State Singers Observation

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State Singers

Physical Conducting styles used

·      Both hands, high by the face

·      Clear 4/4

·      LH for cues

·      Uses body to help phrasing and vowels

·      Uses the full arm and elbow

·      Hands more out than instrumental conductors

·      Left hand elbow swings out

Verbal vs. non verbal—amounts used

·      Stretching and warm-ups

·      For warm-ups, use hands over head to reach higher notes

·      Snaps higher for higher notes

·      Snaps to keep tempo.

·      Corrects pronunciation

·      Cues with pointer finger LH

·      Sings along with the group to show vowels

·      Facial expressions

·      Stomps to show tempo change.

·      Full body

Atmosphere of the rehearsal

·      Energetic at the beginning.

·      Focused

·      I was impressed with the sound. They are better than when I was in it two years ago.

Attention, responsiveness, and willingness of the singers

·      Somewhat talkative at the beginning

·      When they sat down, attentive.

·      Sat quietly as Doc played a recording of the diction of the piece. Grabbed pencils to write how to speak the text

·      Very responsive.

List pieces rehearsed

·      Berusa Er! (Drink Your Fill) Sten Kallman

Identify conductor and title

·      Jonathan Reed

Professor of Music and Associate D

Observation #4

2/2715

Different warm-ups for each day. They know from the piano intros.
- ee eh ah oo
- Allelujah. "Try in one breath".
- "Tigers"?
- Bickie Bi
- Wee oh wee (in thirds)
- And shoot! (with hand signs)---> great idea!

Warm-ups didn't go too high.

Bethany then moved to the new piece, "Dance Evolution Medley", which is a medley of popular hits. She told the kids that they will do dance moves later. To begin, they listened to the recording. It was apparent that Bethany prepared the parts on the piano before the rehearsal. One of the terms was the tempo, a 50's shuffle, so she taught what the term meant. "It's like a swing," she said.

Told the kids to now put their iPods, iPads, phones, etc. away becuase it was time to start rehearsal/time to sing. A few kept them out after this was announced, Bethany told the students, "If I see it one more time, it'll go in the front."

"What is unison?" Bethany asked the group, double checking the terminology. Once the word was defined, she asked when it was no longer in unison.

"Too much going on. I'll wait." She waited patiently for the group to get back on track.

The group rehearsed some more, working through the song. "Listen to it. Audiate." I love the word audiate. So important. However, I don't agree with the idea of plunking out notes for the group to repeat. This way, they are only learning by ear instead of reading.

She then played the two phrases that were in unison. "Same or different?"

Drop a drop of water into the hot pan. "What's it sound like?"
- quick.

One student was talking and getting off track. She turned to him and said, "We're not talking about that right now."

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Song Volleyball

Pick a word and have to sing a song with the word in it. Go back and forth between groups. The students were very excited and loved this activity. They have to sing the part with the word on it.

Most were on iPads and iPhone once the activity started. Perhaps to look up the songs?

This took up the last 35 minutes of class.


                      

Observation #5

0. 3/3/15

Wrote on the board:
- warm-ups
- solfege
- sectionals on Dace Evolution
- Best Day of My Life

Without talking, Bethany wrote the schedule on the board. Then walked to the piano and began the warm-ups by playing on the piano. The students knew which warm-up right away.

One of my favorite warm-ups: the alphabet going from 123454321, etc. 
Another favorite: Bi- ee, Beh, Bi-ee, Bi, etc. 

Now that I know what warm-ups Bethany is doing, it is easier to focus on the students, as well. The sound is slightly airy, but for the most part on pitch. Vowels are very close. I can tell the students enjoy being in choir.

As I'm sitting here, I am getting a little nervous to run a sectional. I will be working with the soprano 1 section. I am excited, but still nervous. I have run plenty of marching and concert band sectionals, but I have never run a choir sectional. 
Should I rehearse on solfege? I hope I know what to do. I am not as confident with my solfege, since I learned on numbers. I will quickly look at the music and figure out the solfege. 

Bethany took the time to helo the group out with solfege. The students struggled with pitches. They tried hard, but were getting frustrated. Bethany gave as many tricks as she could. Ti to Do: Jaws. Do to Mi: three blind mice. 
She ended once the group could sing "Do Mi So". 

It went so well. :) I was nervous at first and sat at the piano to play most of the parts. But then once I got more comfortable, I was able to model the parts, and play some of the pitches. I will definately have to work on my singing and making sure I can sing pitches. I made sure to take breaks every so often to make jokes and say that I am quirky and weird. I was able to make them laugh and that made me feel good. We had fun, but worked hard at the same time. If I ever teach middle school, I will make sure to have fun, but also work on the correct pitches, rhythms, and solfege. I want to be picky. Solidify techniques and notes. 

Today was a good day. The class went by so quick. If I ever have the chance to be a middle school choir teacher, I know I will have a lot of fun. 

Hayes Middle School

Wow. In just a few minutes of my observation, I was already amazed.

Very fast-paced.

Josh Gronlund

Armstead

Warm-ups

·      using a lot of the body parts. Arms and legs.

·      Lip trills

·      Tense up, then release

·      Funny and energetic

·      Repeat after Josh. Modeling. Incorrect, then correct.

·      Stomp, stomp, “yoga ball” arms out in front of you.

o   Waits patiently for them to listen

·      LOTS of modeling

·      Bee bee bee, beh beh beh, boy boy boy

o   Move with one foot, then the other, then arms up

·      Oo, ee, ahh, ehh, ahh. (similar to the warm-up I know.)

o   With hand signs

Many mumbling mice.

·      Moving with the fingers on the hand

Hand signs.

·      So, la

·      Do, ti

·      Do mi so

·      So, mi, do do do

A major, has..

·      three sharps

How do you find the sharps

Has the example on the screen.

·      Great use of technology

Reading the exercise

·      “one, ti, one”

·      snaps on rests

Does everyone start on do?

·      Yes

Speak on solfege.

Tapping the rhythm on their chest with their hand

Soprano 1 and Soprano 2

Excellent.

Word of the day:

P for pride day

Practice, is both a noun and a verb.

As a noun, repeat an exercise in, or performance of an activity. Or skills so as to acquire or maintain proficiency in it

It must take a lot of practice to become an amazing musician.

When we use it as a verb—perform (an activity) or exercise (a skill) repeatedly or regularly in order to improve or maintain one’s proficiency.

I need to practice my music

Reading of the day

·      Answers from the kids

o   Be patient and something will work itself out

o   Be okay with just the question, and not always an answer

Attendance:

·      59 girls

·      .4 or better gets a point.

·      Most points get a pizza party

11 or so groups going to festival

·      Special women’s group after school

o   8-9 parts

·      first two hours 7^th grade

·      next 8^th

·      boys one

When I close my eyes

·      Breath support is there

·      Notes are there as well

·      Vowels

·      Different between the sections of the piece.

·      The descant is perfectly on. Bright tone, but still with good vowels

·      Asks questions

o   Can someone tell me what a fermata is?

o   Who cuts you off?

o   Models what Josh wants

·      Take me too the river-----take me to the sea.

o   Carry through

·      All know the terminology.

o   Crescendos, etc.

·      “Knees, and hips, and now a little shoulders”

o   For the quicker section

·      Expressions

What does this mean to you?

·      Being confident

·      Feeling

·      Connect with the music

o   It will be different than others

o   You get your own personal connections with the music

Conducting from Josh

·      Very musical

·      Left hand

o   Shows the vowel shapes

o   Crescendos

o   Eyes (look at me)

·      Cut offs with both hands

·      Right hand

o   Keeps tempo

o   Articulations

o   Speed

Pyramid of Musical Aristry

·      Full of words

·      What is most important.

·      The kids decide where to put the words

·      Bottom

o   Rests, rhythm, notes, correct vowels, etc.

·      Middle

o   Phrasing, word stress, dipthongs

·      Top

o   Rhythmic energy, facial expressions, engagement

·      Velcro to put the words and allow them to be moved

PRIDE

·      Posture, Phrasing

·      Resonance, Round Vowels

·      Inflection, Intonation

·      Diction, Dynamics

·      Engagement, Expression

“What we tolerate becomes our standard!”

The students are listening intently

Models incorrect, and correct

·      Do-nah

·      Do louder and nah back

·      Show with conducting

This will be for the transition into the next piece.

iPads for music. I want that for the future.

Hmm, coo-coo, Pie Jesu

·      Take your hands

Shows posture

Pie Jesu

·      Uses hands in circles in front of the face for higher notes for the breath support

·      Syllabic stress

·      Soprano 1 and 2

·      Back straight, back straight. Then sing. Stand up, and place hands in front of you.

·      Requiem (m)

·      Why is the end softer?

o    

Armstead conducting

·      Both hands freely

·      Moves so much

·      Bends knees and up and down

·      Sometimes snaps to keep tempo

·      Moves with flowing movements in circles

·      Syllabic stress.

o   Moves forward, then back for the words

·      Left hand up in a curve to show higher vowels

·      Both hands as if swimming or diving

o   To show to move through

Posture

·      Hands at the side.

·      Corrects those who have them in front or in pockets

·      Makes sure they are ready for performance

·      Don’t move until conductor puts their hands down

Gives recognition to one girl

·      Repeat after me

o   “We can do that, too”

·      So powerful

“Ahh do!”

·      low, then high

·      modeled

·      Hands above heads, squatting or moving knees down to hit notes

Transition into the next piece

Sara Sponda? Ret set set.

·      Movements for all of the words to help with vowels, notes, phrasing

·      Josh sings with the soprano 2

·      Dynamics

·      Articulations

·      “t’s” very clean

·      Clean attacks and releases

School requires words and math

·      Math—fractions for attendance

Fred Rogers

·      Read it and talk about it each day

Movements help

·      Makes you open up

·      More comfortable after awhile

Not required to be in choir

·      Why are you here?

o   Sisters in choir, family likes to sing

o   Break from “real learning”

o   Allowed to speak your minds here

o   Gets us moving

o   Love music

o   Express how I feel

§  Take it out on the music

o   Individuality

Warm-ups every day

·      Placement, flexibility, placement, vowel, diction

·      Always

·      Order

·      Every day

·      Different activities, but the same order

Involved in choir outside of school? Or in the future?

·      No option yet for middle school

·      CMS Children’s Choir

In college?

·      Main goal is never to be a professional or in college

·      “Enjoy music, for the rest of their lives”

Big HS program too

·      5 choirs