Practice Tips
Warm-up the voice before you record.
Before you video tape, do an audio recording and with an audible mp3 of the practice track. Listen for the following:
Breathing
Notes/Pitches
Diction
Rhythm
Expression
Tone
Phrasing and Dynamics
Please bring musical questions directly to the Artistic Director. Remember, if you have a question, others probably have that same question. Use the chat in Zoom or e-mail [email protected] to let ask the Artistic Director of any questions you may have.
Warm-up the voice before you record.
Before you video tape, do an audio recording and with an audible mp3 of the practice track. Listen for the following:
Breathing
- Stand tall, singing is an athletic activity to be performed with your whole body.
- Breathe prior to singing. Don't wait until the last microsecond in a four-measure rest; use the entire time to get a full, deep breath.
- Breath in on the vowel you are about to sing.
- If you breathe in the middle of a phrase, are you coming back in quietly “feathering in”?
- If you breathe in the middle of a phrase, are you leaving the end consonant off the word?
- DON’T squeeze the air to finish the phrase, take a breath and “feather” back in to complete the phrase.
Notes/Pitches
- If your runs are sloppy, add an “h” to the beginning of each note
- Avoid swooping into notes. Voiced consonants should be pitched on the same note as the following vowel
- Relax your jaw and tongue.
- At the beginning of a phrase, prepare the note in your head and the resonant space BEFORE you start singing.
- Listen back to the recording, are you in tune with the rest of the choir? Relax on sharp pitches, energize on flat pitches.
Diction
- Practice pronouncing the text in rhythm (especially important for foreign languages).
- Know the vowel sound for each note you will be singing.
- Always finish a phrase on the rest, unless directed otherwise by the Artistic Director.
- Elide (connect) final consonants with the next word within a phrase unless asked to do otherwise.
- Drop the jaw and raise the soft palate on higher pitches
Rhythm
- In difficult sections mark the beats in your score.
- Practice clapping or saying the rhythm without notes.
- Breath in rhythm so you are ready to sing a phrase on time.
- Sustain notes to the end of the phrase, even if you need a catch breath in the middle.
- Place beginning consonants before the beat so that the vowel is on the beat.
Expression
- Read through the text to get an understanding of the meaning of the lyrics. (You can't communicate to the audience if you don't know what the piece is about.)
Tone
- Avoid excessive vibrato to blend with other voices.
Phrasing and Dynamics
- Be aware of all other parts at all times so you can pull back dynamically on long held notes that are accompaniment to other moving parts. Know when you have the important melody or moving part so you can help “bring it forward.” This is crucial to a good ensemble sound.
- Crescendo slightly to the high point of every phrase and decrescendo to the end phrase as an increase of energy followed by gradual lessening of energy.
- Beware of and observe any dynamic markings in the score.
- Keep supporting the note with airflow. Grow the tone.
Please bring musical questions directly to the Artistic Director. Remember, if you have a question, others probably have that same question. Use the chat in Zoom or e-mail [email protected] to let ask the Artistic Director of any questions you may have.