1. Describe two different methods of teaching music reading in choral groups.
Our textbook says that there is no one way or magic trick to teaching choral groups to read music, and in reality, several ways have proven successful in teaching students to read music notation.One proven way is teaching students intervals through familiar songs (such as a major 6th being “My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean).Another method is to teach students the fixed Do and the movable Do.Students first learn how to read music based on the fixed Do, and can then transfer what they learn to the movable Do.
5.Why is it important that students in high school performing ensembles learn more about music than the correct execution of notes?
Though it is important for performing ensembles to learn more than just “correct execution of notes,” conductors should also keep in mind that rehearsal time isn’t necessarily time for general music classes.Teachers need to try to incorporate music theory or history, albeit briefly, into rehearsal times.When students learn about music more in depth – and are able to relate it to music they are preparing to perform, they will begin to recognize patterns and be able to read with more ease.
2.List three places for locating music for secondary school performing groups.
1.Methods classes in undergraduate studies or music education workshops and reading clinics.
2.Listening to other schools’ groups and inquiring about pieces they perform.
3.Publisher catalogs and music stores.
5.Why is it important that students in high school performing ensembles learn more about music than the correct execution of the notes?
Learning to perform is a necessary part of music education, but students also need to be aware of so many of music’s other aspects.Reading music is an integral part to understanding how to perform it, and making use of expression through varied dynamics, tempos, and articulations is necessary as well.In addition, students should also be taught the various styles of music from different eras of music as well as the history behind such pieces and musical periods.Without an understanding of the music itself, how will students know how to perform it?
Project: Select a choral and an instrumental work from the music education curriculum library or the performance library at your college or university.Decide the following about the work:
(a)The level of difficulty
(b)Important aspects about the expressive qualities of the music
(c)How you would help the student perform one or two of the expressive qualities more effectively
(d)What you could teach them about the work in addition to performing it correctly
(e)What would you rehearse and “how”
(f)What would you prepare in advance
(g)Where would the trouble spots likely be
(h)How do analyses of cadences, keys, ranges, tessitura, etc. assist with your conducting and expressiveness?
Choral: Annabel Lee – Robert H. Young
(a)Medium
(b)Phrasing, solo/sectional solo opportunity, dynamic contrast, emotional expressivity
(c)Convey contrast in dynamics through conducting gestures; develop emotional connection to the story being told by having students relate it to a personal experience that may be similar
(d)History of the text (Edgar Allan Poe); importance of staying on pitch (especially with violin obbligato as accompaniment to the choir)
(e)Learn the melody on solfege to cement in the F major key, should be able to translate solfege to key changes; clear diction—a lot of words, make consonants clear and crisp
(f)Practice conducting tempo and meter changes and fermatas, cues for entrances and releasing suspensions
(g)Bass: some portions low for HS bass, m. 49; key changes, meter changes, tempo changes; fermatas; last page—5-7 part splits
(h)Higher pitches in soprano need support, so bring the volume up a notch to help them sustain their pitch (m. 64).Analysis of cadence points enables me to dwell on ending pitches a bit before going to the next phrase and also allows choir to take a good breath.Key changes may permit me to pick up or slow down the tempo a bit.Suspension figures can be brought out more.
Instrumental: Second Suite in F for Military Band—I. March – Gustav Holst
(a)Medium difficult
(b)Articulation is a key factor in effective expression—crisp, clear. Dynamics add wide contrast to the piece.Change in meter also provides a change of mood at Rehearsal H.
(c)Give very clear gestures regarding the dynamic, and also convey articulation in baton and beat pattern.
(d)Study of motives and themes throughout the work (there are several motives and themes repeated in the piece); use of unison rhythm in various sections and its purpose (only a few parts happening at one time).
(e)Opening motive—keep it clean.Work slowly, gradually increasing tempo.Letting the solo lines come through—cue in the solo part, but conduct the rest of the band to stay below the melody line.It will also take some work to keep the entire band together in passages with unison rhythm marked with such crisp articulation—memorize the rhythm for a small section and play rhythm together on one chord, watch me for tempo and dynamic changes, just to get the unison rhythm passages clean.
(f)Identify sectional changes in score, mark solo lines and new motives; take note of meter and dynamic changes.
(g)Opening motive—keep it clean: quick unison, staccato passages.Wherever there is unison rhythm with fast-moving notes, there could very well be a problem.Work through these passages slowly, gradually increasing tempo.Meter changes may also take the band by surprise, so work on transitions.
(h)Identifying sectional changes makes the mood more defined in the contrasting sections.Locating cadence points also provides opportunity for changes in dynamics (given in score or additions of subtle changes in dynamics).Locating the motives in different parts throughout the pieces helps me to understand who needs to play out and who can provide the harmonic support for the melodic line.
3. Some of the factors that affect the level of difficulty in choral pieces: •The voice ranges •Different dissonant intervals that might be present and how they are used •The text can make it difficult for your singers to like the song •The accompaniment, and whether it is abstract or helps the singers •The texture and construction of the separate voice parts Some of the factors that affect the level of difficulty in instrumental pieces: •The key that the piece is written in •The ranges that different instruments are required to play for different pieces •The different runs and technical passages that are in a piece •The arrangement of a piece
5. Well as its stated in my philosophy, music should be taught in a well-rounded manner so that students can actually appreciate what they are singing. They should know what functions the music has and how it can affect people as well.
3.When teaching students to play or sing accompanying parts, should these parts be studied and learned by themselves or in conjunction with the melodic lines?Why?
A lot of this depends on what makes up the accompanying parts.If the accompanying parts are on afterbeats in a piece of music, it may prove difficult to practice it alone because it is difficult to tell how the part fits in with the entire piece.However if singers are being taught their individual parts and the parts are close together, trying to learn them together will be difficult.These parts should be taught separately as their own melodies to make sure that all sections know their parts well and won’t be tempted to jump to a different part.
5.Describe four things a teacher can do to save time in rehearsals.
Our ensemble rehearsals often seem too short and it might seem like we never get through everything we wanted to.It is imperative for music teachers use time effectively in all rehearsals and have a plan for what will happen at every rehearsal.The book lists four specific things to keep in mind for saving time in rehearsals.One is to write music titles on the board before class so that students know what music to get out and in what order to put it. This saves time between pieces where students might have to fumble through their folders to find music.The second is to designate students to pass out or collect music outside of rehearsal instead of during class.Another is to appoint students to take roll at the beginning of class.And the final way the book describes is to provide an electric tuner so students can tune instruments before class begins.
6.What are the differences between rehearsing and teaching?
In music education the line between rehearsing and teaching becomes blurry because a lot of the time, we teach through rehearsing.By definition, rehearsing is ‘preparing a work for performance by fixing parts and making performers familiar with how the music should be performed.’Teaching, on the other hand, is guiding the process by which students learn something such as the notes of a chord, correct embouchure, or characteristics of different kinds of music.
#4 List three aspects of music that can be taught as part of a warm-up segment of a rehearsal. Page. 125 1. Correct tone production a. Teach students to blend when they play chords and scales. Listen to those around them- which can also be an aural practice. 2. Accurate intonation a. Playing chords, teaching the students to play and listen for correct intonation. Teach them to fix and listen to others around them in order to properly blend. 3. Correct execution of rhythm patterns a. May used passages from the piece or related rhythmic ideas for warm up. 4. Following the Conductor a. No use of verbal communication is necessary. Verbal instruction should be replaced by conducting technique not only in performances but also in rehearsal. 5. Improvising a. Give students opportunities to work out their own ideas musically among the warming up ensembles. Class may sing/play chords while some students project their own musical ideas.
Warming up should also relate to something that will be encountered later in rehearsal. It should never be an isolated activity that is unrelated to the learning of music and its performance. #5 Describe four things a teacher can do to save time in a rehearsal. Page 133 Write titles of music in order of rehearsal on the board so students can prepare and have pieces ready for class. Ask librarians to service, pass out and collect music folders before and immediately after class Appoint student assistants to help keep classroom organized and ready. They can assist in attendance, grade books, music and other small organizing factors. Provide electronic tuning instruments so students can tune themselves during warm-ups and before class. #6 What are the differences between teaching and rehearsing. Teaching provides a specific objective where students can learning something. Rehearsing, while often teaches something sometimes loses the idea and specific goal or objective, thus leaving confusion for students as to what they are learning. Also, having a set objective and teaching something helps the teacher stay on track in the classroom. Students may learn to play the notes of a piece to REHEARSE, but the learning factor is missing. To change that, the student must learning something specific such as, how the notes they play provide to the chords and progressions of the piece.
1. During a few different points in this chapter it advises going over a certain part or section a few times and then waiting to go over it again until the next day. I think that this is let the information set in their heads and so that they don’t lose all interest in it, because once they lose interest they won’t be as willing to learn it anymore. 5. Have the students organize their music at the beginning of each class to save time in between pieces. Provide resources so instrumentalists can tune themselves before class rehearsal starts. Have a student assistant or two take attendance during warm-ups so that you can continue on with the class. Have your schedule of what you want to teach written out and ready to go. 6. Rehearsing means practicing a piece or pieces for performance, whereas teaching is where students learn something.
Chapter 9—Rehearsing Performing Ensembles: Preparation and Procedures
2.In the case of instrumental music, it was suggested that melody be learned first, but in choral music, it was suggested that the lowest part be worked on first.What are the differences between choral and instrumental music that account for these different approaches?
In instrumental music, everyone should be able to finger a note and use muscle memory of the mouth to play the correct note.Once the pitch is in place, they must simply adjust to fit the chord, but also stay below the melody.In the choral setting, finding pitches is not as easy.Knowing the harmonic structure enables singers to determine where their pitch lies in the chord and tuning it from there.Having singers work with the harmonic structure first also enables them to gain more experience reading other parts in other clefs and encourages non-melody singers to learn their parts instead of being tempted to sing the melody because it stands out.
5.Describe four things a teacher can do to save time in rehearsals.
1.Do not spend a great deal of time on parts that seems very complicated on its own.Many times (not all, but a lot), the part does make sense, but only when it is with the other parts.
2.Teach expression along with the notes.Do not teach just the pitches and then go back and add the dynamics.By starting with both elements, the choir can add expression and develop emotional connections that will make the music come alive, and they will sense it as well
3.Give verbal (and nonverbal) communication while rehearsing rather than stopping.Even the nonverbal communication will get the point across.Also, use as little speech as possible.Sometimes, just stating what you want the group to do, where you want to start, and performing a gesture to get them started is all you need.
4.PLAN, PLAN, and PLAN some more!Know what you want to do in your rehearsal.Mark trouble spots from previous rehearsals and go over them again after giving students time to practice.Planning will also keep you from wasting time trying to figure out what to do next.
The book says: (1) Write the titles on the board; (2) pass out music in study periods or after school; (3) appoint students to take attendance; (4) provide a tuner for student use before rehearsal.
6.What are the differences between rehearsing and teaching?
Rehearsing involves preparing a piece of music for a performance, but teaching is a guided process by which students learn something.In the secondary classroom, students must be taught as well as rehearsed, whereas in a professional setting, little teaching is done.As educators, we should use our rehearsals to teach musical skills and concepts students need to know.
