Reply To: Choir with student who are new to singing

[nafmeadmin]

The key here is getting your students interested first in music and second in choral music and singing. As suggested above, it is very valuable to get them listening and responding to recordings of all kinds. As students do this, they are learning to respond aesthetically and better yet, in a measurable way where they can be graded. In all high school choirs, I have often done a quick listening exercise each day. In a group like yours, that might be the bulk of the lessons for awhile. A great bridge from music they already appreciate to something that might lead them to singing are a cappella covers (Pentatonix, College Groups, even King’s Singers, Chanticleer, Voces8 etc…) and choral music they hear in movies. You will succeed best by creating a connection with what they know and like, to sung music they do not know yet. By interspersing some of these with classical music of all styles you might have some success in encouraging them to sing more. Also, don’t be afraid to have them sing fun things in unison. We often make the jump to choral music too quickly when having a group sing together in unison will lead them in the right direction.