Personal Development Stream 2018 Course Contents Please note that where a courses is shown as having more than one session, students should plan to attend all the sessions. Fundamental vocal techniques Eric Dalbey 5 sessions A refresher course on what we understand as the science, art and health aspects of singing broken down into three parts: Wellness and Vocal Health Acoustics and Physiology Artistry and Expression Topics covered will include how to effectively warm up the voice; keeping the voice healthy and preventing injury; getting to know our instrument and the science behind it; applying the elements into a complete package of musicality. Advanced vocal techniques Eric Dalbey 5 sessions The Advanced session will repeat some of the material from the Fundamental course, but with more emphasis on practical aspects and individual vocal work. Barbershop Chords David Wright 4 sessions This is a fun course showing what s unique about barbershop and how it works. Learn about the chord fundamentals that make our music so enjoyable to perform. With enough singers, and particularly sight readers, this will be a singing course! 1
Music and maths David Wright 2 sessions Elementary ways in which mathematics and music interact with each other, including time signatures, simple melodic transformations, structure and form, overtones and timbre, and especially how barbershop harmony is based on the overtone series. You do not have to be a maths geek to understand and benefit from this class. Arranging Case Studies David Wright 2 sessions This course looks at arrangements which have proved to be successful. Watch videos of performance by whomever they were arranged, and discuss why it succeeds. Students can be arrangers, but it s also useful for directors and other interested people. The Ambassadors of Harmony Story David Wright 2 sessions This course tracks the development of David's chorus from a 25-man C-plus chorus to a four-time international champion, chronicling all the mistakes and successes. Appropriate for directors, music team member, and those who are just plain curious! Music notation. Helen Brown 2 sessions This is a course in two parts which looks at musical notation using oral and written activities. If you have no music theory experience this is the course for you. The first session covers rhythm and the time values of notes and rests on the stave. Be prepared for some singing, clapping and other musical malarkey. The second session looks at pitch and how to begin to read notes placed on the treble and bass clefs. We ll start to explore the major and minor keys and how those sharps and flats are used they are there for a good reason, honest! Scale, intervals and chords. Helen Brown 2 sessions This course is also in two sessions and follows on from the learning covered in the music notation course. If you already have a basic grasp of notation but want to start to understand basic chords then this is a good place to start. Session one is all about scales and intervals (the distance between two notes). There will be a variety of activities, both oral and written, and even more musical malarkey! Session two will finally allow us to look at chords two and three note chords which could be major or minor. We might even reach musical nirvana and construct a barbershop 7th a four note chord! Yay! 2
What makes it barbershop? Helen Brown 1 session How long is a piece of string? What is the meaning of life? Well such questions can be pondered for ever and a day! Was that barbershop? Have you ever asked that question? Let s go back to the pretty good book and see what it says. This session will skip light heartedly through the first half of the Music Category description looking at how songs and arrangements can demonstrate the hallmarks of our wonderful barbershop harmony style. Beginner s guide to barbershop harmony. Helen Brown 2 sessions This course demands a certain level of music theory knowledge for you to get the most out of it. Ideally you will be able to read the treble and bass clefs, time signatures and key signatures and have a reasonable understanding of simple chord structure. It will cover the basics of the barbershop chord vocabulary and voicings, which chords can we use and which part sings which note. It will then consider the naming of chorus and the circle of fifths. Finally, those elements of song construction that favour our style and help the listener to find his way through the performance. What Music judges judge. Helen Brown 1 session What is the point of a music judge? Have you ever wondered? Many think they are to judge the suitability of the material to the barbershop style but down in the murky depths of the music judge s brain there are many other thought processes simultaneously wriggling and writhing as you strut your stuff on the competition stage. This session covers the key areas that music judges listen for as you bring your songs and arrangements to life. Introduction to Performance. Kirsty Williams 1 session What is performance and how do I do it? Including an introduction to the new performance category and using some examples for identification of good performance skills we will look at what it means to perform rather than just sing for an audience. A theoretical and practical application of performance techniques aimed at all singers but in 3
particular for those who are fairly new to barbershop or those wanting to learn more about the new category. From page to stage. Kirsty Williams 1 session A working method for performers. Considering performance from the moment we look at a piece of music is the best way to ensure a truthful and prepared performance. Performance shouldn't be a last minute add on. In this session we will look at the performer's journey from knowing your material, making a plan, making it work and taking it to the stage. Making a plan and making it work will be covered in more detail in the session Lyrical Message. Lyrical message. Kirsty Williams 2 sessions What we know and what we need to know. Working with a quartet we will be looking at ways to bring the song to life and to convey the message by working with the text and the strengths of the group. The class participants will be observers and also participants in a forum theatre style, where the audience can direct the action with support. Advanced performance Kirsty Williams 1 session Using Stanislavski's process as a foundation to build performance technique. This session is suited to those who feel ready to challenge themselves and gain a more in-depth knowledge of acting which can be applied to the delivery of a song. Know your Vocal Instrument. Stuart Lines 1 session Ever wonder how the human voice is produced and then heard and understood? This course will take you through the anatomy of the voice, how sound is created, resonated and then heard by the listener. See some video shots showing the vocal folds at work and understand the part the ear plays in decoding the sound it receives. This is not a technical course but will give the student a better understanding of the way the voice works, with an understanding of how to use it properly. 4
Care of the voice. Stuart Lines 1 session Despite the abuse we sometimes give to our vocal folds, the voice is a delicate instrument. Learn how to treat it with respect so it continues to deliver quality singing. Look at some common vocal problems through videos. Some tips about warming up, how to prepare for the big day and general advice on keeping it in good condition. Physics of Sound. Stuart Lines 1 session Sound is all around us. Loud sounds, soft sounds. Speech, music, vehicles, birds. In this session, you will learn how sound is carried and how the human ear interprets and untangles the many sounds which surround us. Learn how and why you need to protect the delicate instrument which makes up your hearing mechanism. = = = END = = = 5