INTEGRATING A PROGRAM OF SEQUENCED MUSICIANSHIP IN CHOIR

INTEGRATING A PROGRAM OF SEQUENCED MUSICIANSHIP IN CHOIR Christopher Peterson California State University, Fullerton

SESSION OVERVIEW What is Musicianship? and What Should Students Be Able To Do? The Elephant in the Room Values vs. Techniques Sequencing Teaching and Learning: Sound Before Symbol and Symbol after Sound Putting It All Together Sharing Your Own Best Practices Question and Answer Session (as time allows)

That s A Natural look for you I like it! Thanks! I C you re looking pretty sharp yourself!

WHAT IS MUSICIANSHIP? Thefreedictionary.com Musicianship: noun: artistry in performing music Musician: noun: one who composes, conducts, or performs music, especially instrumental music. Dictionary.com Musicianship: noun: knowledge, skill, and artistic sensitivity in performing music. Musician: noun: 1. a person who makes music a profession, especially as a performer of music. 2. any person, whether professional or not, skilled in music.

WHAT IS MUSICIANSHIP? How Do YOU Define Musicianship? What should your students be able to do in class? What should your students be able to do after taking your class for four years? Be As Specific As You Can. This is only your IDEAL for what you wish could happen.

THE ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM I m right there in the room, and no one even acknowledges me. 1. Everyone wants to teach musicianship, but most people want to do a better job at it. 2. There never seems to be enough time to do it well. 3. We teach the way we were taught most of the time. 4. Sometimes rote teaching seems easier and faster. 5. Finding materials takes valuable time. 6. We may resist change and lack trust in methods we haven t tried. 7. We may fear that our concerts will be bad if we focus too much on musicianship. 8. You can t afford to buy books. 9. What else..??

THE ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM I m right there in the room, and no one even acknowledges me. 1. You CAN do a better job at it. 2. There ISN T enough time to do it well, but you can do a lot in a few minutes every rehearsal. 3. While we do teach the way we were taught, this is easy to learn. 4. As kids become musicians, rote teaching decreases, though can still be used as a tool at specific times. 5. Finding materials takes time, but you will save time in the long run. 6. Your concerts will get better. Your literature choices will be even more fun. 7. You don t need to buy ANY books. 8. You may already be teaching more musicianship than you think.

IT S NOT YOUR FAULT! 1. If you didn t have choir directors growing up that valued and taught musicianship, it s not your fault. 2. If you didn t have college methods professors that taught you to sequence musicianship, it s not your fault. Ø But it IS your problem!

SINGERS OR CHORAL MUSICIANS? Singers rely on their teacher to teach the music for performance. This is a teachercentered approach. Choral Musicians rely on themselves first to interpret the score, solve problems, and create the music in a studentcentered approach. Your goal in a student-centered classroom is to help them become great musicians, and to guide and empower them to higher artistic levels.

You Say POTATO Values vs. Techniques Values are what we hold as important. Techniques implement certain Values. Teaching musicianship is a Value. We need not agree on Techniques.

Sequencing Teaching and Learning Sound Before Symbol Warm-ups can be musicianship training where steady beat, pitch, rhythm, tone quality, modes, and intonation can be experienced without ANY notation. These are mindful rather than mindless warm ups. Emphasize the visual, aural, and the kinesthetic, and vary the activities frequently.

Sound Before Symbol Where to Start? Kodaly Hand Signs ü Movable Do with a La-Based Minor. ü Teach whole and half steps of the scale. ü Be kinesthetically accurate with your hands. Start with the major scale, then add the natural minor scale, then move to modes.

Some Examples of Activities for Pitch Sound Before Symbol Use Kodaly hand signs in every warm up. ü Sing in rounds and patterns in various modes. ü Practice audiation skills by leaving out syllables and clapping or snapping. ü Try hand sign sight singing in 2, 3, and 4 parts. Train the ear to tune dissonances. ü Echo patterns to the choir, sometimes out loud and sometimes silently. ü Use patterns from your literature that you will sing later in rehearsal. DMFSRSRFMD (65) ü Be creative and make it fun and interactive. Let students lead when they are able.

Helping Visual Learners Buy or create visual aids to help people understand pitch concepts.

Helping Visual Learners

Singing Modal Scales

Visuals in the Room Cool stuff for your room from Stanford Scriven

Some Examples of Activities for Rhythm Sound Before Symbol Use group movement in every warm up. ü Mirroring helps students focus and creates kinesthetic awareness or beat and tempo. ü Echo clapping can also be combined with steadybeat movement. ü Use On 1 & 1 mind-clapping exercises. ü Use the Hiss with piano (C-D) exercise. ü Clap patterns from your literature that you will perform later in rehearsal. 12345678 3e+a4e+a (1+2) e+a 3e+a4e+a (15) ü Try the four subdivision exercise. ü Let them choose ways to subdivide to a metronome in class. ü Use numbers to establish beat and subdivision with claps, snaps, or articulated consonants. ü Make it fun and enjoy the progress! ü Attend a movement workshop with Dr. Benson.

Count out loud and clap where there is a 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 &

Count out loud and clap where there is a 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 &

Count out loud and clap where there is a 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 &

Teaching Pitch-Notation Concepts Symbols After Sound Focus, at first, on only what they need to know. ü The last (#) is ti and the last (b) is fa ü Teach G-Clef and F-Clef for notes ü Establish Do, and the concept of movable do. ü Use handsigns while sight singing. ü Practice naming pitches while you write them in on the board or projected screen. ü Only give Do as a reference pitch and work a cappella as much as possible. ü Practice establishing the key and triads. ü When they miss leaps, fill them in with steps, and then audiate the steps. ü Consider using C as a relative pitch anchor. ü Use musical vocabulary as you teach.

Teaching Rhythm-Notation Concepts Symbols After Sound Focus, at first, on only what they need to know. ü The note durations do NOT indicate tempo. ü Teach the relative duration of each note. ü Teach meter signature: the top number tells how many beats per measure, and the bottom number tells you what note gets ONE beat. ü A quarter note does NOT always equal one beat! ü Write in the counts and clap and count as you point to the notes on the board. ü Teach basic conducting patterns. ü Count sing on the pitches. ü Use a system like Ta-Ta-Ti-Ti-Ta ü Use Rhythm Flash Cards in warm ups. ü Focus on patterns from your literature.

Rhythm Flash Cards Symbols After Sound There are many ways to integrate flash cards for teaching rhythm ü Make your own. ü Buy some that are pre-made. ü Flashcard Deluxe Website http://flashcardsdeluxe.com/flashcards/ ü Explore the other 100 s of ready-made, free music flashcards from Flashcard Deluxe. ü Create your own slideshows for teaching musical concepts to the choir. ü Have students make their own card, and then use them in class as a group activity.

Rhythm Flash Cards

Rhythm Flash Cards

Putting It All Together Recommended steps for your actual rehearsal once you have a foundation: Choose an excerpt from the literature. Write it on the board in your best notation. Sing syllables with hand signs in the key. Establish the Key using the key signature. Write in the syllable names and counts. Isolate and repeat steps as needed. Sing the example from the actual octavo on syllables and/ or counts (not written in). Sing the literature excerpt on the words. Allow 10-15 minutes every rehearsal for this. You are rehearsing very efficiently and it will pay off as they build strong musicianship skills. Download and print: CSUF Teaching Sight Singing.pdf

Putting It All Together

Putting It All Together

Putting It All Together

Putting It All Together

Putting It All Together

Putting It All Together Once You Get Momentum: Students will get really good at singing on syllables and numbers and solving their own problems. Make them phrase their questions like musicians: Can we have help with the leap from DO to Fi? I think we might be singing FA. Focus on the most tricky parts of the repertoire. (83) Eventually you can sequence musicianship all through the rehearsal.

SUMMARY You don t need method books: teach from your repertoire. Sound before symbol: Use warm ups Symbol after sound: Keep it simple Before Symbol and Symbol after Sound Do what you can and keep chipping away. Create choral musicians, not just singers. Always link musicianship to the literature. Wedge more concepts in the cracks as you teach by using musical vocabulary at all times.

SOME OTHER COOL STUFF Many people create cool stuff you can buy or get for free. See the handout and website for more information about these materials. Link to most materials in this session: http://tinyurl.com/eccomus15

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INTEGRATING A PROGRAM OF SEQUENCED MUSICIANSHIP IN CHOIR Christopher Peterson California State University, Fullerton Share Some Of Your Best Practices

INTEGRATING A PROGRAM OF SEQUENCED MUSICIANSHIP IN CHOIR CPETERSON@FULLERTON.EDU Christopher Peterson California State University, Fullerton Questions and Answers