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With the passing of Labor Day two days ago, we can (sadly) close the book on the summer of 2012.  Most schools are now in session, and a great many church choirs resume their regular rehearsal schedules this week.   There seems to be an increase of churches seeking to fill a singular Organist/Choir Director […]

The matter of choral tone has probably been a topic of discussion in studios and rehearsal halls for longer than any of us cares to ponder.  So we continue from last week’s “Choral Caffeine” with another point of view; in this case from Leanne Freeman-Miller’s article “The Vocal Edge” (Kansas ACDA Choral Range), in which […]

The start of a new school year gives us a chance to lay a foundation that we hope will serve us throughout the entire season (and beyond).  Among the countless considerations in this seemingly unending process is the matter of vocal tone.   In his article, “The Call: Teaching Singers to Project Healthy Tone” (Georgia […]

(Cue “Jaws” Theme Music)   “Bahhh dum”      Somewhere . . .   “Bahhh dum, Bahhh dum”      Lurking in the darkest corner of your choir . . .   “Dum dum dum dum dum”      Is a singer who can’t read music very well!   <SCREAM!>   The best time to teach sight reading […]

(From the Choral Journal article A Choral Director’s Rehearsal Checkup [p.33] by Charlene Archibeque)   Do you begin each rehearsal on time or even early? ALWAYS      SOMETIMES      NEVER   Do you have a thought for the day, goals for the day, or illustration on the front board? ALWAYS      SOMETIMES      NEVER   Do your singers know […]

(From the Choral Journal article Sight-Singing in the Choral Rehearsal by Nancy Telfer)          1) Sight-singing sessions should be short and concentrated. Exercises should progress sequentially, with each short example designed to teach and reinforce a separate skill and to build on previously learned skills.        2) Since sight-singing vocal music involves reading words […]

(From the Choral Journal column, “Musica Pratica” [p.41] by Nina Gilbert)          Don Neuen, Director of Choral Activities at the Eastman School of Music, uses a warm-up early in the fall that inspires instant, compelling choral tone. “Imagine that a long-lost friend has just appeared at the door to our rehearsal room,” he suggests […]

(From the Choral Journal article “Choral/Orchestral Balance: An Old Problem Reviewed” by James Fankhauser )          Can anyone imagine a choral director who would not choose to have his choir within eight feet of the podium for choral-orchestral works? Does anyone really like placing the choir at the back of the stage, behind the […]