Latest Blog Posts

MY GO-TO WARM UP, by Cory Evans (Utah State University)   For my choir, our daily warm-ups and routines usually focus around establishing appropriate STYLE for the wide variety of repertoire selections we perform.  I am certainly concerned about establishing a beautiful blend, an exquisite choral tone, and all of the other elements necessary for […]

MY GO-TO WARM UP, by Raymond J. Roberts (Milwaukee High School of the Arts)   The first sound produced during the singing process is the most important. It has little to do with first impressions and everything to do with getting a good start to the phrase.   Coordinated Onset: The hardest to achieve and […]

FIVE FROM THE FOLDER: MIXED VOICES by Steven Zopfi   1. “Selig Sind die Toten.” Heinrich Schütz. Bärenreiter-Verlag. BA 523 A great example of mid-seventeenth century German motet writing from Schütz’s 1648 Geistliches Chormusik. The six-part contrapuntal writing is both an exciting and comforting reflection on death.   2. “Ecco mormorar l’onde.” Claudio Monteverdi. Alliance […]

Browsing the forums in ChoralNet, many of our members are sharing their thoughts and questions about using the iPad in rehearsal. Many of these uses are personal– organization, notes, scores/sheet music or other individual uses. There are many cases, though, where the iPad might be used for the whole group, whether through a projector or […]

Wow!  Look at this.  A whole choir full of young men!   It wasn’t too long ago, however, that they didn’t look or sound like this.  Every single one of these gentlemen was at one point in the not-too-distant past a gawking, unsure, confused adolescent with a voice that was – on its best day […]

I just got back from my fall retreat with my top choir, and again I am faced with this inconsistency: Why do choirs go on retreat? Bands don’t. Orchestras certainly don’t. I often receive a little grief from folks about the large expenditure of money. “Is this really necessary” and all that. My response is […]

How do we, given the enormous number of things we do in our jobs as conductors, keep sane and healthy? How can we deal better with stress?   Are there ways for us to do what we do with joy, full energy, and full engagement?   This week's title is The Power of Full Engagement […]

  Enjoy more episodes of Name That Choir Tune.

MY GO-TO WARM UP, by Amy Hall (Waukee High School)   Our classes always meet at 8:45 a.m. so it has been imperative that we get the voice and body moving to ensure healthy singing throughout the early rehearsal.  An exercise that works well for accomplishing this is singing an arpeggio and then coming back […]

COMPOSITION SPOTLIGHT ~ by Jack Senzig   (Each week we look at one or two of the best choral works posted in the Composition Showcase here on ChoralNet.  This is where we store a treasure trove of works that your choirs will love to sing and your audiences will love to hear.)   Self-Awareness Missa Brevis by Bill Heigen […]