, nurtured by mastered skills, and brought to fruition by a wonderful conductor with great ideals. YOU!

Excellence is never an accident. It is always the result of high intention,
sincere effort, and intelligent execution;
it represents the wise choice of many alternatives—
choice, not chance, determines your destiny.
—Aristotle

Your thoughts are most welcome. Contact Stuart Hunt (www.toolsforconductors.com): .

Is Imposter Syndrome Keeping You Away from ACDA Conferences?

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By Brenda Winkle

Brenda Winkle

Do you sometimes feel that no matter your experience, your educational achievements, and your work ethic, you continue to hope no one finds out that you are, in fact, an imposter? That’s imposter syndrome. Before we go any further, let’s clear up one thing: if you are taking your career seriously enough to be reading articles from your professional organizations, you are not an imposter.

I have experience at all levels and in different kinds of positions. I’ve struggled with imposter syndrome at all of them, except my current position(s). I’ll tell you why in a bit but here is a teaser: it has nothing to do with my jobs. To better explain this, I will share some of my teaching background.

My first year, I taught K-12 vocal/instrumental music along with speech and drama in rural Colorado. The next three years found me in Sturgis, South Dakota, as the director of choral activities at the local high school and I became the South Dakota ACDA state choral chair.

Following my tenure there, I moved to Kansas City. I taught 3rd-8th grade music and choir at a private school for 2 years before I had my daughter. This is where I had the opportunity to teach Eph Ehly’s grandson and meet Eph. A long commute led me closer to home and I accepted a position at what used to be known as Ervin Junior High in Hickman Mills School District in southern Kansas City, where I was the 6th-8th grade choir director.

A family work change moved us to Boise, Idaho. I was planning to be a stay-at-home mom, but I couldn’t give up choirs (and wasn’t very good at being an at-home mom). To keep myself involved in choirs, I volunteered for a local Catholic parish’s children’s chorus while I was between teaching jobs.

A divorce led me back into the job market in a town (Boise) where I knew very few people, and no one in the music or education worlds. Remembering back to the private school in Kansas City, I relied on a letter of recommendation written by Eph Ehly to get a job in the Boise School District, where I’ve spent the last twelve years.

In Boise, I’ve taught high school choir, junior high choir, leadership class, piano class, elementary choir, and all elementary music classes. Most currently, I serve as an elementary music specialist and choir director at an elementary school.

Three years ago, I became the Opera Idaho Children’s Choruses (OICC) director. OICC serves singers ages 3-18 and has three choirs. We have one chorus for kids ages 3 to 1st grade, one chorus for kids in grades 2-5 and an older chorus of singers in grades 6-12. This is a tuition-based community youth chorus program.

The combination of these positions has finally resolved the imposter syndrome I felt. Here’s why.

I was very active in my professional organizations as a high school and junior high choral person. When I moved to the elementary level after becoming a single parent, somehow I felt almost guilty attending ACDA.

I loved my job and working with the little ones, but I worried there wasn’t relevant content for me as an elementary person at ACDA. I had never met an elementary person at ACDA but didn’t know if it was because they weren’t there, because they weren’t openly elementary teachers or if it was because I had been so focused on getting my students situated in their honor choirs I only had the opportunity to focus on other secondary directors. The longer I was away from ACDA, the harder it got to go back.

When I took the job with Opera Idaho, somehow that felt like permission to re-join ACDA. And instantly, I fell back into the fold, even in a different state than where I was before!

Here’s what I know about the people who are part of ACDA. They are teachers who love what they do. ACDA members universally want to help others in this profession. Sometimes this means being a listening ear or even a shoulder to cry on. We protect each other and protect the profession of choral music education. Professionally, the techniques we learn are applicable to any age group. Only the way we describe things changes between the ages. This means the content is ALWAYS relevant no matter what level you teach or where you teach.

In ADCA we build each other up and share our tools. We want to be resources to each other. People LOVE to share ideas, especially teachers. An ACDA conference is a great place to share and acquire new ideas, tips, and tricks. An ACDA conference is a safe place to say, “This isn’t working in my choir. What ideas do you have?”

Worried about making new friends or going alone? I had THE BEST time at ACDA’s national conference! It gave me time to connect with my Idaho ACDA colleagues and friends, meet several of the Northwest Region ACDA members, and I made friends from all over the country. I came home from the conference with new ideas, new friends, new perspectives, and a ton of new music. Most importantly, I came back re-inspired and re-energized to do this important work.

Having taught at all public school levels, I can say with complete confidence, what you do is important and matters. No matter what you teach, your job is challenging. What you do is important. Working in small or large schools, private teacher, not-sure-you-want-to-teach, community or church choirs, all levels, you are welcome at an ACDA conference.

Looking to meet a new friend? Come find me. I feel new to Northwest ACDA and would really like to meet you! I promise you there are other people looking to find a new friend and colleague just like you.

Brenda Winkle is music specialist at White Pine Elementary School, director of Opera Idaho Children’s Choruses, and serves as R&R chair for children’s and community youth choirs for Idaho ACDA and ACDA Northwestern Region.

The Primacy of Rhythm: Practical Understandings of this First Musical Skill

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By Stuart Hunt

“Rhythm is the art of beautiful movement” – Augustine of Hippo

Putting the horse in front of the cart when discussing rhythm, let’s take a moment to examine the “why” of rhythm, followed by the “how to,” as both teach and learn. The “why” can guide our path to excellence and the joy of performance.

As conductors, we know that counting and rhythm, at its core, is just math. But, as humans, we actually experience and learn pulse before we are born, in vitro. Mom’s heartbeat is always present, a life-giving metronome. At a certain point, we then also become aware of our own, metric pulse. The word “rhythm” is derived from the Greek rhythmos, meaning “measured flow, movement or motion.”1 Plato’s definition was “Rhythm is order in movement.”2 Barred / metric rhythm, it is worth noting, only began to appear in the seventeenth century as a result of the need of dancers to know where a “downbeat” was. As choral writing with more parts and greater complexity rose after circa 1600, there was obvious need for more precise notation to “hold things together.”

Considering rhythm in the singing and choral art, rhythm exists in the form of groups or patterns: small, medium, and large. It is true that rhythm can exist without melody (percussion), but melody can not exist without rhythm. In order for singers (alone or in groups) to interpret text, melody, tension/release, artistic expression, and other aspects of vocal communication, we eventually choose how we “group” rhythmic patterns. The challenge for choristers (and conductors) is that we must agree how to group and interpret.

The easiest and least time-consuming method to accomplish this is to be able to independently “count” rhythm. However, this is often over-thought, over-worked and does not actually produce the intrinsic accuracy and motivation we hope for.

Addressing and solving this challenge, one of the most influential choral conductors of the twentieth century, Dr. Robert Shaw, promoted “count-singing” that gave both substance and form to rhythmic precision by teaching that “count-singing is a procedure that teaches pitches and rhythms simultaneously and trains the singers to share a common pulse.”3 Count-singing works, Shaw insisted, because of the following:

  • It removes all doubt when sounds should begin and end.
  • It clarifies exactly which pitches should be sung and how long they should be sustained.
  • It ensures vertical alignment for all voice parts, regardless of the pitch or duration of the individual notes in each part.
  • Because it clarifies vertical alignment, it reveals harmonic progressions and facilitates clarity in polyphonic passages.
  • It offers a means by which crescendo and diminuendo may be paced over time.
  • Choirs will find it easier to control the placement of final consonants and the pronunciation of diphthongs.4

Agreement on Terms

Perhaps we’d better state the obvious:

  • Tempo is the speed at which music “moves.”
  • Rhythm is sound placed in time, in an organized pattern.

As applied to poetry, speech, or music, rhythm (and expression) give interpretation and understanding to words and text. How we stress or do not stress syllables can completely change understanding or meaning. Consider the following:

Are you going to choir?

Are you going to choir?

Are you going to choir?

Are you going to choir?

Are you going to choir?

Likewise, rhythmic interpretation can and does affect the way we “feel” about musical phrases, whether or not text is present. Two excellent examples of rhythmic variation and mood influence are Karl Orff’s “Carmina Burana” and Bedrich Smetana’s “The Moldau,” both evocative of the theme for which they were written.

Learning to Learn

It is worth considering that our instrumental colleagues and their approach. Instrumentalists make constant use of “concept repetition”, or drill, which involves:

  • quickly and correctly identifying and counting notes
  • grouping them into rhythmic patterns
  • interpreting the patterns into musical phrases

They do, in fact, drill patterns of many types, which leads to improved abilities to “see” larger amounts of notes, quickly recognize and group them into recognized patterns, and play artistically with decreasing amounts of rehearsal time—what we all wish to do.

How Is This Trained?

Consider how we all learned to read in the first place:

  1. We learned the sounds of letters (note identification).
  2. We combined them to make words and rhythmic patterns.
  3. We linked words to make phrases & sentences (musical phrases).

What is often overlooked or missing in choral education is rhythmic pedagogy. We teach rhythmic identification but do not train the eyes to look ahead and combine notes into phrases. To save rehearsal time and detail more advanced music, we must train our vocal students to:

As professionals, we do that, but our students do not yet have that depth of experience.

Gary Corcoran wrote in The Addition System for Teaching and Learning Rhythm: “Achieving an automatic response to reading rhythmic patterns . . . is the result of much necessary drill and repetition. It is impossible to develop a reflexive and accurate response to rhythm patterns without drill(emphasis mine).”5 (Download Dr. Corchoran’s book by clicking here.)

The Keys

As noted in points 1, 2, and 3 above, Dr. Corchoran points out: “Believe it or not, our eventual goal is not having to count while performing! (Unless one chooses to.) While insisting that our students “Count! Count! Count!,” we seem hesitant to tell them that advanced musicians do not count every rhythm they encounter—although they could if asked. Instead, they have developed over time a sizable repertoire of instantly recognizable rhythm patterns which they can consistently perform with precision and accuracy at all tempos and in all styles without having to consciously concentrate on counting.”6

With good material, in order to truly progress toward mastering a skill, or, at least, becoming independently competent, we must adopt a regular and reasonably rigorous routine of

Practice

The website Stages of Skill Acquisition (http://stagesofskillacquisition.blogspot.com/) offers information and suggestions on 3 types of deliberate practice and breaks down deliberate practice into three stages:

  1. The Cognitive Stage. This is the first step when learning a new skill. You’re practicing and making mistakes.
  2. The Associative Stage. You’ve had enough practice to see where you are making mistakes and to correct them. It’s at this stage that getting the quality feedback we spoke about earlier is important if you want your skill level to progress.
  3. The Autonomous Stage. When you reach this stage, you can almost perform the skill on auto-pilot. You aren’t a master yet and maybe you never will be, but you have become competent in a relatively short amount of time thanks to deliberate practice.

It is very important to just be patient with yourself. If you don’t fear mistakes or be too critical, you can move from okay to excellent. Take some risks, make mistakes but learn from them. Time is your friend.

Did You Ever Wonder?

For those really serious about growing high-performing individuals and choirs, here is a link to a Psychological Review article entitled “The Role of Deliberative Practice in the Acquisition of Expert Performance,” by K. Anderson Ericsson, Ralph Th. Krampe, and Clemens Tesch-Römer. The article is well worth reading as a guide to what, how, and if deliberate practice leads to maximal performance, among other topics. You can read or download to ruminate on best-practices and expected outcomes.

Additionally, here are 75 rhythmic practice exercises that I have prepared and that are available for free download: www.toolsforconductors.com.

Evaluating Progress

A last consideration is how to best evaluate progress. To guide you and your students, Dr. Geoffrey Boers, Choral Chair at the University of Washington, has developed the Choral Literacy and Skills (CLaS) Rubric, just posted by NAfME on their website as the first-ever national choral standard by NAfME: click here to download and learn exactly what students should be able to achieve in 12 areas at 6 levels of experience. It is the culmination of 3 years of work, also being adopted by Choral Canada as their national standard.

[Note from ACDA: Dr. Boers is currently working on a series of videos, funded in part by ACDA’s Fund for Tomorrow, that will educate and train conductors, students, adjudicators, and administrators on the application and potential of the rubric. The videos will be available in 2020 and free for public access.]

Finish with Assessment

After months, or perhaps years of hard work, is it paying off?

  • Choirs are reading more accurately and faster.
  • They can teach the “newbies” without your help.
  • You can choose literature they would love to perform, but could not handle before skill improvement.
  • You know in your heart they are heuristic learners.

But, can you prove it?

There are, finally, lots of resources available to music educators. In the past, we have had to rely on “assessing” (subjectively) our students one-on-one or in small ensembles, which is very time-consuming and begs the question “What are the other students doing in the meantime?”

The option not to consider is doing nothing. While our colleagues who teach math, science, history, English, etc., are evaluated by state “norms,” mandated music evaluations have been sporadic or nonexistent. But that is changing and we must make the decision to prepare and be ahead of the curve, taking our detailed evaluations to administrators before they ask or mandate.

A first assessment in the autumn, a mid-year assessment, and final evaluation in the spring (more if you wish) will provide growth markers for students and program-effectiveness evaluations for the educator.

Plan on it, research it, ACT! There are many benefits.

Benefits

Putting rhythmic mastery front and center,

  • saves large amounts of rehearsal time
  • solves many discipline challenges because students are constantly engaged in “problem solving” and artistry
  • helps singers become aware of their own competence and ability to help others
  • moves artistry to a higher level
  • elevates choice of literature

By focusing attention on solid grounding and mastery of rhythmic skills, the acquisition of all other skills is simplified. Consider making it of prime importance for all of your choirs.

Questions, or interested in dialogue on this issue? Please post a comment to this blog post, or contact the author at .

Notes

  1. Anon. Rhythm. Online Etymology Dictionary. Retrieved from https://www.etymonline.com/word/rhythm
  2. Crossley-Holland, P. (2017, Aug. 31). Rhythm. Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved from https://www.britannica.com/art/rhythm-music
  3. Elrod Huffman, P. (2013, Feb.) The rehearsal techniques of Robert Shaw. Southwestern Musician, p. 41.
  4. Bloker, R. (Ed.). (2004). The Robert Shaw Reader. New Haven, CT: Yale Univ. Press.
  5. Corcoran, G. (n.d.). The Addition System for Teaching and Learning Rhythm.New Hampshire Band Directors Association, p. iv. Retrieved from http://www.nhbda.org/corcoran-addition-system-for-counting-rhythm.html

Centering Vocal Pitch Is Not Difficult, and Can Be Great Fun!

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By Stuart Hunt

Beside accurate counting, looking ahead to “pre-hear” rhythms and pitch (audiating), singing accurately and in-tune is a primary skill for all vocalists. But is it typically taught, or just caught?

Our instrumental colleagues have posters that read “Tune it or die !”, which presumably refers to effort, not impending doom. 

Think about it for a moment: when a vocalist (or section, or entire choir) is out of tune, how do you respond and correct? For the most part, the fault lies in one of two (hopefully not both) ways:

  • an interval is incorrectly sung, and all successive intervals are adjusted to the missed pitch
  • vowels are malformed resulting in tension or distortion of the vocal tract or resonant chambers

There are, of course, a number of other causes, but let’s focus on the cures for a moment by first mentioning the “The Seven Learning Styles” (courtesy of https://www.learning-styles-online.com/overview/.)

  • Visual (spatial): You prefer using pictures, images, and spatial understanding.
  • Aural (auditory-musical): You prefer using sound and music.
  • Verbal (linguistic): You prefer using words, both in speech and writing.
  • Physical (kinesthetic): You prefer using your body, hands and sense of touch.
  • Logical (mathematical): You prefer using logic, reasoning and systems.
  • Social (interpersonal): You prefer to learn in groups or with other people.
  • Solitary (intrapersonal): You prefer to work alone and use self-study.

Actually, corporate (choral) singing incorporates ALL of the above (save perhaps solitary). We touch on these methods throughout every rehearsal which is the joy of learning and expressing great art together. But, at times, we must just STOP and fix things. The conductor must determine the cause, then craft a solution that, hopefully, solves the challenge both at the moment and gives singers the tools to both recognize and correct missed pitches themselves (preferably before they sing them).  It becomes both method and habit. The mantra is:

“Practice does not make perfect: it makes permanent. Only perfect practice makes perfect.”

We can practice the wrong things. Learning is much easier than relearning.

Here is something I have discovered and used for years. It is always a joy to watch how singers interact with this technology after instruction on Appoggio, or, diaphragmatic vs. laryngeal singing and control of pitch. (I know. I’m setting many of us up for a contestable discussion, so, I’ll just keep to the main subject). Here’s a picture of a digital tuner:

There are many such devices for free or inexpensive downloads. I like this one because singers get real-time feedback in two ways:

  • The vertical needle is constantly finding and responding to whatever pitch it “hears,” indicating 0, or perfectly in tune or flat or sharp, and how far (by the way, this can also be calibrated to whatever you need).
  • Below the needle are 1 green flanked by 2 red LEDs, with a flat or sharp symbol beside them. Some explanation for new learners is good. 

These LEDs work together with the needle to give a vocal real-time feedback. What a singer sees before them is whether they are using laryngeal control of pitch (needle hard to control, RED lights constantly blinking) or, more stable, diaphragmatic pitch control which keeps the GREEN light on. I simply ask them to hold the pitch steady for 3 seconds, then 4, then longer once they connect with the diaphragm. 

Next, after they gain more control over pitch stability, I ask them to move the needle slightly to the left (and tell them this is below the center of the pitch, or flat) then back to center and hold. Next, to the right (and tell them this is above the pitch center, or sharp), then back to center and hold. It usually takes only a few seconds for them to lose inhibitions, start to monitor and be aware (just trying fails; awareness cures!) what their diaphragm is doing in this challenge. It quickly becomes a challenge they are willing to accept.

This is exactly what happens when we ask a choir to “center the pitch” or “sing on the high side of the center,” but that is a meaningless admonition unless they experience first-hand what we are asking.

In a group situation, what typically happens is that I will ask for a volunteer. In middle school and high school choirs that can take a moment of patience, but someone will always take a challenge. I position myself a few feet in front of them and hold the tuner closer so the microphone can accurately measure their voice. For those shy, precious volunteers, what happens nearly every time is that their bravery is uncommonly rewarded: others gather around to watch them work the digital tuner. Embarrassment dissolves because the total focus is on the tuner, not the singer. Others watch and when asked “would someone else like to experiment?”, nearly every hand is raised. This will go on for as long as you allow it. Students usually download their own tuner and experiment and become more accurate tuners themselves. 

Doubtless, you have other ways worth sharing with colleagues. Consider writing them and being a part of this forum. It is always fun to discuss ways to improve the art. 

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Stuart Hunt is enjoying his 48th year in music education and choral conducting.  His company, Tools for Conductors, writes and publishes sight-reading material K-university.  TFC band, choir, elementary, and rhythm online assessments, “You Won’t Miss a Beat,” are available through MusicFirst.com.

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