Upbeat Downbeat

Here is the link to view my recent PechaKucha presentation on Upbeat Downbeat - a conducting resource book by Sandra Willetts.

www.slideshare.net/slideshow/embed_code/40977014

Choir Review - Bach Children's Chorus

Earlier in the semester I took a look at the Bach Children's Chorus. Here is a copy of the handout that was distributed in class. 

Bach Children’s Chorus

The Organization

-founded in 1987 by Linda Beaupré

-age 6-24

-rehearse at Scarborough Bluffs United Church

-200 youth comprising 4 choirs (3 for unchanged voices, 1 SATB)

-known as “Company in Residence” at the Toronto Centre for the Arts

-known for “musical sound and professional approach”

-objective: to develop a love of singing through enjoyable learning and performance experience

Choir I – 6-9 years old, rehearse 1hr/week

Choir II – 9-13 years old, rehearse 1.5hrs/week

Choir III – 10-17 years old, rehearse 2.25hrs/week

Bach Chamber Youth Choir – 13-24 years old, rehearse 2hrs/week

-education includes theory and sight singing

-10 min/week private vocal coaching sessions are offered to singers in Choirs I, II, and III

-each choir participates in at least 3 major performances per season (September-May)

Linda Beaupré

-professional singer with the Elmer Iseler Singers and The Toronto Mendelssohn Choir

-also conducted the Guelph Youth Singers from 1991-2013

-co-author of A Young Person’s Journey with Jean Ashworth Bartle and Eileen Baldwin – a series of theory and ear-training workbooks and CDs

-adjudicator and clinician

Repertoire Recommendations

-repertoire lists from the 1998-2004 seasons are available online

-the choir performs selections from a number of different styles

For The Beauty of the Earth – fairly easy, 2 voices (SA), a fairly easy piece that can aid in the development of musicality (phrasing, blend, expressivity)

If I Got My Ticket – a good piece for practicing a cappella singing and therefore tuning, I really like the spiritual feel and the male solo

I’m On My Way – like For the Beauty of the Earth, this piece is a good selection for working on phrasing, expressivity, diction, and blend

Agnus Dei (A Little Jazz Mass) – a fairly simple SATB piece, I like the blues/jazz feel, since the text is pretty repetitive, it’s a good piece for working on vowel shapes and sounds that are held for a while

Hymn to Freedom – a simple SSA piece that has a gospel feel in 4, but the swinging rhythm can be a bit of a challenge

For More Information

www.bachchildrenschorus.ca 

Hey guys!
Today I found a post on the choralnet.org forum that I (and I'm sure many of you) can certainly relate to. On September 8, Alex Probst wrote about his struggle to help improve a group of "non select" voices in a school music program. Since choral presentations are quickly coming upon us, and many of us will find ourselves in a situation similar to Alex's (if not now, then definitely in our future classrooms), I thought it would be valuable for us to start sharing some ideas on how to achieve success when working with an inexperienced choir. Do you have any thoughts on rehearsal techniques that work well for a beginning group? 

Here is the link to the original post:
http://www.choralnet.org/view/450171

Response/Reaction to Itay Talgam's TEDTalk: Lead Like the Great Conductors

I really enjoyed watching the many conducting styles that were demonstrated during the videos of this TEDTalk, all of which seemed to "get the job done" in one way or another. Although each conductor brought their own unique conducting style to the podium and succeeded, it occurred to me while watching this that there is a fine line between having too much control and not enough control as a conductor. I especially liked how Itay Talgam pointed out that if you have too much control, you are simply using the ensemble as a set of instruments, and not allowing them the opportunity to develop or to put forth their individual interpretations of the music. On the other hand, if you don't have enough control, the ensemble is left confused, and not knowing when to play. I think this is very important for us to realize as music educators because we need to give our students room to express themselves through the music, while still maintaining a clear, concise execution of the sound. I guess my one question after watching this TEDTalk would be how do you find a good balance between giving the ensemble too much or not enough information/guidance as a conductor? 

Welcome!

Hi Everyone! The purpose of this blog is to interact with my Education 2520 (Voice and Choral Methods) classmates by sharing ideas and information. It is also a place where I can track my journey to becoming an educator (a bit of an unexpected adventure for me)!