Teachers’s guide · three parts literally “follow her lead” in the delivery of dynamics and...

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1 TEACHERS RESOURCE Teachers’s guide Contents HARMONY......................................................................................................................................... 2 BARBERSHOP ARRANGEMENTS ......................................................................................................... 2 VOICE PARTS ..................................................................................................................................... 2 BALANCE OF SOUND ......................................................................................................................... 2 VOICE RANGES .................................................................................................................................. 3 TENOR ......................................................................................................................................................... 3 LEAD ........................................................................................................................................................... 3 BARITONE .................................................................................................................................................... 3 BASS ........................................................................................................................................................... 4 BALANCE OF VOICES .......................................................................................................................... 4 INTERPRETATION .............................................................................................................................. 5 BALLAD FLOW ............................................................................................................................................... 5 BARBERSHOP MANUSCRIPT .............................................................................................................. 6 USE OF THE PITCH PIPE ...................................................................................................................... 6 TEACHING BARBERSHOP ................................................................................................................... 7 LEARNING TRACK METHOD .............................................................................................................................. 7 REHEARSING ..................................................................................................................................... 7 VOCAL SKILLS ................................................................................................................................................ 7 POSTURE ...................................................................................................................................................... 7 BREATHING................................................................................................................................................... 7 PHONATION.................................................................................................................................................. 8 RESONATION................................................................................................................................................. 8 ARTICULATION .............................................................................................................................................. 8 VOCAL REGISTERS AND BARBERSHOP SINGING ................................................................................. 8 REHEARSAL STRATEGIES .................................................................................................................... 9 HUMMING ................................................................................................................................................... 9 SILENT SONG ................................................................................................................................................. 9 THE SINGING CIRCLE ....................................................................................................................................... 9 SOUND-OFF .................................................................................................................................................. 9 SECTIONAL REHEARSAL ................................................................................................................................... 9 TAGS ......................................................................................................................................................... 10 THE VISUAL BARBERSHOP PERFORMANCE ...................................................................................... 10 ENTRANCE AND PITCH PIPE ............................................................................................................................ 10 HOW MUCH CHOREOGRAPHY......................................................................................................................... 10 FACIAL EXPRESSION ...................................................................................................................................... 10 COSTUMES ................................................................................................................................................. 10 LEARNING A SONG USING BARBERSHOP RESOURCES ...................................................................... 11 PITCH NOTE/START NOTE .............................................................................................................................. 11 TIPS FOR LEARNING MUSIC QUICKLY AND ACCURATELY .................................................................. 11 FOR YOUR STUDENTS .................................................................................................................................... 11 SUGGESTED PROCESS FOR STUDENTS LEARNING NEW SONGS ........................................................ 12

Transcript of Teachers’s guide · three parts literally “follow her lead” in the delivery of dynamics and...

Page 1: Teachers’s guide · three parts literally “follow her lead” in the delivery of dynamics and tempo and support her inflection, artistry and finesse. Baritone The baritone is

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Teachers’sguide

Contents

HARMONY.........................................................................................................................................2BARBERSHOPARRANGEMENTS.........................................................................................................2VOICEPARTS.....................................................................................................................................2BALANCEOFSOUND.........................................................................................................................2VOICERANGES..................................................................................................................................3TENOR.........................................................................................................................................................3LEAD...........................................................................................................................................................3BARITONE....................................................................................................................................................3BASS...........................................................................................................................................................4BALANCEOFVOICES..........................................................................................................................4INTERPRETATION..............................................................................................................................5BALLADFLOW...............................................................................................................................................5BARBERSHOPMANUSCRIPT..............................................................................................................6USEOFTHEPITCHPIPE......................................................................................................................6TEACHINGBARBERSHOP...................................................................................................................7LEARNINGTRACKMETHOD..............................................................................................................................7REHEARSING.....................................................................................................................................7VOCALSKILLS................................................................................................................................................7POSTURE......................................................................................................................................................7BREATHING...................................................................................................................................................7PHONATION..................................................................................................................................................8RESONATION.................................................................................................................................................8ARTICULATION..............................................................................................................................................8VOCALREGISTERSANDBARBERSHOPSINGING.................................................................................8REHEARSALSTRATEGIES....................................................................................................................9HUMMING...................................................................................................................................................9SILENTSONG.................................................................................................................................................9THESINGINGCIRCLE.......................................................................................................................................9SOUND-OFF..................................................................................................................................................9SECTIONALREHEARSAL...................................................................................................................................9TAGS.........................................................................................................................................................10THEVISUALBARBERSHOPPERFORMANCE......................................................................................10ENTRANCEANDPITCHPIPE............................................................................................................................10HOWMUCHCHOREOGRAPHY.........................................................................................................................10FACIALEXPRESSION......................................................................................................................................10COSTUMES.................................................................................................................................................10LEARNINGASONGUSINGBARBERSHOPRESOURCES......................................................................11PITCHNOTE/STARTNOTE..............................................................................................................................11TIPSFORLEARNINGMUSICQUICKLYANDACCURATELY..................................................................11FORYOURSTUDENTS....................................................................................................................................11SUGGESTEDPROCESSFORSTUDENTSLEARNINGNEWSONGS........................................................12

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HarmonyBarbershopacappellahasuniquecharacteristicsthatseparateitfromothervocalstyles.

Theconsonant4-partchordsthatverticallysupporteachmelodynoteandfrequentuseofthemajortriadandbarbershop(dominant)7thchordsgivesitauniquebeautyandrichness.Italsomakesuseofminortriadsandthedominant9thchord.

Chordssuchasthe6th,major7thandmajor9thchordsareonlyincludedwhendemandedbythemelodyandchordscontainingtheminor2ndintervalarenotused.

Inthebarbershopstylethemajorchordisoftenopenedandspreadtothe10thinterval,using“do-sol-do-mi”(1-5-8-3)ratherthantheclosedvoicingof“do-mi-sol-do”(1-3-5-8).

BarbershoparrangementsAgoodbarbershoparrangementincludes:

• Allchordtonespresentineach4-notechord• Non-chordtonesnotpresentinanyvoicepart• Frequentuseofmajortriadsanddominant7thchords• Basspartoftenvoicedontherootor5thofthechord

VoicepartsThevoicepartsinwomen’sbarbershopharmonyhavedifferentnamesandfunctionsfromotherSATBvocalstyles.

• ThetenorpartisequivalenttoSopranoIbutfunctionsasaharmonypartabovethemelody• Theleadpart(SopranoII)hasthemelodyline• Thebaritonepart(AltoI)fillsinaboveandbelowthemelody• Thebasspart(AltoII)suppliestheharmonicfoundation(rootor5th)ofthechord.

Thetenorsingsthehighestnoteinachord,thebassthelowest,theleadthemelody,andthebaritonesingstheallimportantmissingnote!

BalanceofsoundOneoftheprimarycharacteristicsofbarbershopmusicisacone-shapedsound.

Churchorgleeclubmusic(SATB)isbalancedcylindrically,withallvoicessingingwithequalweightandintensity.Progressivejazz,whensunginharmony,andmodernharmonyaresungwithinvertedconebalance-thetopvoicesingswithmoreweightandintensity,andthelowervoicessingwithlessweightandintensity.

Correctbarbershopbalanceistheopposite.

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VoicerangesTherangesdescribedherereflectthevocalcapabilitiesoftheseniorprimaryschool/highschoolsinger.Thesecanbeextendedineitherdirectionforstudentsoradults.

TenorThetenoristhehighestofthe4voicepartsandisaharmonypartsungabovethemelody.TheeffectivetenorrangeforYoungWomeninHarmonysingers,withextendedrangeinsmallnotes,is:

Thetenormustsingwithalighterproductionthanthelowervoices,withoutsacrificingclarityorbrilliance.Herqualitymustcomplementbutneverovershadowthelead.

Thetenorsingsmostlyinherupperregister(headvoice),butshemustbeabletouseherlowerregister(chestvoice)forlowernotesinherrange.

Lyricsopranosgenerallymakegoodtenors.Thecoloratura,dramaticormezzosopranomustbeabletolightenthevoicequalityandremoveexcessivevibratoforthisvoicepart.

Whenarrangementsoccasionallyneedtenorstosingbelowthelead,thetenormustbroadenherqualitytokeepthechordsinbalance.

LeadTheleadisoneofthetwomiddlevoicepartsandusuallysingsthemelody.Theeffectiveleadrange,withextendedrangeinsmallnotes,is:

Becauseshecarriesthemelody,theleadmustsingwithauthority,clarity,andwithaconsistentqualitythroughoutherrange.Theleadsingswithjustenoughvibratotoaddcolourandwarmthtothesound.It’sessentialshepossessanaccuratesenseofpitch.

Sheisresponsibleforconveyingtheinterpretation,emotionandinflectionsofthesong.Theotherthreepartsliterally“followherlead”inthedeliveryofdynamicsandtempoandsupportherinflection,artistryandfinesse.

BaritoneThebaritoneistheotherofthetwomiddlevoicepartsinbarbershopmusic—aharmonypartsungbeloworabovethemelody,dependinguponwherethemelodyissituated.

Baritonediffersfromthealtopartintraditionalchoralmusicbecausethebaritonepartfrequentlycrossesoverthemelody(lead).Thebaritoneiswritteninthebassclef,anoctavelowerthanitissung.

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Theeffectivebaritonerange,withextendedrangeinsmallnotes,is:

Thoughthebaritoneandleadsinginthesamebasicrange,thetechniquesforsingingthetwopartsaredifferent.Thebaritonemustbeconstantlyawareofherpositioninthechordandflexibleenoughtoadjusthertonewhenneeded.

Whenshe’ssingingbelowthelead,sheusesarich,fullsoundthathelpstosolidifytherelationshipbetweenleadandbass.Whenshe’sabovetheleadsheusesalighterproduction,similartothatusedbythetenor.

Thebaritonesingsarelativelystraight,well-producedtonewithaminimumofvibrato.

BassInbarbershopmusic,thebassisthelowestofthefourvoiceparts,aharmonypartsungbelowthemelody.Thebasspart,likethebaritonepart,iswritteninthebassclef,anoctavelowerthanitissung.

Theeffectivebassrange,withextendedrangeinsmallnotes,is:

Becauseoneoftheprimarycharacteristicsofbarbershopmusicisitscone-shapedsound,thebassmustsingwithafullertonequalitythantheuppervoicesandwithmorevolumethantheotherthreeparts.

Theharmonicstructureofbarbershopmusicassiststhebassinprovidingafirmfoundationforthesound.Usuallyshesingstherootor5thofeachchordbutotherchordtonesmaybesunginpassingorforspecialeffect.

Thebassandleadworkasateam,establishingastrongandaccuraterelationship,withtheleadsingingthemelodyandthebassprovidingtheharmonicfoundation.

Thebasssingsarelativelystraight,well-producedtonewithaminimumofvibrato.Therangeofthebasspartiscomparabletothatofacontraltointraditionalchoralmusic.

Occasionally,anarrangementwillgivethemelodytothebassforafewnotes,aphraseoranentirepassage.Whenthisoccurs,thebassaddssufficientcolour(vibrato)tohervoicetomakethemelodyeasilyidentifiableandtheleadsingsmorelikeabaritone.

BalanceofvoicesAnidealbalanceofsingersinabarbershopchorusisshownina4-3-2-1formula:4bass,3lead,2baritone,1tenor.

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Thisratiocanbeprojectedtoshowtheidealnumberineachsectionforanysizegroup.

Bass Lead Baritone Tenor Group

4 3 2 1

8 6 4 2 20

16 12 8 4 40

40 30 20 10 100

InterpretationWhiletraditionalsongsstillplayapartinbarbershoptoday,italsoincludesmorecurrenttitles.Mostmusiccanbearrangedinthebarbershopstyle,andtherearemanyarrangerswiththeskillstoincludethebarbershopchordstructureintheirarrangements.

Today'sbarbershopquartetsandchorusessingavarietyofmusicfromalleras-showsong,popandrockmusichasbeenarrangedforchorusesandquartets,makingthemmoreattractivetoyoungersingers.

Therearehundredsofsongsarrangedandreadytosing.Arrangementsforyoungervoicesarevoicedtosuit.

Youcanfindcomplimentarysheetmusicforgirlsandyoungwomen,atSweetAdelinesInternational:https://sweetadelines.com/education/music-educator-resources

Formixed,boysandgirlsarrangements,visittheBarbershopHarmonySociety:https://www.barbershop.org/next-gen/junior-quartets-choruses

Inrhythmicuptunesandswingtemposongsit’simportanttomaintainasteadyrhythmicpulseeventhoughthesingersaresingingunaccompaniedor‘acappella’.Aballaddemandsadifferentapproach.

BalladflowThebarbershopballadischaracterisedbyanad-libpresentationinafree,rubatostyle,interpretedandcraftedbytheconductor’sownmusicality,ratherthanadheringtotheexactnotationofthecomposerorarranger.

Thisseparatesbarbershopperformancesfromthoseinotherchoralstyles.

Barbershopinterpretivestylepermitsrelativelywidelibertiesinthetreatmentofnotevalues.Wordsofimportanceorchordsofexceptionalbeautycanbeheld,pausescanbeaddedtocreatenewmeaning,andwordflowcanbeadjustedtohelpthelyricscomealive.

Effectivechangesintempoanddynamicscanalsoenhancetheperformance.

Ifyouweretospeaktheline“Nothingseemsthesameanymore”,theword“same”wouldlikelyreceiveaddedemphasis.Therhythmicnotationis:

Whensunginstrictrhythm,thelinecanbecomeratherstilted.

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Inordertogivegreaterlyricalflow,wecouldchangetherhythmicnotationtomakethelinetoflowto“same”.

BarbershopmanuscriptAbarbershoparrangementhastheappearanceofSATBmusicbutthenotesforthebaritoneandbasspartsarenotatedinthebassclefandsungoneoctavehigherthanwritten.Thiseliminatestheneedformanyledgerlineswhicharedifficulttoread.

Themusiciseasilyreadandsingersquicklyadapttothismethodofnotation.

AlineofthesongNothingSeemstheSameAnymorearrangedinbarbershopharmonybutnotatedasSSAAmanuscriptwouldappeardifferentfromwomen’sbarbershop.

SATB Women’sbarbershop

UseofthepitchpipeToestablishpitch(tonality),thekeynote(tonic)isnormallysoundedbythepitchpipe.Theneachsectionsingsaprescribednoteofthetonicchord:

• bassesandleadssing“do”anoctaveapart• baritonessing“sol”belowthelead• andtenorssing“mi”abovethelead.Avowelsuchas“ah”or“ooh”isused.

Thismethodofpitch-takingestablishesasenseoftonalitywiththesingers.Manychoralconductorsthenhavethesingersmovetothefirstchordofthesong.

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TeachingbarbershopTeachingabarbershoparrangementissimilartoteachingotherchoralmusic.Barbershopstylemusicismemorisedandunaccompanied,soit’simportantforthestudentstolearntheirpartsthoroughly.Learningtrackscanbehelpfulintheteaching/learningprocess.

LearningtrackmethodLearningtracksareavailableformanyYoungWomeninHarmonyarrangements.Thisisaveryefficientmethodofteachingandenablesthedirectortofocusoninterpretation,balanceandperformanceskills,asthenotelearningisaccomplishedmostlyoutsideoftherehearsal.

Thetracksaredistributedtothestudentsalongwiththesheetmusicsosingerscanpracticeathome.Thelearningtracksareavailablewithall4partsbalancedaswellaswithexamplesrecordedwiththevoicepartpredominantorwiththevoicepartmissing.

Thestudenthastheopportunitytofollowalongwiththemusicwhilelistening,thencanpracticesingingalongwiththepartaloneuntilconfident.Whenshefeelsready,shecanpracticefittingherpartintotherecordingoftheotherthreeparts.

Afterpracticingwiththelearningtracksindividually,thefirstrehearsalstogethershouldincludepracticeofthesongfairlymethodicallytocheckfornoteaccuracy.Ifnecessary,individualsectionsshouldhaverepetitionworkondifficultpassages.Somevoicepartsareeasiertolearnthanothers!

Thechorusneedstolearntoidentifythesoundofbarbershopharmonyandtorecognisethesoundofawelltunedchord.Itissometimeshelpfultosingapassagechordbychorduntileachchordisaccurate.

Thebestbarbershopharmonyissungwithlisteningskillsaswellasvocalskillsandthelearningprocessisthebesttimetoemphasisethis.Repetitionisthekeytoretention.

Rehearsing

VocalskillsVocalskillsareanintegralpartofallaspectsofthebarbershopstyle.Thebasicelementsofposture,breathing,phonation,resonationandarticulationeachplayanimportantroleinthevocalpresentationofbarbershopmusic.

PostureCorrectbodyalignmentallowsoptimalbreathingandeffectiveuseofthevocalinstrument.

Atallstancewiththecrownoftheheadbeingthehighestpointisideal,weightdistributedevenlyonbothfeet,unlockedkneesandafeelingoffluidityinthebody.Shouldersarerelaxed,headlevel.Thebodyshouldbefreetomovewhensinging.

Acarelessbodystancewillinhibittheactionsofthebreathingandvocalmechanisms.

BreathingProperinspirationforsingingbeginswitharelaxedjaw,arelaxed,openthroatandanerect,expandedribcage.Theabdominalmusclesarethenallowedtorelaxdownward.Thisactionallowsamaximumamountofairintothelungsquicklyandefficiently.

Iftheribcageisnoterectandexpanded,thepotentialforbreathwillbereducedortheintakeofairwillcausethechesttoheaveupward.

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Ifthere’stensioninthejaworthroatarea,inhalationwillbenoisy,becausethethroatwillbeconstrictedandthevocalfoldspartiallyclosed,makingitimpossibletoquicklygetsufficientairintothelungs.

Properexpirationforsingingbeginswitharelaxedjaw,arelaxed,openthroat,anerectexpandedribcageandalowereddiaphragm.Whiletheribcageisinitserect,expandedposition,theabdominalmuscleslift,slowlyreleasingairfromthelungsupwardthroughthevocalfolds.

PhonationPhonationistheactionofthevocalfoldsinspeakingandsinging.Propercontrolthroughtheuseoftheabdominalandintercostalmusclesratherthantheswallowingorbearingdownmuscleswillallowoptimumairmanagementforthesinger.Singersneedacompletelyrelaxedthroatforthevocalfoldstoproduceclear,beautifultones.

ResonationResonationistheamplificationandenrichmentofthetonesproduced.Thepharynxisoneoftheprimaryresonatorsforthevocalinstrumentandisenhancedbysingingwitharelaxedjaw,anopenthroatandanelevatedsoftpalate.Whenthebreathingmechanismisfunctioningproperly,thesingerisabletousethepharynxforproperresonationofvocalsounds.

ArticulationArticulationistheprocessbywhichsoundsareshaped.Insinging,vowelsaresustainedandconsonantsprovideonlysplit-secondinterruption.Aneffectivebarbershopensembledoesnotrelyonhighlyarticulatedlyricsbut,instead,focusesonthetargetvowelsounds,especiallyintheharmonyparts.

VocalregistersandbarbershopsingingBelowmiddleC

Ingeneral,alltonesbelowmiddleCsungbyanyvoicepartareproducedbyusingthevocalcordadjustmentforthelowerregister.

OctavefromMiddleCtoCabove

Theupperregisterisgraduallymixedwiththelower,lighteningthequalityandallowingtonestoremainfreeandmusical.

TonesabovetheCabovemiddleC

Theseareproducedbyusingthevocalcordadjustmentfortheupperregister.

Theguidelinesaboveapplytotonesofmoderatevolume,properlyproduced.Anincreaseinvolumegenerallyrequiresmoreassistancefromthelowermechanismandadecreaseinvolumegenerallyrequireslessassistancefromthelowerandmorefromtheupper.

Thesingerneedstolearntoapplythecorrectvocalskills-breathing,phonation,articulationandresonation-toachieveasmoothtransitionbetweenthetwovocalregisters.Thesingerwhoisunabletomakethissmoothtransitionbecauseoffaultyproductionorlackofvocaldevelopmentgenerallyforcesupthelowerregistertoapointwherethepharyngealmusclesconstrictthethroatinanattempttoformaresonatingcavityforthedesiredtone.

Whenmusclesarefullyconstricted,thevoice“breaks”andaweakenedupperregistertakesover.

Asignificantdifferencebetweenfemalebarbershopmusicandothertypesofchoralmusicisthemannerinwhichthelower,orchest,registerisusedinsingingthethreelowervoiceparts.

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Eventhetenormayoccasionallyneedtousethechestregisterforlowertonesortoachievehighervolumelevels.However,we’recarefulnottooverextendtheyoungvoiceandencouragegradualandhealthyprogress.

RehearsalstrategiesAllthetechniquesusedinrehearsinganychoralmusicwillbeeffectiveinrehearsingabarbershopensemble.Therearealsoapproachesthatseemtoworkespeciallywellinbarbershopchoruses.Herearesomeideasthatmaybehelpful…

HummingOnesectionsingsthewordswhiletheotherthreesectionshumtheirownnotes.Thisiseffectiveinhelpingallfoursectionstobecomefamiliarwiththeirownpartswhilekeepingtheminvolvedduringthelearningprocess.

SilentsongAfternotesandwordshavebeenlearned,askthechorustotakethepitchofthesong.Asyoudirect,thesectionsthinktheirparts.Atasignal,theycontinuethemusicaudibly.Repeat“silent”and“sing”afewtimesthroughoutthesong.Thisisagoodmethodtodetermineifthechorusislosingtonalityorstrayingfromthepitch.Thisactivityalsoencouragesthesingertobeawareofherpartanditsrelationshiptotheothers.

ThesingingcircleThechorusformsacircle,facinginward(doubleortripledeepifthechorusislarge)withthedirectorinthecentre.Thepurposeistoaddvarietyandtoenablethememberstohearoneanotherfromadifferentperspective.Inadditiontorotatingwithinthecircletofacedifferentsections,thedirectormaychoosetowalkslowlyaroundthecirclelisteningtoeachvoice.Thisallowsformonitoringindividualpartsandvoiceswithoutaddingpressureorembarrassingthesinger.

Sound-offEachsectioncountsoff1,2,3,4untileverymemberhasanumberandthechorushasbeendividedintofoursmallerchoruses.Theentirechorusbeginsasongandoncueallstopsingingexceptthegroupwhosenumberiscalled.Combinenumbersforvariety.

SectionalrehearsalOccasionallyit’shelpfulforasectiontoworkaloneontroublespotsordifficultpassages.Sectionrehearsalscanincludeinterpretation,matchingtonequality,matchingvowelsandsynchronisation.Sectionrehearsalsofthetenors,baritonesandbassescanbenefitbytheadditionofafewleads.Thisallowstherelationshipofthemelodyandtheharmonytobereinforced.

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TagsTagsareanintegralpartofthebarbershopidiomandwillenhanceyourrehearsals.Theyareshort,easytolearn,quicklytaughtandeasilyrecalledandallowthesingertopracticetheblendofvoices,thebalanceofchordsandaccuratetuning.Tagsaresungfree-style,permittingthesingerstoholdeachchorduntilitmeetstheear’ssatisfactionandevenabitmore,justforfun.

Youcanfindmusicfortagsat:

Lloydsonghttp://lloydsong.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Barbershop-tags-for-women-final-portrait.pdf.GlendaLloydalsohasarangeofarrangementsonthesite.

andBarbershoptagshttps://www.barbershoptags.com/

ThevisualbarbershopperformanceThetotalbarbershopperformanceincorporatestheartofshowmanship,relyingheavilyonthevisualimpactandunityoftheensemble.

EntranceandpitchpipeInperformance,theentrancetoandexitfromthestageshouldbeexecutedwithconfidenceandplannedinadvance.

Timingforthepitchpipe,anybreaksandaudienceacknowledgementofapplauseshouldbepracticedinrehearsals.

HowmuchchoreographyEffectivechoreographyinthebarbershopstyleenhancesthemusicalproductwithoutdistractingeitherthesingerortheaudiencefromthemusic.

Manyprimaryandseniorhighschoolstudentshaveexperiencedparticipationinshowchoirsandenjoyedconsiderablechoreographyandstaging.Barbershopperformancesmayrequiresomemodificationofthewaythegroupmoves,sosoundisneversacrificedforthesakeofmovement.Thereisalsonomusicalaccompanimenttocoveranylackofbreathsupport!

Becauseofriserpositions,notallchorusmemberscandoallthechoreography.Sometimesfrontrows,backrows,asectionorsingleindividualdoesaparticularmovebuttheunitappearanceneedstobekeptintact.

FacialexpressionAbrightanimatedandexpressivefaceisnotonlyagreatwaytoshowthemessageofthesongandconnectwiththeaudience,italsoenhancesresonanceandliftinthesound.Attheveryminimumitshouldbe‘pleasant’.

Appropriatestagemakeup,especiallywhenperformingunderlights,canbehelpfulinhighlightingfacialexpression.

CostumesCostumingisimportanttothebarbershopperformanceandmaydenoteatheme,illustrateasongorreflectthepersonalityoftheperformer.

Appropriatecostumesaddtothevisualimpactofanyperformanceand,forYoungWomeninHarmony,canincreasetheperformer’ssenseofself-confidence.

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Energyistheforcethatpropelsallaspectsofthevisualpresentationofthebarbershopperformance.Itaddsthatmagicalaurathattransformsanotherwiseroutineperformanceintoanexcitingexperienceforbothaudienceandperformer.

Whenthebarbershopchoruscandisplaybothmusicalproficiencyandanenergisedvisualperformance,theendresultisanentertainmentpackagethatthrillseveryoneinvolved.

LearningasongusingbarbershopresourcesDependingonthecopyrightpermissionsyouhave,downloadallthelearningtracksforthesongsandsaveontoyourdevice.Yourstudentscandothesame.

MostbarbershoplearningtrackscomeinAll4-parts,leaddominant,bassdominant,baridominantandtenordominanttracks.Somemayalsohaveeachpartonitsownandasinglepartmissing.

Pitchnote/startnoteEachtrackstartswithanelectronicallyproducedpitchforthesong.Ifyou’renewtoacappellasinging,thisishowsingerslearnthekeyofthesongwhichtheyneedtobeawareofthroughout.Thepitchofthesongwillchangeifthere’sakeychangeinthesong.

Whenrehearsing,eachpartneedstolearnwheretheirfirstnoteisrelativetothepitchnote.Somesingersjustmemoriseit,otherscountthenumberofnotesfromthepitchpipenotetotheirstartnote.Therearemanyonlineresourceswithexamplesofsongsforeachoftheseintervalswhichsomesingersmayfinduseful.

Afterthepitchisblown,askallpartstosingitinunison,toestablishagoodtonalcentre–thebassesandsometimesthebaritonemaytaketheloweroctave–beforeeveryonemovestotheirstartnoteatyourdirection.

Hand-heldpitchpipes,eitherelectronicormechanical,aremostoftenusedbybarbershopsingers,buttherearealsoarangeofappsyoucandownloadforyourdevice.

CtoCpitchpipesarebestforfemalesingers,FtoFformales.

TipsforlearningmusicquicklyandaccuratelyIt’simportantforthemusicdirectortobeawareofthedifferentpartsandhowtheyinteractwitheachother.Somedirectorslearnall4partsofthesong,whileothersplayeachpartrepeatedlytomakethemselvesawareofanytrickyareas.

Studentsshouldbeexpectedtolearntheirpartathome.Tostartwithatchoirrehearsal,practisethesongwiththestudentsstandingtogetherwiththeirvoiceparts.You’llneedweeklyrehearsalstoproperlylearnabarbershopsong.

Foryourstudents• Repetitionandreallylisteningtotherecordingwillhelpyoulearnyournotesaccurately.• Plan15minutesatleast3or4timesaweektolearnyourmusic,awayfromdistractionsif

possible.Thelearningprocessshouldtake3-4weeks,orless,dependingonthesong.• Thelearningtracksoftendon’tmatchthesheetmusicexactlywithrespecttotimingandrhythms.

Barbershopinterpretationallowsformuchflexibility!Thedirectorcanmakenotesontheircopyofthemusicandshareitwithstudents,orrunthroughanyinterpchangeswiththegroup.Studentscanfollowalongwiththeirsheetmusicwhilelisteningtothelearningtracks–withanynotesfromyouoncorrectinterpretation,vowelsounds,timingandvocalproduction.

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Suggestedprocessforstudentslearningnewsongs• Playyourpart4-6timesinarow,listeningonly–don’tsingalong.• Playyourpartagainwhilehummingsoftly2or3times.• Singyourpartsoftywiththerecordingofyourpart3times.• Singyourpartwiththe‘AllParts’version3times.Ifyouloseconfidenceinanyparticularsection,

gobackandrelearnthatbit.• Lookatthesheetmusicandsingalongwhilefollowingyourpartinthesheetmusic.• Ifyoufindyouhavetroublewithaparticularsectionofthesong,listentothelearningtrackagain

afewtimes,thenhumthrough4times,thensingitseveraltimeswiththerecordinguntilyouhaveitright.

• Whenyoufeelyouknowit,singyourpartwitheachoftheother3parts,toheartheharmonyandhowyourpartfitswiththeothers.

• Followthesestepsfor2or3weeks.

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Wehopeyouenjoyworkinginthebarbershopstyleandwe’dbehappytohelpifyou’dlikeanyfurtherinformation.

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