Real Chorus Music for Real
Chorus Students
Ilchester Elementary Fifth Grade Chorus
Tasha Maglocci, Director
Laura Baker, Accompanist
David Adelman, Principal
Warm Ups
 Should prepare students for the rehearsal or
performance experience.
 Attention Grabber: “Do what I do after me….”
 Respiration: Sniff the Rose, blow the feather to
Einini rhythm
 Range, Diction, Phrasing: Speak in a “movie star”
voice
 Diction: B Section of Bee!
Warm Ups Continued
 Lip Trills
 Vowels and vowel “hand signs”
Bee! I’m Expecting You!
qr qr | qr qr | qr Q
ta ti
ta ti
ta ti
ta ti
ta ti
sh
Bee! I’m Expecting You!
qr q | qr qr | q Q
ta ti
ta
ta ti
ta ti
ta
sh
Bee! I’m Expecting You!
qr eE | qr qr | eE Q
ta ti
ta ts
ta ti
ta ti
ta ts
sh
Bee! I’m Expecting You!
qr eE | qr Ee | eE Q
ta ti
ta ts
ta ti
ts ti
ta ts
sh
Bee! I’m Expecting You!
Ee eE | qr Ee | eE Q
ts ti
ta ts
ta ti
ts ti
ta ts
sh
Bee! I’m Expecting You!
Ee eE | qr Ee | eE Q
ti
ta
The frogs
ta ti
got home
ti
ta
last week.
Risseldy Rosseldy
 Students learned this folksong in the third and
fourth grade as they were learning specific
rhythms in 6/8 time signature and ti,.
 3 distinct parts that are different compositional
treatments of “risseldy rosseldy”
 1. Octave leaps, 2. Stepwise risseldy rosseldy,
and 3. echo-sustain risseldy rosseldy
 There is also a “lai, lai” descant part.
 Students then were asked to find these parts in
the music.
Choosing Good Repertoire
 Choose a program that is DIVERSE.
 Choose music that is ARTISTIC.
 Choose music that is in the choristers RANGE.
 Choose music that is within the choristers LEVEL.
 Choose music that reinforces a musical concept
that is what they are working on in general music.
 Choose at least one text that will aid in pure
vowel sounds (e.g. Italian or Latin).
Choosing Good Repertoire
Developing Part Singing
 unison (tapping beat, beat division, rhythm,
switching)
 unison with solo instrumental descant
 call and response or echo
 easy rhythmic ostinato
 easy melodic ostinato
 easy round
 echo singing with a sustained harmony at the end
 partner songs
Choosing Good Repertoire:
Developing Part Singing
 more difficult round (canon at the 5th)
 descant
 Countermelody
 Bicinia (trading the melody and harmony
between treble I and II parts – see Jay Broeker’s
“Johnson Boys”)
 Tricinia (same as bicinia, but with 3 parts)
 Easy tertian harmony – can be taught with solfa
Choosing Good Repertoire
 Write your own arrangements or commission a
work by a local composer
 Program at least one octavo that is sure to be a
crowd pleaser and chorus pleaser.
 When new to a program, learn the dynamics of
the former program. Know the community.
 Favorite Choral Series: Henry Leck, Doreen Rao,
Mary Goetze, Betty Bertaux
 Favorite Composers, Collections, & Websites
Einini
q | q q q | qr q
qr| q q qr | q q
s
md
m m s
mr r
qr| q q qr | q q
s s
l
l
d’l
r
r
md
r
r
qr| q q qr | q q
s s
mr
d d mr
d d
Now’s the Time
 The main objective of this octavo is exposing the
students to bebop music and getting them to
feel the 2 and 4 groove.
 The music was taught through rote and gesture.
The Joy I Feel
 Collected and arranged by Tim Gregory
 Taught by rote
 If possible, get a Native speaker
Management
 Have common sense rules and a contract
 Be organized
 Be well planned – both overview and to the
minute
 Positive reinforcement: Bach Bucks, Magic Drum,
Music Games
 Alternate focused work with “play” or movement
 Healthy Competition
Management
 Impromptu Performance
 Acoustic Switchup
 Keep students engaged - student led assessment
 Consequences
 Building Rapport – secret jokes, student led warm
ups
Galop
 Perfect example of a RONDO, which makes this
easy for students to memorize once they
understand the form.
 Great reinforcer of solfa. Solfa uses pure vowels
(except re, which can be modified).
 I’ve used this with all different kinds of movement.
Feel free to create your own, or have the
students help.
THANK YOU
At the bottom of your comment sheet please
indicate your preference for the following
scenarios at future MMEA February Conferences:
1. Demo chorus every year.
2. Informance like today every year.
3. Demo chorus alternated with Informance.