Week 12: Music

Today’s music workshop focused upon the instrument by which we produce from the sound from within; the voice. Specifically, we examined singing, which can be defined as to make musical sounds with the voice, especially words with a set tune. The workshop began by brainstorming some of the techniques that make somebody a good singer;

• Accurate sense of pitch
• Good range
• Controlled Breathing (from diaphragm)
• Correct Posture (Standing up straight, legs at shoulder width, with one foot slightly forward).
• Rhythmic Accuracy
• Articulation (Lips, teeth, tip of the tongue)

Like any physical activity, a warm up of vocal exercises should precede the singing component. There are several important reasons for this, such as warming up the voice, stretching the muscles and articulating technique.

Whilst warm-up activities can often be perceived as tedious and repetitive, with enough preparation and effort, fun and engaging vocal exercises can be delivered to students. In our workshop, we were provided a sheet of example vocal exercises that developed the way we use our tongue and lips when singing, as well as examining pitch intervals and how to breathe in an accurate and controlled manner. Below are some other examples/resources for warm-up vocal exercises;

• Vocal Exploration Cards
• http://shop.musicplaytext1.ihoststores.com/images/misc/VocalExplorations.pdf
• Animal Sounds Warm Up
• http://www.music-for-music-teachers.com/support-files/vocalises-animal-sounds.pdf
• Mouth Shapes
•  http://mcmurrysingingsigns.blogspot.com.au/2012/01/mouth-shapes.html
• Bouncing Ball - Using the ‘doo’ sound with the voice, bounce an imaginary ball, following the changes in height with changing pitch of the voice. Add a ‘boing’ sound effect each time it hits the ground. See how high the ball can bounce. This is an ideal remedial activity for children with monotone singing voices.

In the next component of the workshop we began singing (woohoo!). We firstly sung a short song called ‘Beachcombing’, a relatively straightforward piece due to its limited vocal range (F-B). This music can be attained for free at jozzbeat.com, a website that offers an abundance of classroom music resources. To conclude the lesson, we sang ‘Wet Day Blues’. This music was attained from welcometomusic.net, another online resource that offers sheet music, accompaniment, and much more for the musical classroom. Our class was divided into two groups, and together we sung the song, often in harmony. It was a beautiful way to conclude the lesson!

To wrap up, I thought to share another child prodigy, classical crossover singer Jackie Evancho. She is such an angel. At 10 years of age, she gained second place in America’s Got Talent.