All You Wanted to Know About Choral Speaking

But Wasn’t Sure Who to Ask Part 1

Choral Speaking

No conductor is allowed.

Movements, costumes, props and music may be used.

Harmonic Choral Speaking

A conductor is allowed.

Absolutely no body movement, gesture, mime costume or props are allowed.

Suitable grouping patterns are allowed.

Emphasis is on clarity and harmony of speech.

Words spoken in unison

Lots of practice helps.

One student, in the centre, can count to three.

The counting has to be in English!

(Not yat, yih, saam.)

Numbers, numbers, numbers

Choral Speaking:

Harmonic Choral Speaking:

30 to 50 students

25 to 50 students

SAMPLE POEMS

The Steeple by Anonymous

A Case of Murder by Vernon Scannell

1. What was the poet’s intention?

Silly? Serious?

2. Are there any shifts in mood?

The word generally signifies a

shift in mood.

but

3. Do lines carry on in meaning?

Students tend to stop at the ends of lines.

Students tend to drop their pitch and volume at the ends of lines.

Enjambment

Be aware of the lines that carry on the meaning in the poem.

Once Steeple Bumpstead

Had a steeple

Beloved by all

The village people.

4. The beginning and the end are important parts!

The beginning is generally a narrative voice.

It is neither fast nor slow, but moves along at an average pace.

The ending generally slows right down to a stop.

from The Steeple (Beginning)

Once Steeple Bumpstead

Had a steeple

Beloved by all

The village people.

It was so fine

And tall and stately,

No wonder they

Admired it greatly.

From The Steeple (Ending)

And all because

An angry wizard

Blew Steeple Bumpstead

Folk a blizzard.

VARIATION IS EVERYTHING

There are three elements that should be varied.

What do you think they are?

Pitch

Pace

Volume

Vary pitch.

Back rows - high pitch.

Front rows - low pitch.

It was so fine

And tall and stately,

No wonder they

Admired it greatly.

HIGH PITCH

LOW PITCH

from The Three Little Pigs

“Little pig, little pig, let me come in!”

“Not by the hair of my chinny, chin chin!”

“Then I’ll huff and I’ll puff and I’ll blow your house down.”

And he huffed and he puffed and he blew the house down. Narrative Voice

from The Steeple

But long ago

An angry wizard

Blew Steeple Bumpstead

Folk a blizzard;

And suddenly the

Dust went dancing,

And hayracks in the fields

Went prancing.

Which words would be spoken with

a high pitch?

From A Case of Murder

They should not have left him there alone,

Alone that is except for the cat.

He was only nine, not old enough

To be be left alone in a basement flat,

Alone, that is, except for the cat

And here?

from A Case of Murder

And he took the stick and thrust it in,

Hard and quick in the furry dark,

The black fur squealed and he felt his skin

Prickle with sparks of dry delight.

Then the cat again came into sight,

Shot for the door that wasn’t quite shut,

But the boy, quick too, slammed fast the door:

Vary pace.

There are three paces to follow.

What do you think they are?

Slow (caesural or suspensory pause)

Fast

Medium (narrative voice)

A caesural pause works!

A natural pause in the middle of a line adds a bit more drama.

It was so fine

And tall and stately,

No wonder they admired it greatly.

Where couldthe students pause?

Make use of suspensory pauses

Carry enjambed lines forward by … lengthening the last syllable increasing inflection not taking a breath!

Faai di la!

And suddenly the Dust when dancing,And hayracks in the fields Went prancing.The win set windmill Sails a-whirling,And pots and pans And dishes twirling;

Vary volume

Whispering should be ‘loud’.

There shouldn’t be any shouting.

It blew the thrifty

Mean and lazy,

Till one and all

Were nearly crazy,

And one and all,

Both dull and clever,

Cried ‘Lawksamussy!

Well, I never!’

Which words could be spoken at a higher volume?

SPECIAL EFFECTS

There are many, many, many things one can do to bring the words alive.

“You pulled everything out of your sleeve.”

Cause a Wave.

Make a wave with the voices to show walking from one place to another, or something flying across the sky, or something falling.

from A Case of Murder

Then the cat again came into sight,

Shot for the door that wasn’t quite shut,

from The Steeple

The steeple once

So tall and splendid,

A heap of rubbish

Had descended;

Drop and Raise the Shoulders

To show sadness, have all students drop their shoulders.

from The Steeple

And poked their puzzled,

Anxious faces,

From queer and un-

Expected places.

But all at once the storm departed

As quick or quicker

Than it started;

RAISE SHOULDERS

DROP SHOULDERS

More and More Voices

What’s the easiest way to create this effect?

GROUPING

1 2 3 4

front

back

TEACHER

RIGHT LEFT

Add more and more voices

Start with 2 or 3 students, and keep adding 10 more.

TEACHER

Add more and more voices

And dumped the load of heavy fur

In the spidery cupboard under the stair

Where it’s been for years, and though it died

It’s grown in that cupboard and its hot low purr

Grows slowly louder year by year;

These lines will get progressively louder.

And though it died

year by yearAnd its hot

low purrGrows slowly

louder

TEACHER

It’s grown in that cupboard

Make other sounds besides words.

Add ….

a sigh

a meow

breathy sounds

From The Steeple

It caught the farmer’s

Wife so busy,

And round she went

Till she was dizzy.

What sounds could be added?

Students can lean forward when they speak.

The beginning of A Case of Murder

They should not have left him there alone,

Alone that is except for the cat.

He was only nine, not old enough

To be left alone in a basement flat,

Alone, that is, except for the cat MOVE FORWARD

At the end of A Case of Murder

When the cupboard swells and all sides split

And the huge black cat pads out of it.

from The Steeple

And poked their puzzled,

Anxious faces,

From queer and un-

Expected places.

Where could students move forward?

Faces should be seen at all times

Sometimes props, like witches hats, signs, an umbrella, get in the way.

Robotic movements are a no-no!

The movement should start just before the students begin speaking, and should end after the students have spoken.

Students should slowly bring their bodies back to the original position.

Angle the choir

At the festival, risers are pre-arranged on stage.

Go solo.

Use solo voices sparingly.

The lone voice should be confident and loud.

A solo voice could be used to show something singular, or a pronouncement.

from The Steeple

And tales were told,

And heads were shaken,

To see a village

So forsaken;

What could be spoken

in solo?

Props vs miming

Props can get quite clumsy.

Miming is easy.

If you use props, make them bigger than actual size.

NOW YOU TRY IT!

Read The Bookshop by Judith Nicholls

Determine:

1. The poet’s intention

2. The shifts in mood

3. Which lines carry on

4. How to deal with the beginning and ending

CONSIDER VARIETY IN:

Pitch High and Low

Pace Pauses and Fast

Volume Quiet and Loud