rounds

#63: Friday, September 4, 2020

Four Rounds to Start this Brave New Year
——Back to the Heart (Timothy Takach / Julia Klatt Singer)
——A Path To Each Other (Jocelyn Hagen, Timothy Takach / Julia Klatt Singer)
——When I Rise Up (J. David Moore / Wendell Berry)
——Build The Sky (Jocelyn Hagen, Timothy Takach / Julia Klatt Singer)

As I sat down to write September’s blog, I was panicked, anxious, and overwhelmed—in the midst of preparing for a fall semester full of unknowns. Like many of you, I had no concrete idea of what the day-to-day of my teaching would look like, or the logistics of how to keep a program alive during this pandemic. And even if I had answers, they kept changing.

Are we online or in person? If in person, how long will that last? Who will be in my groups? How do I recruit new singers, if all the normal ways are temporarily disallowed? How far apart to stand? Where can we rehearse? For how long? What’s the air exchange rate and filter rating in whatever room I can fit in? What about zoom/remote rehearsals, and latency, and connectivity? How about SoundJack or JackTrip or Acapella…or Loom or Padlet or FlipGrid? Or virtual choirs? Will my students’ technology and mine allow me to consider any of that? Will anyone even come back to my program? What will the long term impact be on my program, with losing current students and missing out on new recruits? Will singers agree to sing in a mask, or just quit over the adjustment? Are concerts even a thing this semester? WIthout concerts, will students stick around? And absolutely most importantly, is it even safe to sing at all?

As we all were, I was impatiently awaiting the results from the ACDA & NAfME summer research endeavors, not knowing what to expect. Tying to plan for multiple scenarios, all of which could change with one new administrative edict.

You know what wasn’t on my list of questions? Repertoire. My specialty and passion is repertoire, and yet I had (and have!) so many unknowns related to everything else that choosing repertoire wasn’t anywhere on my radar yet.

Now that school is in session (face to face, for now), the questions continue. How do I teach students to sing healthily in a mask? Can I teach without losing my voice? Is Zoom going to crash today? Do the online students feel like they are part of the group, even though they are not physically in the classroom with the rest of us and have to be muted most of the time? Did I charge my mic pack? (see the question about losing my voice) Are there enough wipes available? Did everyone remember to use them? Are all my 12-feet-distanced Xs still taped on the floor? Are the students engaged and enjoying rehearsal? Can I even really judge mood when I can’t see their faces? Will we all be sent home for remote learning, or will we make it to end of term? Do I space in my capacity-cap for an accompanist?

You know what still wasn’t on my list of questions? Repertoire. The idea of finitely choosing appropriate music for three different choirs, whose moving-target size, voicing, and experience level may change at the drop of a hat (or an internet connection or a test swab) seemed an insurmountable hurdle.

Enter these four rounds. All available from Graphite Press, these four pieces of music are timely, relevant, flexible, engaging, and just what I needed to start the semester. [Plus, budget-friendly and immediately-available for download…even better!] Additionally, Abbie Betinis’ “Be Like the Bird” is another wonderful option – see my blog post from June 2018 for more info on that piece.

Back to the Heart
Composer: Timothy Takach
Poetry: Julia Klatt Singer

-D mixolydian (do re mi fa so la te do – F#, C natural, with one C#)
-compound meter, 12/8
-3 part round, with optional piano; descant/semi-chorus closing to unison ending
-connectivity, passion, belonging, music, song
–https://graphitepublishing.com/product/back-to-the-heart/

A Path to Each Other
Composers: Timothy Takach and Jocelyn Hagen
Poetry: Julia Klatt Singer

-3 part round, a cappella
-F Major/d minor
-simple meter, 4/4
-empathy, connectivity, walls vs. bridges, compassion
–https://graphitepublishing.com/product/a-path-to-each-other/

When I Rise Up
Composer: J. David Moore
Poetry: Wendell Berry

-bright, joyful, uplifting
-compound meter, 9/8
-G major
-3 part round, a cappella
-arguably, this one may be the easiest to learn, but it also has the most opportunity for solo voices and small group exploration of individual style
–https://graphitepublishing.com/product/when-i-rise-up/
-See also: https://jdavidmoore.net/works/flexible/a-little-book-of-rounds/

Build The Sky
Composer: Jocelyn Hagen and Timothy Takach
Poetry: Julia Klatt Singer

-C Major
-simple meter, 3/4
-2 then 3pt round, a cappella
-music, singing, community, connection
https://graphitepublishing.com/product/build-the-sky/

Grab one or more of these rounds for your start-of-year repertoire. You won’t be sorry. Be ready for whatever this fall throws your way, by relying on flexible but beautiful repertoire, with texts that speak brilliantly to the situations we find ourselves in right now. My choirs have each just begun the year, and each have started to tackle one of these rounds. I look forward to following the evolution of the music, and my students, as we navigate this uncertain semester together. 

Until next month!
-Shelbie

Dr. Shelbie Wahl-Fouts is Director of Choral Activities and associate professor of music at Hollins University, a women’s college in Roanoke, Virginia.
Email:
Bio:     https://www.hollins.edu/directory/shelbie-wahl-fouts/

For a listing of all current and past blog entries by this author, click here.
For a spreadsheet of all blog posts and their repertoire, click here.