Your Posture
Stand (sit) comfortably upright with relaxed tongue, jaw, neck, shoulders
and stomach. Check each in turn by tensing and letting go.
Your Breathing
Breath from the diaphragm. Allow the air to flow evenly as you sing.
Here’s an exercise to practise doing this, and to expand your lung
capacity: Take a controlled, even, maximum breath from the stomach. Allow
the air to flow evenly out as you sing 'Ah'. Keep this going for as long
as possible. Over a few weeks you will increase the length of time you
can do this, your control, your lung capacity – and you will improve your
singing.
Sight Reading
To learn how to sight read and improve your site reading, just do it –
practise at rehearsals and practise with the music at home. Most Choir
members are better at it than they realise. In addition, take simple
melodies (from the internet, for example) and sing them from sight, then
check them out at a piano etc by yourself or with a friend.
Perfect Pitch
This is the ability to recognise by ear a particular note in isolation.
It's not an essential skill in choral singing. The ability to recognise
relative pitch, however, is essential. This is where you recognise the
interval between one note and another. Both perfect and relative pitch
can be learnt through practise, and relative pitch will improve through
attending the Choir's rehearsals and especially home practise with, for
example, a piano.
Rehearsals
We rehearse as a Choir for a relatively short time of under 2 hours a
week. It's really important therefore to attend all the rehearsals you
possibly can. There are of course occasions when this will not be
possible and we understand that. The 'Choir' is all of us, and we can
only sing as the 'Choir' if we’re all or nearly all there.
Remember it's good to make mistakes – all professional singers do, so
what's good for them...
Take a pencil to rehearsals and note lightly on your score essential
directions the conductor gives such as the mood of the piece, the
dynamics, the repeats etc, etc.
As you rehearse over the weeks become more and more aware of the presence
and singing of Choir members and the Choir as a whole (listen to hear)
and how you best fit into it and enhance the quality of its sound.
Between Rehearsals
Get to know the words and music of the programme inside out. Aim for
purity of vowels and clarity of consonants.
Practise aloud each week between rehearsals by yourself, with a piano etc
or with an audio recording of your part of the musical score. (Practise
tapes will be available a few weeks after we begin rehearsing a new
programme. They can be obtained from our Librarian.)
In particular, practise most, the bits you have some difficulty with –
look at the bits you can do well, less often. If you can, you could make
a tape of the bits you find most difficult.
Dynamics
Be aware of the dynamics of the music you are preparing to sing.
Do not open your mouth too wide when singing loudly. This tends to tense
the throat muscles and produce a poor tone. Create the volume with an
increased amount of air flow controlled from your diaphragm.
When singing softly do not close the mouth too much as this tends to
produce a poor tone. Create the sound with the appropriate amount of air
flow controlled from the diaphragm.
Your Thinking
To sing a very high note mentally aim 'over the top' of the note.
Sopranos and tenors can improve their singing by 'feeling' their head and
face are full of the sounds they are about to sing. Similarly, altos and
basses will improve their tone by 'feeling' the sounds in their face and
chest.
Above all, know with certainty that through sufficient practise you will
be the best you can be – and that is good.
Just before The Concert
It's generally recommended that you eat lightly and ensure you're
hydrated - but not too much so.
Ensure you have clear lungs, throat and nose before 'going on'. Dairy
products can sometimes contribute to a 'frog in the throat'.
Double check your music is in the right order.
The Concert
Look professional throughout the performance and until the last member of
the Choir has left the performance area and is out of sight.
Watch the conductor. Hold your music so you can glance at it as a prompt
and take direction almost simultaneously.
Listen to the Choir and fit in.
Smile whenever appropriate and otherwise be interested and including of
your section, the choir, conductor, accompanist/musicians and
audience.
Above all else, enjoy the experience.
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