ACDA 2009 - Interest session Notes

ACDA 2009 - Interest session Notes


Sight Singing in the Rehearsal
GREAT- very useful techniques that made sight singing Easy and fun. Contact:
williambreytspraak@gmail.com


Vela Vela - Authentic Performance of Black south African Choral Music. Mollie Stone.
GREAT!! - They offer a DVD/packet to teach 8 different songs by rote at MollieStone.org

• all songs have movement
• to sing without dancing is like singing Handel w/out acc.
• Dance - step forward,back together
• not showy just like you were born doing it
• Most songs do not start or end with dance
• Language is very dark
• No diphthongs (like Italian/Spanish)
• tone is very rounded and dark
• music often happens on the offbeat
• Songs are meant to be taught in the aural tradition (so buy the DVD!)
• She uses solfege and solfege hand symbols to teach the songs
• South African choral often does not use percussion.
• although modern performance is starting to add more

The Vocal Majority- AMAZING - meaningful movement on every song!

• Nothing men can't do when they are totally committed
• ask for movement, every person giving all they can
  
• life begins at the end of your comfort zone
• step out of where you are to get to where you want to go

The Fully Expressive Choir -
    Provide a save environment that nurtures each others humanity
    teach them how to be expressive, how to show it
    continue to show this throughout rehearsal

•     Interesting methods to get people to sing out
• 1 stand perfectly straight - sing
• spread feet apart, shoulders back, stand still - sing
• "release from stillness" - sing
• sing to each other, look at each other - sing
• 2
• Ask singer to think about what they are singing, a time when they wanted change etc...what did you want?
• speak aloud, all at once, what it is you wanted
• put hand on each others shoulders (person in front) and move that person with the phrase
• every time you look at the person next to you get them to smile.