- written by Harold Burgmayer
(This article was originally printed in the April/May/June 2001 issue of THEME Magazine).
Harold Burgmayer has served as the Divisional Music Director for the Pendel Division (Eastern Pennsylvania and Delaware) for over twenty years, which includes leadership of the Pendel Brass and Singers, who have recorded six albums under Harold’s leadership. Harold holds a doctor of musical arts degree in music composition. He has over forty compositions and arrangements in print and in recordings. One of his passions is choral conducting and training, especially with young people.
Some years ago, after a performance of a camp chorus of which I was a member, the camp director came to me both delighted and questioning, “How did this particular guest get such a great sound in such a short time?” One could have argued for wise repertoire choice, or noted the giftedness of the ensemble. Certainly the skillful rehearsal management of this seasoned choral specialist was a safe answer. In fact, all of the above were true, but I found myself simply answering, “It’s all in the warm-up.”
RELAX IN THE VOICE
Life is full of anxieties. We seek to alleviate these, at least for the time of rehearsal, through an enjoyable choral experience. With folks coming to our volunteer ensembles from the varied stresses of work and school, a proper vocal warm-up helps establish focus. One would hardly consider entering into a strenuous athletic match without stretching and warm-up. Singing is not always understood to be a very physical activity. A systematic warm-up allows the individual time to concentrate on their singing instrument, before diving into repertoire. We move from “just singing” toward “beautiful sound.” We learn to relax in the voice.
LISTENING AROUND
Many characteristics of quality singing are dependant on learning to listen “chorally” to both one’s self and those around. Those who do not blend tend to hear only themselves, while timid voices tend to lose themselves in the surrounding sound. The warm-up is an excellent place to establish the balance between “personal space” and the “corporate objective.” To aid listening and attention to the conductor, warm-ups are learned by rote and sung from memory.
THINK, BREATHE, SING
Proper posture and breathing are best handled in the warm-up as a starting point. We choose not to compromise on posture throughout the rehearsal. Given the opportunity, singers will choose to slouch, which hampers proper breath support. Lack of breath yields a strained, breathy sound, while proper breathing allows a free, resonant sound. We train our singers to THINK, (that is, to get an aural picture), BREATH (quiet and deep) and then, SING (with a controlled air stream). Too often we mix-up the sequence or worse, try to skip a step. Most warm-ups should begin on a relatively high tone and move down. The purpose is to bring the “head voice” down. Starting at a lower pitch and moving up usually results in trying to force the less desirable “chest voice” up.
UNIFY VOWELS
The very heart of great choral sound and blend is consistent vowel production. Preliminary work on vowels saves rehearsal time later. For example, in the warm-up on vowels, work for a pure, light “ooh” vowel or train folks to not spread the “ee” vowel. Only a reminder will be necessary later when these vowels come up in the course of rehearsal.
TUNE the “FA” and “TI.”
In the melodic context, the natural half steps of the major scale (steps 3 to 4 [mi to fa] and steps 7 to 8 [ti to do]) tend to be sung too small in ascending passages and conversely, too large in descending passages. Scale work and canons will improve linear intonation. Use some part singing to encourage fine tuning in the vertical context. Do this work without the aid of the piano.
CONNECT STYLISTICALLY
A warm-up can lead logically into the style of the item to be rehearsed. This can happen at the conclusion of the warm-up time as one moves into the first item to be rehearsed or midstream to change styles. Obviously a “pop” warm-up (or as some call it, preparation) would not proceed rehearsal of a madrigal. Look for vocal warm-ups within the pieces you are teaching. This is especially effective in troubleshooting tough passages.
10 STEP CHORAL WARMUP - William L. Rollins (See the Simple Choral Guide)
Dependant on time available, start the warm-up sequence with the goal of bringing the group together and establishing physical and vocal readiness. This can involve physical stretching (Step 1) and relaxation, like shoulder rubs (Step 2). Vocalize first on the resonators with relaxed humming (Step 3). Move next to work on the vowel unification (Steps 4 & 5). Encourage listening “around” the ensemble to linear and vertical tuning. The goal is a relaxed tone quality with round vowels. Next, warm-up the articulators with work on consonants (“lips, teeth, tip of the tongue” - Step 6). The breathing “rap” (Step 7) encourages deep, quiet breathing. Next work to extend range and vocal flexibility (Step 8). Then fine tune half steps with some part singing (Step 9). Finally, sing something familiar to bring all these elements together (Step 10). The warm-up should move naturally into rehearsal of your first item.
RESOURCES ON CHORAL WARM-UPS
Some favorite warmup ideas for young people are included in the book
Take Careful Aim- Helps for Singing Company Leaders and demonstrated on the video
Let The Children Sing. Both these items are by Harold and Priscilla Burgmayer and available through the Supplies and Purchasing Department at THQ (phone 416-422-6100 or E-mail
orderdesk@can.salvationarmy.org), as is the
Simple Choral Guide.
In addition, consider purchasing a good warm-up collection, like
The Complete Choral Warm-up (Russell Robinson and Jay Althouse - Alfred);
Group Vocal Techniques (Frauke Haaseman - Hinshaw) or
Successful Warm-ups (Nancy Telfer - Kjos). Additional vocal resources are listed on the back page of the
Simple Choral Guide.
