For Movement

Etude 2 expands the material presented in this book on using movement for musicality. It offers guidance in applying movement specifically for momentum and the energy of the line in the classroom or choral rehearsal. The Etude employs movement in a broad variety of musical challenges to propel momentum, capture musical nuance, and improve performance at every level. Songs and professional guidance in this Etude lead directly to use in the classroom or children’s chorus, as well as providing the opportunity for professional development. The teacher can engage in this Etude without children, as needed, in applying movement to music and becoming more confident and competent in using movement to engage in and invite musicality. Insights gained from this Etude can be applied to all levels and repertoire to improve performance of any choral ensemble.

“Crystal clear” or “as clear as mud!”

Verbal imagery in the context of the choral rehearsal is explored in this chapter in order to understand how it is employed and what its effects are. Choral directors employ imagery to communicate to singers how to create and change vocal responses. Imagery is allied to specific features in the music and enables singers to gain conceptual understanding of aspects of the vocal sound. The study is based on research into the contexts and efficacy of verbal imagery in choral rehearsals; vocal responses were examined and imagery’s efficacy in affecting all categories of sound was observed, with examples demonstrating the perceived effects on tonal quality. Implications for directors highlight the efficacy of verbal imagery in assisting directors to achieve their musical and creative goals. Directors are encouraged to be creative in devising and employing imagery during their interactions with singers, enabling singers to create the desired vocal responses.

The Ringelmann Effect

This chapter examines the myriad ways that individuals in a group can function. In a rehearsal environment, conductors who understand group dynamics can endeavor to counteract the common negative effects of group work, and elevate the positive aspects of working within a team. The chapter further explores methods to create accountability in the choral rehearsal, with the goal of inspiring each individual singer to consistently put forth their full effort. Additionally, the author discusses various methods for designing effective assessments that will encourage practice and accountability. This chapter also examines the role priming can play in setting up a positive rehearsal environment, and considers the positive and negative effects of stress on one’s ability to learn.

Art & Science in the Choral Rehearsal

In recent decades, cognitive neuroscience research has increased our understanding of how the brain learns, retains, and recalls information. At the same time, social psychology researchers have developed insights into group dynamics, exploring what motivates individuals in a group to give their full effort, or conversely, what might instead inspire them to become freeloaders. This book explores the idea that choral conductors who better understand how the brain learns, and how individuals within groups function, can lead more efficient, productive, and enjoyable rehearsals. Armed with this knowledge, conductors can create rehearsal techniques which take advantage of certain fundamental brain and social psychology principles. Through such approaches, singers will become increasingly engaged physically and mentally in the rehearsal process. This book draws from a range of scientific studies to suggest and encourage effective, evidence-based techniques, and can help serve to reset and inspire new approaches toward teaching. Each chapter outlines exercises and creative ideas for conductors and music teachers, including the importance of embedding problem solving into rehearsal, the use of multiple entry points for newly acquired information, techniques to encourage an emotional connection to the music, and ways to incorporate writing exercises into rehearsal. Additional topics include brain-compatible teaching strategies to complement thorough score study, the science behind motivation, the role imagination plays in teaching, the psychology of rehearsal, and conducting tips and advice. All of these brain-friendly strategies serve to encourage singers’ active participation in rehearsals, with the goal of motivating beautiful, inspired, and memorable performances.

Identifying Ways We Learn

This chapter examines the validity and relevance of two frequently discussed educational theories: Multiple Intelligence Theory and Learning Styles. Howard Gardner’s Multiple Intelligence Theory encourages educators to look beyond the standard IQ test as a single measurement of a student’s potential. Rather, he encourages educators to look at students more holistically as defined by eight different intelligences. The chapter continues by explaining that scientific studies do not support the commonly held belief that students learn best through their preferred learning style. Instead, research demonstrates that information learned through multiple sensory entry points will have more triggers for recollection, thus increasing chances for recall. The author shares a variety of exercises created to take advantage of this brain principle in the choral rehearsal. This chapter further explores the brain’s affinity as a pattern-seeking device to respond to structure, and ways to use that affinity as an aid to learning.

The Write Choice

This chapter examines the use of writing as a tool for learning and retention in the choral rehearsal. Writing ensures a level of participation in analytical exercises not guaranteed during discussions, where students can easily disengage without notice. This chapter also notes the opportunity that writing can afford to the more introverted students, or those less likely to speak up to share their insights. The author suggests numerous ways to incorporate writing into various points of a rehearsal, such as during the opening minutes, at midway points, as exit cards at the conclusion, those occasions when singers need to sit out, or as journal entries written during or outside of rehearsal. No matter the type of writing activity, whether reflective, predictive, analytical, or summative, the chapter investigates exercises that keep students mentally engaged, encouraging creative and active participation in rehearsal.

Choral conductors to stage! What kind of learning do they claim to promote during choir rehearsal?

Current research on choral practice has studied various aspects of interpretation and different strategies for improving rehearsal. This article considers the amateur choral rehearsal as a setting for teaching and learning music. It analyses choir conductor profiles that may be related to conceptions of teaching and learning and their possible relationship with the implicit theories of teaching and learning. A questionnaire was administered to 41 conductors, considering three variables (expert/non-expert, teacher/non-teacher, and children’s/adult choir conductor). Quantitative evaluation through different cluster analyses showed three conductor profiles: Traditionals, including conductors who use little supervision, few different ways of representation other than corporeal, poor difficulty management and greater use of repetition during the rehearsal; a Focus on Reading profile, conductors who, in addition to using moderately complex processes, rely heavily on reading the score; and finally a Focus on Learning and Representation profile including non-experts and teachers, who use different representation modes in the rehearsal (corporeal, audio, visual, combined) and other complex processes such as transferring learning or metacognition. We also found significant differences among conductors for score processing levels. Finally, some features common to all three profiles characterise the choral environment as a peculiar field of musical learning, which may suggest some strategies for learning music.

The creative work of large ensembles

Preparing large ensembles for performance involves musical, social, logistical and financial challenges of a kind seldom encountered in other forms of collective music-making. The conventional approach to meeting the challenges that arise during rehearsal is to appoint a single musical overseer, usually a conductor, whose ostensible role in musical preparation is to directly influence the musicians while working towards the creation of a musical product to be delivered in later performances. Rehearsal leadership, viewed from this perspective, moves predominantly in one direction, from conductor to ensemble. But such a perspective oversimplifies the conductor’s relationship with the ensemble, the relationships between the musicians, and the strategies that the latter must employ when working in large ensembles. Conceptualizing the ensemble as a complex system of interrelated components, where leadership and creative agency are distributed and developed through rehearsal to achieve what audiences assume to be a unified whole, yields new understanding of the work of large ensembles. This chapter examines these components of the creative process in orchestral and choral rehearsal and performance, the internal and external forces shaping and constraining that process, and the approaches that individual musicians and conductors could adopt in response to the changing contexts in which such creativity might be manifested.

Vocal Pedagogy in the Choral Rehearsal

One of the primary endeavors of choral conductors is the facilitation of good choral tone, which is largely dependent upon the vocal technique of the individual singers. This chapter examines principles of historical vocal pedagogy, discussing their correlation with modern scientific research, and present suggestions for practical implementation of specific techniques in choral rehearsals. The chapter discusses four primary areas of vocal pedagogy in choral rehearsals: first, the significance of laryngeal position in choral singing; second, principles of resonance in singing and their impact on the choral sound; third, a discussion of breath support in choral singing; and fourth, principles of phonation and vocal production for singers in a choral setting. Each of these four discussions contain practical suggestions for the application of specific practices and exercises that will strengthen the vocal technique of choral singers.