Singing in Tune – A Pleasure at Any Age

As a choral conductor, there are certain aspects of the choral sound that must be performed well to create for me a truly pleasing performance. One of these is good intonation, which can also be described as singing in tune. I have always found poor intonantion to be a deal breaker when I am evaluating a. choral performance, either mine or someone else’s. The bad news is that “out of tune” singing is so common – the good news is that “out of tune” singing is fixable. As is the case with most everything in choral singing, it is very important what each individual singer contributes. Each singer must do his or her part to help create a beautiful choral sound, and for good intonation that requires theunderstanding of how to sing in tune.  Much of the responsibility for singing in tune obviously falls with the choral director, but the best choral intonation will always be the result of the singers and director working together.

So, what can we do to improve our intonation?  I would suggest several things:

*  Use Good Choral Posture with Firm Breath Support   Slumping or slouching and shallow unsupported breathing will all contribute to poor intonation, which will usually result in singing flat.  The singer who thinks about his posture and tries to breathe fully and deeply, followed by firm support, will have taken an important first step toward good intonation.

*  Understand Correct Vocal Technique  Correct vocal technique can include many things, but for singing in tune it especially requires appropriate tonal placement, good vowel color, and a sensitivity to dynamics.  Knowing whether to use your chest or head voice (or a combination of the two);  understanding how to produce each vowel sound and how and when to modify it; and being sensitive to the level of sound required in the music and also being produced by the singers around you – these are all components of vocal technique that will help result in good intonation.

*  Hear the Sound Before You Sing It  One of the most important things we need to do as singers is “hear” the pitch before we sing it.  The human voice, more than any other instrument, requires the performer to actually know what the next pitch is before it can be sung, unlike a piano, where the player can press a key without actually knowing what the resulting sound will be.  Singers can improve their skills by engaging in ear training exercises, both individual and group.  Singers should also use their minds when singing.  Although singing may appear on the surface to be primarily a physical activity, excellent singing requires the vocalist to “imagine” each sound before it is produced.  In other words, it is important to think how one wants the note to be heard by others.  This will ultimately become a subconscious activity, but in the early stages of learning a piece the singer always needs to “think before he sings.”

I am certainly not suggesting that my comments above cover everything that could be said about singing in tune.  For example, while good intonation is available to singers of all ages, there are different things to consider that can improve our intonation as children, teenagers, young adults, mature adults, and senior adults.  I’ll cover some of those things in future blog postings. In the meantime, what things have you discovered that have helped you with intonation?

Singing Forever

It is my good fortune to have as one of the choirs I conduct a group of senior adult singers.  The ensemble is named PrimeTime Singers and it ranges in age from 60 to 95.  Current enrollment in the choir is approximately 70 with an average weekly attendance of around 50.  The attendance would be closer to 100% if it were not for the occasional illnesses, busy travel schedules, and grandchildren and great grandchildren baby sitting duties.   The musical expectations from such a group are somewhat different from those of an ensemble of younger singers since there are the obvious adjustments that must be made in working with the aging voice.  This is a subject I’ve discussed in a previous posting, http://mosingers.wordpress.com/2010/08/04/singing-with-an-aging-voice/, but it is not my subject today.

My subject today centers around the joy that comes from singing into our later years – a joy both for singers and for those of us lucky enough to have the opportunity to work with them.  (Disclaimer: I may be the Director of the PrimeTime Singers, but my age also qualifies me for membership in the group!)  There are a growing number of senior adult choruses around the country and it gladdens my heart to see this trend.  Many of these choirs are associated with churches, but many also are community organizations.  The PrimeTime Singers (PTS) happens to fall in both camps – it is a part of the ministry of Roswell United Methodist Church, but includes members from many other faith traditions, including Baptist, Catholic, Espiscopalian, Presbyterian, Jewish, and also from the community at large.  PTS rehearses diligently for an hour and fifteen minutes weekly and learns a wide range of four part choral music – sacred and secular, serious and light.  I am constantly hearing PTS members describe what fulfillment comes to them through the experience of learning new things, working together, laughing, and sharing with others (over 20 performances each season).

While aging requires that we slow down on some activities, and even curtail others, it is wonderful to know that singing need not be included in that list.  We should keep singing as long as we can, and in many cases that can be until we draw our last breath.  My earliest memory is being held by my 80 year old Granddaddy O’Neal.  I was only 18 months old, but I can clearly remember him singing “Danny Boy” as we lay on the bed in which he would shortly die.  It is actually a very sweet memory and reminds me of the importance of singing our songs until the end.

Is Your Voice Ready to Sing?

As choruses (community, school and church) resume rehearsals following a summer vacation, there are often many singers who feel their voices have lost some “conditioning” during the break.  It’s normal to feel that way, for singers are similar to athletes – we need to keep our voices (and bodies) in good singing shape.  As the new performance season begins, there are several things we can do to get our voices back where they were at the conclusion of the past season, or possibly, in even better condition.

(1) Hydration and Exercise.  Singing is a physical activity and to perform at our best we need to take care of our bodies.  It is important to drink lots of water (experts usually recommend eight glasses a day) and to engage in moderate physical exercise (walking, or any sort of aerobic activity that elevates the heart rate).

(2) Daily Vocal Warm Ups.  Most choral directors include a time for vocal warm up at the beginning of a rehearsal, but it should really be the responsibility of the individual singer to get his or her voice ready to rehearse.  Even something as simple as humming an ascending/descending three note diatonic pattern is helpful.  The warm up should start in the middle of the vocal range and gradually move outwards (up and down).  We should also be doing our vocal warm ups every day, and not just when we have an ensemble rehearsal.  Following a short warm up period (10 minutes) it can be useful to sing a simple song (folk song or hymn) without accompaniment.  The formation of words in the song activates the lips and tongue and helps prepare the singer for the more strenuous vocal activity of a rehearsal.

(3) Patience. Try to remember that achieving  anything of real value usually requires dedication and hard work, and that is certainly true with singing.  But as most choral musicians know, the result is worth the effort.  Keep in mind that rehearsals and performances will always be more rewarding if we’re in good vocal shape!

Summer and Singing!

We’ve just begun the sixth season of The Michael O’Neal Summer Singers and the first rehearsal was a blast!  One hundred and fifty voices came together to sing Randall Thompson’s The Testament of Freedom, Howard Hanson’s Song of Democracy, and arrangements of America, the Beautiful, God Bless America, and The Battle Hymn of the Republic.  In a program entitled (not surprisingly) Salute to America, this summer’s chorus should perform beautifully in our concert on August 15th. 

The Summer Singers (MOSS), unlike the regular season MOS,  is a completely non-auditioned chorus, and open to all interested singers.  The wide range of experience found exhibited in the individual singers in each summer’s chorus helps make the entire effort so gratifying to me.  I love taking people of various backgrounds and skill levels and assisting them in becoming a unified and sensitive musical ensemble.  That leads me to a question!  I’m interested in hearing the views of my readers on the pros and cons of non-auditioned vs. auditioned choruses.  Share your thoughts.

Thanks for the Memories

 Here is a letter I recently wrote to my singers in appreciation for all they do.  I would imagine the sentiments I feel would be mirrored by many conductors across the country.  Singers, thank you for what who contribute to so many people in so many ways.

Dear MOS Friends,

First, I want to thank you for a most remarkable concert this past Friday evening.  When you receive a standing ovation in the middle of the concert you figure you must be doing something right!  I appreciate, more than you know, all the hard work you put into this concert, especially during the week of the performance (three rehearsals plus a performance is quite a commitment).  You sang beautifully and I am very proud of you.  Next, I want to express my appreciation for the entire year of rehearsals and performances.  Agreeing to be a member of MOS carries with it an acceptance to make many personal sacrifices in order to fulfill what is certainly a demanding schedule.  I am very grateful to all of you who have honored that commitment and helped make this one of our finest seasons of music making. 

Now we look forward to a new season and to all the possibilities of beauty it will include.   Many of you have already gone through the reaudition process (and lived through it) and I’ll be seeing many more of you in the next few weeks.  I hope you understand this is something every serious chorus undertakes (some do it every year) and it is essential for our long term growth and improvement.

Don’t forget it’s not too late to sign up for Summer Singers!  The group is shaping up nicely (currently about 140), but I’d be happy to have some more of my MOS regulars, especially MEN!

Thanks again for everything you do to enrich my life and the lives of so many others.

Warmly,

Michael

Continuing the Song in Economic Downtimes

As 2009 begins many in the arts community are wondering about the future of  performing arts organizations.   The concern is that in these troubling economic times support for the Fine Arts will begin to falter and ensembles will begin to fail.   Sadly, this has already begun to happen to some established groups around the country.   As people have less discretionary income, there will be less money directed to donations and ticket sales.   While this is a realistic concern, and all of us involved in the performing arts must carefully examine our operating budgets to make sure we are spending our money wisely, I suggest that there is another thought that should also be receiving our careful attention.   It is this.   At times of national stress and turmoil, I believe that is when we need the Arts the most.  I remember Leonard Bernstein’s comment following John F. Kennedy’s assassination that the New York Philharmonic would respond to violence by “making music more intensely, more beautifully, more devotedly than ever before.”  Robert Shaw often suggested that the Arts were not an option for our society, but actually the best hope for humankind. 

If we truly believe that the Arts, and specifically choral music, make a positive difference in a changing and often frightening world, we need to be prepared to show the positive difference in every way we can.   Instead of spending all our time bemoaning the terrible economic possibilities that may lie ahead, let us spend at least an equal amount of time reminding ourselves and others what value the Arts bring to our lives.  I contend that if ever there were a time for us to be singing, it is now.

Rehearsal techniques?

Most community choruses have a similar rehearsal schedule – usually one rehearsal weekly, lasting 1½ to 2½ hours.  It is also common to have from six to ten weeks of rehearsal in preparation for a performance.  The aforementioned parameters certainly apply to MOS.  I think all of us would agree that to learn our repertoire well and perform it at our best requires individual time spent on the music outside the weekly rehearsals.  I have noticed over the years that the finest performances occur when the singers have taken a “personal responsibility” for learning their music, not when I have “achieved miracles” in the rehearsal.  Don’t get me wrong, I’d like to be able to take credit for our most outstanding moments of music making, but in all honesty I can’t do that, for I ultimately can only “work” with what you “bring” to the rehearsal.   

So, I am interested in hearing how you study your music outside of rehearsals.  Do you practice at a piano?  Do you actually practice singing your part? Do you practice rhythmically? Do you silently study the music?  Do you listen to performance or rehearsal recordings (either provided by the chorus or personally obtained)?  Do you review text?  Do you have a set time for music study or do you just grab moments when you find them?  Do you do a combination of things mentioned above or something else entirely? 

Remember that your combined individual contributions are perhaps the most important ingredient to the success of a final performance.  Don’t keep them a secret.  Share with each other (and me) how you do it!

To Memorize or Not to Memorize. . .

To memorize or not to memorize, that is the question.  So, what is the answer?  In our recent Celebrate the Future concert, many of the MOS members were impressed by the fact that the two high school choirs sang their selections from memory.  I imagine that just about everyone would agree that a choir singing without music in its hands presents an attractive visual image.   When singers are looking up at the conductor, rather than down at music scores, there exists a better chance that there will be more consistent communication between the choir and conductor, as well as between the choir and audience.  Therefore, we may ask the question, “Why doesn’t every choir memorize?”   Reasons often given include:  insufficient rehearsal time, complexity of music, age of singers (sorry!).  Also, it is important to note that performing with music does not mean that the final result will necessarily be less musical than one obtained performing from memory.  In fact, most professional choirs (either in the USA or Europe) perform almost always with music, and the quality of their performances is consistently very high. 

  

Well, this brings us back to the original point – to memorize or not to memorize.  What are your thoughts on the subject?  Are there pros and cons to either approach not mentioned above?  I’m interested in hearing what you think.

My first blog!

The Michael O’Neal Singers just began its Twentieth Season in what I think was exactly the right way.  Instead of concentrating on what we have accomplished during these last two decades, we set our eyes on what is ahead.  In a concert entitled Celebrate the Future we featured three outstanding high school musical ensembles:  The Alpharetta High School Chorale, Thomas Yackley, Conductor; The Milton High School Chorale, J. Andrew Bowers, Conductor; and the Centennial High School Chamber Strings, Young Kim, Conductor.  Each ensemble performed individually, as well as in a combined performance with MOS of Schubert’s Mass in G and a World Premier performance of Hear the Future! 

 

What struck me most about these young people, in addition to their extraordinary musicianship, was their commitment and seriousness of purpose.  In this complicated world in which we live it is encouraging to observe teenagers such as these and realize that they will be our leaders of tomorrow.  I have always believed (of course I’ll admit I’m somewhat biased) that school musical ensembles attract some of our brightest and best students, but I also believe that involvement in such ensembles helps develop qualities of teamwork, goal setting, and leadership.  It is gratifying to see folks (of any age) working together for a positive common purpose, and a musical ensemble is one of the best vehicles to achieve something together that could never be accomplished individually.

 

At our Celebrate the Future concert we had musicians ranging in age from teenagers to retirees and I imagine we all received something from our musical collaboration.  I’m interested in hearing from you as to what you experienced in our performance together and also what it is you most enjoy about making music in an ensemble.  Share your thoughts!

 

Michael