Choral 10,20,30 - Appendices

Appendices
Appendix A: Suggested Repertoire
Appendix B: Listening to Music
Appendix C: Physical Aspects of Singing
Appendix D: Professional Organizations
Appendix E: Pronunciation Guide
Appendix F: Recruiting Singers
Appendix G: Special Choral Groups

Appendix A: Suggested Repertoire

Here is a core list of repertoire which, in addition to the selections included in the model unit, works well with high school concert choirs.

Composer/Arranger	Title	Voicing	Level
Bach, J.S.	Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring	SATB	medium
Besig, Don	Flying Free	SATB	easy
Britten, Benjamin	Old Abram Brown	SATB	difficult
Cable, Howard (arr.)	Sing from Sea to Sea	SATB	difficult
Copland, Aaron	Long Time Ago	SATB	medium
Dennard, (arr.)	Hush, Somebody's Callin' My Name	SATB	easy
Eaton, Richard (arr.)	Vive le Canadien (from Three French Canadian Folk Songs)	SATB	medium
Eilers Bacak	Go Ye Now in Peace	SATB	medium
Fauré, Gabriel	Cantique de Jean Racine	SATB	difficult
Feldman/Leavitt	River in Judea	SATB	medium
Haydn, F.J.	Gloria from Heiligemesse	SATB	medium
Holst, Gustav	Jesu, Thou the Virgin Born	SATB	easy
Kaplan, David	Folksong Journey	SATB	medium
Klouse, A.	Song for a Russian Child	SATB	medium
Kodaly, Zoltan	See the Gipsies	SATB	medium
Loomer, Diane (arr.)	Singabahamayo (South African folk song)	SATB	medium
Loomer, Diane (arr.)	Soon I Will Be Done	SATB	difficult
McGillvary, A.	Song for the Mira	SATB	medium
McGillvary, A.	Away from the Roll of the Sea	SATB	medium
Morley, T.	Now is the Month of Maying	SATB	medium
Mozart, W.A.	Ave Verum Corpus	SATB	difficult
Peterson, Oscar/Read, Paul	Hymn to Freedom	SATB	medium
Raum, Elizabeth	The Right Combination	SATB	easy
Schubert/Craig	Sanctus	SATB	easy
Somers, Harry	The Wonder Song	SATB	difficult
Wilkinson, Stewart (arr.)	O Canada	SATB	easy
Zaninelli, Luigi	The Water is Wide	SATB	medium

Appendix B: Listening to Music

Presented below are seven steps a teacher can follow to guide students in listening to a piece of music, live or recorded. This process is primarily designed for listening to the music of others, but may be adapted for listening to recordings of your own choir.
The steps outlined should not be taught in isolation. A teacher may wish to focus on only certain steps to achieve specific objectives. However, steps 3 to 7 will be effective only after repeated listening to the selection. Listening experiences should be integrated with other choral activities. This process may be used to provide the structure for reports, which students may be asked to present based on their own listening projects.

Steps	Activities
1. Preparation	outline behavioral expectations for listening/concert etiquette present reasons for listening to this particular musical selection
2. First Impressions	describe subjective (emotional) reaction record observations of the musical elements/compositional techniques in the music
3. Description	expand vocabulary to describe objective analysis of the music more fully
4. Analysis	develop an awareness of the form and style of the music
5. Interpretation	express feelings about what has been heard explore musical techniques which may be employed to convey mood
6. Gathering Background Information	carry out research to understand the music better study the music from a cultural/historical perspective
7. Informed Judgement	assess the artistic merit of the music determine appropriate audiences for the music

The preceding seven steps of investigation and reflection on a piece of music should provide students with a way to participate in the listening experience, and should encourage them to approach new music with open-minded curiosity. The process should help students to understand, value, and enjoy various kinds of music.
This process was adapted from the following sources: Anderson, 1988; Clark, 1960; Feldman, 1987; and Mahon Jones, 1986.
When listening to recordings of their own performances, students should be encouraged to assess their work in terms of the entire choir, their section and themselves. Providing each student with a feedback sheet, such as the one below, allows all students to participate actively in the assessment process.

	List the precise nature and location (measure number) of the problem.	Prescribe a specific solution to the problem you have identified
Entire choir	1) 2) 3)	1) 2) 3)
My section	1) 2) 3)	1) 2) 3)
Myself	1) 2) 3)	1) 2) 3)

In identifying problems, consider:

Balance-	Which sections need to be louder/softer? Is the tempo rushing or dragging?
Pitch-	Is the singing generally sharp or flat? Which intervals are inaccurate?
Tone-	Is the sound resonant?
Diction-	Are all the words audible? Which syllables/consonants cannot be heard?
Style-	Is the choir realizing the expressive intent of the composer? What can be done in terms of articulation, dynamics, tone colour, etc. to enhance the performance?

Adapted from Winner, Davidson, & Scripp (Eds). 1992. Arts PROPEL: A Handbook for Music. Harvard Project Zero, Cambridge, MA and Educational Testing Service, Princeton, NJ. Appendix C: Physical Aspects of Singing

Posture
For effective singing to occur, the body must be properly positioned. To arrive at the desired posture while standing have the students inhale fully while slowly lifting their arms up towards the ceiling. Drop the arms to the side of the body without moving anything else. Maintaining that posture, slowly exhale. While sitting, students should keep their feet on the floor and their knees apart. Tell the students to sit as if they were about to zip up their jackets.

Breathing
Breathing is the foundation of good singing and therefore breathing exercises should always be included in the warm-up. In order to develop sensitivity to breath capacity and management, have the students form an "oo" vowel with their lips and then draw the air in slowly through the "oo" formation. Short rhythmic staccato exhalations develop an awareness of, and gradually strengthen the abdominal muscles involved in supporting the tone.

The Head Voice
The head voice is a figurative term associated with the higher placement of sound as differentiated from the quality and function of the chest voice. The chest voice can be potentially damaging for the young singer because it is generally produced too far back in the throat and without sufficient breath. The head voice has a forward placement and resonates in the head area. For choral singing, the head voice should be used throughout the vocal range and in all styles, including pop. In the warm-up, start in the middle to high range and work the head voice down. Your choir will never develop an exemplary tone quality if you take the chest voice.

The Changing Voice
The transition of the boy's voice from treble to changed is made considerably less difficult when the student is using head voice. During this transition period, it is important to vocalize the boys from where they sing most comfortably (which is often high in the soprano range) down through the middle register and on into the new territory of the range.

Source: Rao. 1988. Your Singing Voice (pp. 21-26 in the Teacher's Guide to Sing!). Hinshaw Music Textbook Division. Used with permission. Appendix D: Professional Organizations

The following organizations provide support and professional development opportunities for high school choral directors. Membership benefits include a subscription to the association's publications.

Professional Organization	Address/Telephone
Saskatchewan Choral Federation	1870 Lorne Street Regina, SK S4P 2L7 Telephone: 306-780-9230
Saskatchewan Music Educators Association	P.O. Box 519 Cudworth, SK SOK 1BO Telephone: 306-256-3372
Association of Canadian Choral Conductors	49 Rue de Tracy Blainville, Quebec J7C 4B7 Telephone: 514-430-5573
American Choral Directors Association	P.O. Box 6310 Lawton, OK, U.S.A. 73506
Music Educators National Conference	1806 Robert Fulton Drive Reston, VI, U.S.A. 22091 Telephone: 703-860-4000
International Society for Music Education	Music Education Information and Research Centre University of Reading Bulmershe Court Reading RG6 1HY United Kingdom Telephone: 44-1734-318846

Choral music may be borrowed from the Saskatchewan Choral Federation and from:
Canadian Music Centre, National Office
20 St. Joseph Street
Toronto, ON
M4Y 1J9 Appendix E: Pronunciation Guide

International Phonetic Alphabet
Many choral exercises, vocalises and pronunciation guides utilize the International Phonetic Alphabet. The vowels should be pronounced:

Vowel	Pronounced as in:
a	hat
ah	father
aw	awful
ay	hate
ee	easy
eh	every
eye	eye
ih	it
oh	know
oo	moon
uh	up

Foreign Languages
There is a wealth of choral literature appropriate for high school students in which the text is in languages other than English. The chart on the next page is provided to assist you in teaching the correct pronunciation to your choir. Naturally, this chart represents a skeletal overview of generalized guidelines. If you are teaching material in an unfamiliar language, check with someone who is fluent in that language. Make a detailed pronunciation guide for the entire text of the song. Explore the opportunity of inviting another teacher or student to your class to model the desired pronunciation.

Pronunciation Guide for Foreign Languages

Latin	Italian	French	German
Vowels: a (father) e (red) i (see) o (swarm) u (spoon) ae (say) oe (say)	Vowels: a (father) open e (met) closed e (rate) i (see) o (swarm) u (spoon)	Vowels: a (father) a (rat) au (bow) e (record) é (day) e (earth) u = eu	Vowels: a (father) e (head) i (bit or be) o (not or note) u (foot or boot)
Consonants: c soft before e, i, ae, oe, otherwise c=k g soft before e, i, ae, oe, otherwise hard h like k between vowels (e.g., nihil), otherwise silent j = y gn = ny (anus) ph = f q = k z = dz	Consonants: c = ch before i and e; k before h, a, o, u g soft before i and e; hard before h, a, o, u h used to harden c, g, s, otherwise silent q = k x = ks z = dz or ts	Consonants: b = b, but silent when final c = k at the end of a word and before a, o, u, l, r c = s cc = k ch = sh	Diphthongs: ei, ai = my au = house eu = coy ui = Louis Consonants: b = b, except at the end of a word = p c = k ch = k d = d, but at the end of a syllable = t s as lone consonant before a vowel = z w = v v = f

Appendix F: Recruiting Singers
Most high school choirs are in need of more singers, particularly male singers. Here are some suggestions in that regard.

Model an enthusiastic attitude.
Provide the students currently enrolled in the program, regardless of how few, with the best choral experience you possibly can. They will be your most effective advocates in recruiting other students.
Do not resort to recruitment ploys that are not educationally sound. Promising to sing only the music of Andrew Lloyd Webber or guaranteeing that next spring's choir tour will be to Australia are examples of commitments you will probably regret having made. Your program is bound to grow if you have a well-founded approach to the development of vocal technique, musical convictions that are educationally sound, and strong interpersonal skills.
Work with school counsellors and administrators to devise the optimal scheduling scenario for the choral program in your school situation.
Support other school activities and increase your contact with students not currently involved in the choral program by helping out with or attending a variety of school events.
Co-operate with the music teacher(s) at the Middle and Elementary Levels. Arrange joint performances with your high school choral groups. It is important that the students in your neighbouring schools view you and your vocal ensembles in a positive light and are aware of the accomplishments of the high school choral program. Communicate directly with incoming students who sang in a Middle Level choir and their parents as to the benefits of membership in the high school choral program.
Investigate, through consultation with the drama teacher, the possibility of staging a musical theatre production at your school. This type of activity often leads to increased student involvement in the choral program. It also provides a means to show case male singers in a desirable situation, from a social perspective.
Take advantage of opportunities for your high school choral groups to perform in the community and, in particular, at venues which will afford wide exposure.
Invite a large, well-balanced mixed concert choir to perform at your next school concert. This will demonstrate the potential musical benefits of recruiting more singers for the choir at your high school.

Appendix G: Special Choral Groups

If resources permit, you may wish to provide other types of choral opportunities for your students. Direct your energies to establishing a large, well-balanced concert choir in your school before creating any additional vocal ensembles.

Participation in special choral groups should be contingent on the student's being a member in good standing of the school's concert choir (and/or concert band). Some types of special choral groups you may wish to offer in your school include:

Chamber Choir
A chamber choir is typically a four-part mixed group composed of twelve to twenty-four singers. The chamber choir experience caters to those students who have a high level of musical sophistication.

The chamber choir director should be particularly knowledgeable in the areas of vocal technique and concert choir repertoire. Recordings available on the CBC SM5000 label of The Elmer Isler Singers, The Tudor Singers of Montreal, and The V ancouver Chamber Choir constitute excellent models of chamber choir performance.

Vocal Jazz Ensemble
This type of group is usually a four-part mixed choir of eight to sixteen singers. Most of the repertoire incorporates a rhythm section of piano, bass and drums.

It will be necessary to purchase a multiple-microphone system designed to accommodate close-microphone singing. Ideally each singer should have a microphone. It is not advisable for more than two singers to share a microphone.

The vocal jazz ensemble director should be well-acquainted with various jazz styles. With regard to vocal style, singers need to be taught to exaggerate diphthongs and to soften inner and final consonants. Directors, and eventually the vocal jazz ensemble members, should listen to recordings made by Aretha Franklin, Sarah Vaughan, Ella Fitzgerald, B.B. King, Manhattan Transfer, Solstice, the Nylons, and the Streetnix to name but a few significant artists in this genre.

In terms of embarking on repertoire selection, generally you will be well served by material that has been arranged by Gene Puerling, Phil Mattson, or Kirby Shaw. Start with easy selections that utilize jazz styles with which you feel comfortable.

Show Choir
A show choir typically encompasses twelve to twenty-four singers. The group usually works toward presenting a choreographed show that incorporates a number of choral selections. Special lighting and costumes are often used to heighten audience appeal.

Assuming you do not have expertise in the area of dance, it will be necessary to engage a choreographer to work with the group on a regular basis (not just for the rehearsal before the concert!). The choreographer must recognize the importance of the vocal sound and corresponding design routines. In the initial stages of developing a show choir, the choreography should be restricted to simple and clean movements that primarily involve the upper torso as opposed to footwork. Only the instrumental interludes should be heavily choreographed.

A typical show would contain an up-tempo opener, a swing tune, a pop tune, a ballad and an emotionally charged, full-sounding closer.

Musical Theatre
Producing a musical in your high school can serve to attract students to your choral program and to provide additional vocal opportunities for your choral students.

If you do not have expertise in drama, find a capable director. It is advisable to recruit other staff members and/or parent volunteers to provide support in the areas of choreography, piano accompaniment, set construction, lighting, costumes, tickets, programs, and publicity.

Many Broadway musicals have a running time in excess of three hours. As the audience will not be seated in cushioned chairs in most high school performing venues, it is usually advisable to cut some numbers and/or scenes to keep the show within a two hour time frame.

You may wish to consider incorporating a weekly choral rehearsal in the schedule for the musical. This provides a vehicle for instruction emphasizing vocal technique. This arrangement exposes the students in the musical to the concert choir medium.

If you are getting started in the area of musical theatre, both Oklahoma and Grease combine student appeal with a relatively low degree of difficulty. Other shows well-suited to the high school situation are Oliver, The King and I, Camelot, Fiddler on the Roof, Guys and Dolls, and Geoffrey Ursell's Saskatoon Pie.