TC WEST CHOIR STUDENTS ARE SUPER SMART SINGERS!
LEARNING GOALS & SCALES
3 Fundamentals: Posture, Breathing, and Vowel Shapes
Posture:
1. Feet shoulder width apart
2. One foot slightly in front of the other
3. Knees loose, not locked
4. Hips over the heels, not cocked
5. Rib cage expanded
6. Sternum lifted and hooked
7. Shoulders back and down
8. Hold a crown
9. Hands down
10. Botox :-D
5 Points of Breathing:
1. Silent
2. Deep
3. Low
4. Fully expanded
5. (around the waist)
1. Vertical Vowels
2. Owl Vowels (WHOO! WHOO!)
3. TALL not WIDE
4. Lips Off the Teeth
Posturize before & while you Vocalize so your sound can Midasize! (Golden!)
ELEMENTS OF SUPERIOR SINGING
The above elements and bullet points are from the MSVMA Festival Rubric (below):
SUPERIOR SINGERS ARE ALSO SUPERIOR SIGHT-READERS!
Sight-reading requires students to identify rhythms and melodies at one of three levels: Primary, Intermediate, or Advanced. Sight-reading scores are combined with three performance scores. The total possible number of points is 120 (30 points per judge).
| Final Determination: | Total Points |
| Excellent (1) | 120-96 (Qualifies for State Choral Festival) |
| Good (2) | 95-72 |
| Fair (3) | 71-46 |
| Developing (4) | 45-24 |
2024 District Choir Festival Scores
CLINICIAN SCORES (2022)
DISTRICT FESTIVAL SCORES (2020)
DISTRICT FESTIVAL SCORES (2018)
MSVMA CLINICIAN SCORES (2017)
DISTRICT FESTIVAL SCORES (2016)
Rigorous Curriculum
Vocal Production Skills
- Confident Use of Voice
- Energized Breath
- Articulate and Poetic Communication
Sight-Reading Skills
- Music Literacy
- Mathematical Computation
- Balance & Blend
- Complex Melodic and Harmonic Patterns
Expressive Elements
- Dynamic Phrasing
- Facial Expression
- Body Language
- Gesture
- Interaction with Teammates
Challenging Music in Multiple Languages
- English Diction/Pronunciation/Enunciation
- Latin, Italian, Hebrew, Spanish, German, Japanese, African Languages, and more
Singing in a Choir Engages the Whole Person and Blesses Others
Mental
- Studies have proven that singing impacts the brain in multiple ways
- Singing with others requires highly detailed listening skills
- Singing requires students to hear pitch, rhythm, tempo, dynamics, and articulation while simultaneously performing with precision and artistry
- Counting a variety of rhythms in multiple time signatures involves understanding and then feeling the beat and rhythm of each note
- Articulating text with accuracy and expressivity involves both sides of the brain
- Computing rhythms while feeling the dynamic rise and fall of each phrase also engages the whole mind and appeals to the heart
Physical
- Deep Breathing involved in singing leads to improved lung capacity and core muscle engagement
- Singer's Posture encourages awareness of the whole body from toes to nose and fingertips
- Standing in front of an audience leads to improved confidence for all forms of communication
- Studies have found that people who sing together even experience a syncing of heartbeats with other members of the choir
Psychological/Social/Emotional
- Singers experience a positive, supportive environment where mistakes are embraced as part of the learning process
- Team-Building skills are a constant part of the journey as students develop trust and interdependence
- Everyone is welcome in Choir - it is a safe place for every person to participate
- Positive reinforcement from peers, teachers, and audience members builds confidence and comfortability in challenging situations
Final Thoughts
While all of these are great considerations, one of the simplest reasons to sing in a Choir is because it brings joy to the one singing and all those singing with them and those who are listening and watching. Music in general provides something that cannot be experienced any other way. Singing, in particular, combines all of the elements of music with words in such a powerful way. As the song "Why We Sing" by Greg Gilpin so eloquently states...
A sound of hope, a sound of peace,
A sound that celebrates and speaks what we believe.
A sound of love, a sound so strong.
It’s amazing what is given when we share a song.
This is why we sing, why we lift our voice,
Why we stand as one in harmony.
This is why we sing, why we lift our voice.
Take my hand and sing with me.
Soothe a soul, mend a heart,
Bring together lives that have been torn apart.
Share the joy, find a friend.
It’s a never ending gift that circles back again.
This is why we sing, why we lift our voice,
Why we stand as one in harmony.
This is why we sing, why we lift our voice.
Take my hand and sing with me.
Music builds a bridge, it can tear down a wall.
Music is a language that can speak to one and all!
This is why we sing, why we lift our voice,
Why we stand as one in harmony.
This is why we sing, why we lift our voice.
Take my hand and sing with me.
This is why we sing!