Art & Science in the Choral Rehearsal

Art & Science in the Choral Rehearsal
Author: Sharon J. Paul
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Total Pages: 241
Release: 2020-04-01
Genre: Education
ISBN: 0190863765

In recent decades, cognitive neuroscience research has increased our understanding of how the brain learns, retains, and recalls information. At the same time, social psychologists 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 free loaders. Art and Science in the Choral Rehearsal 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. Art and Science in the Choral Rehearsal 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.

Building Choral Excellence

Building Choral Excellence
Author: Steven M. Demorest
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Total Pages: 190
Release: 2003-04-10
Genre: Music
ISBN: 0199883130

Designed for both the practicing choral director and the choral methods student, this is a compact and comprehensive overview of the many teaching methods, strategies, materials, and assessments available for choral sight-singing instruction. Sight-singing is an important, if sometimes neglected, facet of choral music education that often inspires fear and uncertainty in student and teacher alike. Written in an accessible style, this book takes the mystery out of teaching music reading. Topics covered include the history of sight-singing pedagogy and research, prominent methods and materials, and practical strategies for teaching and assessment. This is the only book to provide such a wealth of information under one cover and will become an essential part of every choral conductor's library.

The Use of the International Phonetic Alphabet in the Choral Rehearsal

The Use of the International Phonetic Alphabet in the Choral Rehearsal
Author: Duane R. Karna
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
Total Pages: 338
Release: 2012
Genre: Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN: 0810881691

In The Use of the International Phonetic Alphabet in the Choral Rehearsal, Duane R. Karna brings together 30 essays by experts from around the world to describe how the character symbols of the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) can be used by singers in the choral rehearsal. Holding firmly to the belief that basic instruction in IPA character is part of a choir's training, Karna and his contributors see enormous potential for choirs to expand considerably their foreign-language repertoire and save considerable rehearsal time. The Use of the International Phonetic Alphabet in the Choral Rehearsal is the ideal primer for choral directors and choirmasters as well as choir members.

The Complete Choral Warm-up Book

The Complete Choral Warm-up Book
Author: Jay Althouse
Publisher: Alfred Music
Total Pages: 132
Release:
Genre: Music
ISBN: 9781457406959

A complete sourcebook for choral directors of all levels, as well as choral methods classes. Contains 211 warm-ups with information on usage, photos illustrating correct posture and vowel formation, and a well organized index to make finding the right warm-up a snap. Belongs in every choral director's library.

The Oxford Handbook of Choral Pedagogy

The Oxford Handbook of Choral Pedagogy
Author: Frank Abrahams
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Total Pages: 569
Release: 2017
Genre: Music
ISBN: 0199373361

As the landscape of choral education changes - disrupted by Glee, YouTube, and increasingly cheap audio production software - teachers of choral conducting need current research in the field that charts scholarly paths through contemporary debates and sets an agenda for new critical thought and practice. Where, in the digitizing world, is the field of choral pedagogy moving? Editor Frank Abrahams and Paul D. Head, both experienced choral conductors and teachers, offer here a comprehensive handbook of newly-commissioned chapters that provide key scholarly-critical perspectives on teaching and learning in the field of choral music, written by academic scholars and researchers in tandem with active choral conductors. As chapters in this book demonstrate, choral pedagogy encompasses everything from conductors' gestures to the administrative management of the choir. The contributors to The Oxford Handbook of Choral Pedagogy address the full range of issues in contemporary choral pedagogy, from repertoire to voice science to the social and political aspects of choral singing. They also cover the construction of a choral singer's personal identity, the gendering of choral ensembles, social justice in choral education, and the role of the choral art in society more generally. Included scholarship focuses on both the United States and international perspectives in five sections that address traditional paradigms of the field and challenges to them; critical case studies on teaching and conducting specific populations (such as international, school, or barbershop choirs); the pedagogical functions of repertoire; teaching as a way to construct identity; and new scholarly methodologies in pedagogy and the voice.

Choral Conducting

Choral Conducting
Author: Colin Durrant
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 216
Release: 2012-11-12
Genre: Music
ISBN: 1136071385

Choral Conducting is a resource for singers, teachers, and choral conductors, and a college-level text for students of choral conducting. It also includes an overview of what is involved in leading a choral group and examines theories of learning and human behaviour and the history of choral music together with conductor's role. The book also discusses issues of the conductor-vocalist relationship, the mechanics of singing, rehearsal strategies, and more.

Choral Director's Rehearsal and Performance Guide

Choral Director's Rehearsal and Performance Guide
Author: Lewis Gordon
Publisher: Prentice Hall
Total Pages: 280
Release: 1989
Genre: Education
ISBN:

Practical strategies & expert guidance on leading a first-rate choral ensemble, with tips & techniques for successful auditions, schedules, rehearsals, concerts, budgets, fund-raising, publicity, & more.

The Solo Singer in the Choral Setting

The Solo Singer in the Choral Setting
Author: Margaret Olson
Publisher: Scarecrow Press
Total Pages: 222
Release: 2010-11-04
Genre: Music
ISBN: 0810869144

While there are many similarities between solo and choral singing, they are not the same discipline, and it is important to realize the different approaches necessary for each. In The Solo Singer in the Choral Setting: A Handbook for Achieving Vocal Health, Olson presents the unique perspective of choral singing from a soloist's viewpoint, providing a clear outline of several issues facing the solo singer in the choral setting. She discusses concepts as diverse as body position in rehearsal and acoustic sound production, and she offers practical ideas for solving these challenges. Teaching examples and case studies help illustrate the problems and offer potential solutions for handling the challenges of the choral environment. After a general overview of vocal technique, the chapters address the physiological, psychological, pedagogical, acoustic, and interpretive issues facing the solo singer in the choral setting. Concepts, such as phonation; resonation and timbre; approaches to diction; voice classification; choral blend; interpreting emotion; relationships among choral conductor, singer, and teacher of singing; and the use of vibrato are examined in detail. Concluding with a conversation with two choral conductors, as well as a glossary, bibliography, and index, this volume is beneficial to singers, teachers, and conductors alike.