2. Why should a choral director not introduce a new choral work to a choir by saying, “This is a great work and you’re going to love it?
Students should be given the opportunity to form their own opinions of the music instead of being told what your opinion of the music is. Students can then form opinions on the value of the music and whether they like it or not. When teachers start off by telling the students that they love the music, then they are almost causing the song to be a failure. For me, when a conductor tells me that I will love a piece then I almost have a higher expectation for the piece. Instead of me finding a reason to love the piece, I am trying to figure out what is so “cool” about it. I usually end up never finding it and not wanting to sing the song. Students need to also be given the opportunity to put their own translation and meaning to a piece. This will help students portray the music better and they will make a deeper connection with the music.
7. How can audio tapes be used in the choral rehearsal?
Audio tapes can be used in many ways in a choral rehearsal. When a choir is first beginning a piece of music, the conductor may decide to let them listen to a recording of the piece before sight reading the piece. This would allow the choir to get a feeling for the mood, tempo and style of the piece before reading the first note. This could also be a great opportunity to have singers follow along in their music with the recording. This could help singers pick up on dynamic changes or the general melody heard over several parts. A conductor may also decide to allow the choir to listen to several different choirs recordings of the same piece. This can almost be used as an ear training exercise whe...
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...will not be able to do everything on your own. You will need to enlist a crew to help you with the everyday chores. This can also help the students feel connected to the group along with giving them a sense of responsibility. The conductor has a great deal to worry about with the music and teaching the choir, they do not need to be worried about setting up chairs.
Last, conductors should not talk too much, while rehearsing. As teachers I feel like we don’t do this one enough but I feel it is a very important aspect to the choral rehearsal. At times we over explain a concept to our students or we say it in to many words. As Dr. MacPherson say while we rehearse in conducting, “how can you make that correction in three to five words.” The shorter of a “command” you are giving the choir the more likely they will be to remember the correction and follow through.
Choir is a form of musical art. It consists of four different types of groups, and each vocal ranges from highest to lowest. The way people in choir communicate with each other is when they harmonize, they learn about one another through the emotions of a song they sing in unison. Choir is not only for people who can sing, it is
Conductors are seen as the leader of an orchestra or band and are given most if not all the credit for the music played. For such a simple task that consists of counting the beats, showing the mood for the music, and giving people cues to enter, conductors are as good as their orchestra or band, not by their talent. In this passage by Igor Stravinsky, Stravinsky discusses that the work the conductor puts in is negligible to the work the orchestra it self and that concerts should be about the complex qualities of the music played instead of how the conductor impacts the performance.
On November 16th, 2013, I attended a concert choir, fall choral concert. This event took place on the Wheaton College Campus, in the Edman Chapel at 7:30 pm. The chapel was well-lit, with long pews for the audience to be seated. The concert began with the audience looking up into a balcony, where the ensemble stood in neat rows. They watched the conductor, who stood on a stage in front of the audience, waiting for their cue.
The films “The Birds” and “Psycho” do not portray your typical family and clearly have some dysfunctionalism going on. Throughout the film In “The Birds” Mitch continually refers to his own mother as “darling” and “dear” – clearly this is a sign of an enmeshed dysfunctional relationship between mother and son. Mitch and his mother Lydia’s relationship has more of a husband and wife's role; for example, when Mitch and Lydia wash dishes, their conversation is like husband and wife. There are three relationships with Mitch that are disrupted by Melanie’s arrival in Bodega Bay; Lydia, Annie, and Cathy. The first attack comes to Cathy’s birthday party, which Melanie attends. While Cathy welcomes Melanie she seems to subconsciously harboring the fear that her brother’s affections will be replaced by Melanie. The other attack comes after Melanie leaves the lovebirds for Cathy; the seagull’s attack is a warning shot that Melanie ignores. When the birds attack the schoolchildren, it's after Melanie has arrived at the school to pick up Mitch's sister. Another warning shot arrives as another gull slams itself into Annie’s front door when Melanie invades Annie’s territory by choosing to board with her for the night. During another attack, Annie is killed, leaving Melanie to take her place. Mitch's mother Lydia, a woman portrayed as cold to anyone not in her immediate family, and especially cold to other women who might have an interest in her son. The bird attacks are just a metaphor for Melanie's "invasion" of the peaceful world of Mitch & his family, a world that seems peaceful on the surface but in fact has all these repressed feelings and anxieties bubbling underneath. Every scene in the film is about Melanie's "invasion" of M...
The choir represents the voice of the people, the voice of the masses. People often conform to this uniform truth, they want to be like other people. This conformation leads to a uniform voice from the public. This voice is often ignorant to the truth, seemingly to the point that it creates its own truth.
Lefebvre, Eliza. "Choir gives voice to kids’ confidence." Buffalo News 14 March 2013, n. pag.
The U.S. Sanitary Commission was organized because of the improper hygiene of the soldiers and hospitals during the war time. During war many soldiers were dying because of sickness related to improper medical procedures and overall un-cleanliness of the camps. Many Doctors became worried about the soldiers and upset about the fact that they lived in horrible conditions during the war. In order to help combat the many deaths they organized a group of volunteers to help teach the soldiers and hospital workers proper cleaning techniques. They were also concerned with uniting the various relief organizations together so that those who were fighting in the war received everything that they needed. The U.S. Sanitary Commission also helped provide the proper supplies that those in war needed such as medical supplies, food, clothes, nurses, communication with family, and transitional housing. This organization paved the way for concern for all public health.
Essentially I believe that in today's society music literacy is a necessary skill for us all to have to successfully encounter and interact with the world around us. Reasons for teaching music as a school subject are consistent with the reasons that we educate ourselves about anything else. Furthermore, we have shown a commitment in the past to creating a musically literate society, and events in today's world only strengthen the need to continue that commitment.
Music majors do have some respite from the demands of our discipline. For voice majors, there is choir. Choir provides an opportunity to learn in a more passive manner. The choir director leads the members of the choir toward the desired goal – the mastery of the piece of music to be performed. While choir members must be attentive and receptive, the burden is primarily carried by the director.
With school budget cuts, and no music instruments, more and more people are beginning to realize the benefits of having music in education. Providing music as part of education helps develop intelligence that leads to greater success in school and in life. Everyone from VH1 Save The Music to The National Association For Music Education agree that, “Every student in the nation should have an education in the arts.” These two companies are doing everything they can to get out the information about music, and the importance of resorting music education as part of the core curriculum.
On Wednesday, May 23rd, I attended the College Choir concert in the Reamer Campus Center. The choir performed a variety of songs, ranging from pieces in Latin to traditional American folksongs. Two of the pieces featured solos, and one even featured percussion instruments. Mrs. Elinore Farnum provided piano accompaniment for each of the songs, and performed beautifully. I was extremely impressed by the talented choir members and their ability to sing such a varied range of songs.
Initially information for this topic was a bit difficult, but as I continued to research I was able to find the material I needed. Once I gathered my information it became easier for me to combine the material and write my paper. During my research I also found other topics dealing with music and the learning process, such as, does the music’s volume hurt or help the learning process, which type of music helps best with the learning process, and can the type of music change an individual’s mood.
Life would be pretty boring without musicians and artists creating such pleasurable music for us. Not everyone in the world plays an instrument, because only selected few have the gift to play and the passion for it. Students should not be required to play an instrument in school because individuality takes place in this situation, certain talents and the required attention needed, of course. Although music can become a big, influential role in someone's life, it's not meant for everyone. Kids should voice their feelings on schools making music programs a requirement.
Friedrich Nietzsche once said, “Without music, life would be a mistake”. Music is almost as old as the human race and is as much a part of it as anything. So why would anyone choose to get rid of it? An Increasing number of schools across the nation are deciding to cut music education programs. This includes band, orchestra, choir, and general music classes. In 1991, 55.4 percent of public school eighth-graders took part in music classes at school. In 2004, this figure was just 49.1 percent. Money plays a huge role in this statistic: “...when funds are scarce, arts courses are usually the first to be dropped from a school’s curriculum” (“Arts Education”). While many argue that music education is an unnecessary cost for schools, it improves student’s overall well being.
When teachers are planning their classroom activities they need to include music. Music is a vital part of the learning process. “A music-rich experience for children of singing, listening and moving is really bringing a very serious benefit to children as they progress into more formal learning,” says Mary Luehrisen, executive director of the National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM) Foundation, a not-for-profit association that promotes the benefits of making music.