Oh, We're Men (men, men), Manly Men!: The All-Male Choir Experience

Following my experience with the Cantabile ensemble, I observed the Young Men’s Chorus which was comprised of approximately two dozen young men between the ages of 12 and 18. This ensemble is also directed by Kyle Zeuch; however, unlike Cantabile, there is no teaching intern to assist him in instruction. In many ways this was a far more informal music making setting than the Cantabile rehearsal. The room was not set up prior to the arrival of the young men, and there was a great deal of chicanery and shenanigans prior to rehearsal. In many ways, the atmosphere was one of playfulness and fun syphoned through the filter of music, which I think goes a long way in creating a cohesive ensemble.

One of the first things I noticed about this ensemble was the collegiality between the ensemble members. As the young men were trickling in, they began joking around with each other, dancing, and occasionally engaging in random acts of “peacocking”. When the younger members of the ensemble began to arrive, the attitudes of the elder boys changed: suddenly they were seeking out Kyle to ask if they could set up the rehearsal space, giving the younger boys directions on how to set up the risers, and putting the rehearsal space in order. This mature behavior lasted for the duration of rehearsal, even though they were performing fully-choreographed musical theatre selections that required a great deal of humor and smarminess. I was actually rather impressed.

This being my first experience listening to an all-male ensemble sing since my sophomore year of undergrad, I was expecting a bunch of insecure, changing voices, with the occasional “woofy” bass and a few tenors who really were baritones in disguise. I was not expecting, however, well supported and resonant basses. There were moments in rehearsal where this was not the case, particularly when they had to sing either above or below their comfortable singing range. In one instance, the “Bass One’s” had to sustain a pitch in the “break”, and the pitch went unbelievably flat. This is not surprising, given what we discussed in class, however it made me wonder how to address this issue if it is only one pitch that really creates issues in a piece. I also wonder if the rich, resonant sound was more a function of the fact that there were nearly twice as many of them as there were tenors—in fact, I could barely hear the tenors for the most part of rehearsal. Unfortunately, this seems like a pretty common problem, as throughout my high school and collegiate choral experience the tenors were always the weakest section in the ensemble, both in terms of numbers and sound. Is this a normal issue, and what can I do as a choral educator to “balance” the tenor and bass sounds in my own ensemble?

With respect to the tenors, Kyle had an extremely successful teaching sequence that reminded me just how important differentiated instruction is in the classroom. During one of their four part (TTBB) selections, both tenor sections were not producing a great deal of sound. First, Kyle attempted to get the sections to sing out. Upon realizing that it was a pitch confidence issue (mainly a result of unsupported sound), Kyle tried a few vocalizing exercises. When these did not work, he asked the basses to keep an aural beat on a hiss for the tenors to sing over. This also did not work, so Kyle decided to pretend that he had a super-soaker squirt gun and asked the kids to “fill up” their super soakers and make sure they empty all their air out when they sing. This, surprisingly enough, worked! It was the first time all rehearsal that I heard the tenor section, and they actually sounded pretty fabulous!

What is the take away?

(1)  Supply and demand: There seems to be too many basses and not enough tenors.

(2) Boys will be boys, until suddenly they are young men.

(3) If at first you don’t succeed, there is always the super-soaker analogy! 

When Wee Ones Sing (Part I)

On Monday, March 16, I had the opportunity to observe the Cantabile ensemble at the Community Music School. Cantabile is comprised of approximately 30 young ladies and gents between the ages of seven and nine. The ensemble is taught by Kyle Zeuch and his MSU intern, Dana. The group meets one time per week for approximately 45 minutes.

One of the first things that I noticed upon entering the rehearsal space was the notation on the whiteboard in the front of the classroom. As an individual whose elementary music making experiences consisted of a great deal of rote song teaching and some lyric sheets, the prominent presence of notation perplexed me (more on this later). The next thing I noticed was the classroom set-up. The room was divided in half, with the front half of the classroom devoted to rehearsal space, and the back half devoted to seating for observers (parents, sibling, babysitters, etc…). The thing I thought was most effective, however, was the absence of chairs for the children. I think this was effective because it allowed Kyle to keep the students standing and singing with good posture. The students were positioned in three-ish rows, facing the white board. I think it is particularly important to point out that the children faced away from the seating area, which helped them to maintain their focus for the duration of the rehearsal.

During my time in the field, I remember spending a great deal of time attempting to cultivate a pure, unadulterated singing voice in my young students. My predecessor had focused a great deal on “projecting” the voice (somewhat akin to a pitched shout), so I was unsure what to expect in this observation.  I was absolutely blown away by the quality of this ensemble’s sound. Not only were the voices pure and clear, but they were blending in a way that had me smiling ear to ear for the entirety of the observation. There was one student, however, who would occasionally slip out of “choir voice” and into “Broadway voice”; however at no point did it sound forced or inauthentic—she just had a bigger voice than most of her peers. I was also very impressed with the children’s pitch accuracy. With the exception of a few students who struggle singing above La during certain vocal exercises, the majority of the students were on pitch and in tune. I think this has something to do with the way that Kyle attacks the music in this setting.

Throughout the rehearsal there was a huge reliance on the use of solfege. As I mentioned, there was an enormous white board with a good deal of notation stationed at the front of the rehearsal space. During rehearsal, it became apparent that the notation was actually four unfamiliar phrases, one from each musical selection addressed in class, that the students would be expected to “read” on solfege. Kyle would run through his sight reading protocol, having the students learn these phrases on solfege, and then he would have them read the phrase from their sheet music. As someone who believes that solfege can do wonders for intonation, I thought that this was an extremely effective teaching technique.

So what’s the take-away?

(1)    Reading is possible, even with those students who are just starting to sing.

(2)    There is power in numbers: 30 children singing together with beautiful voices = stunning.

(3)    Everything has a place and everything in its place. A classroom management mantra.

Repertoire Assignment: Two-Part Treble

Al Shlosha D’Varim

Text: Pirkei Avot (Mishnah)

Music: Allan E. Naplan

            Al Shlosha D’Varim, set to music by Allan E. Naplan, is a fantastic selection for middle school voices. This basic two-part arrangement is like a structured partner song with two distinctly different, but functionally identical themes, making it beautiful, yet accessible to singers who may be new to the choral setting. The range (one octave from E4-E5), lack of large leaps in the melodic line, and harmonic simplicity make it ideal for developing vocalists. I would most likely program this piece with a middle school ensemble, preferably a choir of sixth graders.

            The first musical concept I would address through this piece is form. Al Shlosha D’Varim is a structured partner song; therefore I would probably introduce the song through a rote song sequence prior to providing them with the notation. All students in the choir would learn both parts. The next musical concept I would address is phrasing. I would have the students determine the phrasing through listening (to their performance and the performances of other ensembles), singing and chanting, and movement. I would also have them discuss critical decisions to drive how we perform the piece (i.e.; How many phrases in each melody? How many measures in a phrase? How are the measures grouped? Where do we breathe? Why?).  I would also spend a great deal of time discussion how the construction of this musical selection (i.e.; melody, harmony, accompaniment) is reflective of the text.

            For me, the text is what makes this musical selection most appropriate for the middle school setting, and valid for teaching. The text translates as follows:

The world is sustained by three things,

By truth, by justice, and by peace.

Middle school can be a very turbulent time for students, and the text of this selection is extremely hopeful. On days that we worked on this piece, I may consider selecting readings having to do with truth, justice, or peace and have an open discussion with the students about ways in which they have seen the power of truth, justice, or peace in their lives.

            This selection works really well as written for unchanged voices; however I would need to make adaptations for changed or changing voices. This could pose a problem, as adding additional parts could disrupt the integrity of the form. First, I would consider transposing it into a new key. Next, I would consider the possibility of creating a bass line that reflects the harmonies of both parts. My fear with this approach is that the individuals singing the bass line may get bored with a very repetitive line. Finally, I would consider composing a harmony line for both melodies, creating a four-part texture to maintain the integrity of the form.

Repertoire Selection: Unison Voices

The Little Birch Tree

Russian Folk Song – Arr. Mary Goetze

            The Little Birch Tree, arranged by Mary Goetze, is an excellent selection for young voices, specifically children between the ages of 8 and 12 (before the voice change). The range (a seventh from E4-D5), stepwise motion of the melodic line, and repetitive nature of the piece make it ideal for new or budding vocalists. If I were given the opportunity to program this piece, I would most likely program it with a 5^th-6^th grade combined choir, an ensemble that is typically present in public schools in New York State.

            There are a few musical ideas I would teach using this selection. First, I would review the tonality (natural minor/Aeolian mode). To reinforce tonality, I would engage the students in listening activities, pattern instruction, and sight-reading. Second, I would address the cultural aspects of the piece (Russian Folk Music) through listening, reading poetry from the culture, and exploring cultural instruments. Next, I would engage the students in artistic decision making. Because the score calls for an accompaniment of either recorder or flute, I would have the students listen to the accompaniment performed on both instruments and ask them to decide which instrument suits the piece the best.

            At this point in time, I would not make any adjustments to the score because I believe it is well suited to the age range mentioned above. Considerations may need to be made if this song were to be performed with an older or younger ensemble. Considerations could include, but are not limited to, transposition of parts or development of a harmony line.

 

Reading or Sight Reading? That is the Question.

Lions and Tigers and Middle School Choirs...

During my tenure as a PreK-8 music educator I had the opportunity to teach one section of Middle School Chorus; a mixed-gendered group of 47 students in grades 6-8. This class met one time per week for 43 minutes directly before their lunch period. In theory, this course was going to be an enriching musical experience for the students and an opportunity for me to “teach great music” to the next generation. In practice it was a nightmarish experience where I learned far more about my lack of skills as a teacher than they learned about music.

At the beginning of my time at Michigan State, I knew it would be vitally important for me to pursue opportunities to learn more about teaching voice at the middle school level to rectify this very large gap in my teaching. Although class discussion have aided considerably in my understanding of vocal development and appropriate teaching techniques, attending the observation in Doug Armstead’s classroom helped me to better understand how routines, pacing, and classroom environment can contribute to positive, productive rehearsals in the middle school classroom.

It is very apparent that Mr. Armstead adheres to a very strict rehearsal routine designed to keep the students actively engaged. The class period began with warm-ups, run by Josh Gronlund, the student teacher in Mr. Armstead’s classroom. The warm-ups contained both vocal and kinesthetic exercises. The vocal exercises seemed to be designed to get student into their “singing” voices through phonation and resonance rather than scalar, pitch-based vocalizing. Following warmups, the students sang through “When I Close My Eyes,” a choral piece by Jim Papoulis. During this rehearsal moment, Mr. Armstead began to insert himself into Josh’s teaching to make an almost seamless transition to the next portion of rehearsal. At this point in time, Mr. Armstead took attendance using a number system (math integration), taught them a new vocabulary word (ELA integration), and read and discussed a brief motivational blurb (ELA integration). The students then engaged in a sight-reading activity. Mr. Armstead devoted the last portion of the class period to rehearsing two musical selections for their upcoming concert. The rehearsal is structured to minimize opportunities for off-task behavior.

In addition to a very strict routine, Mr. Armstead keeps the class moving at a rather brisk tempo. There are very few moments in rehearsal where active participation from the students ceases. Transitions are extremely smooth, and there is frequently some sort of vocalizing occurring to set the students up for the next activity. By keeping the pace moving, Mr. Armstead has limited the opportunities for off-task behavior, and has the students engaged in or discussing music-making for at least 90% of the rehearsal period. This is definitely something that I will incorporate into my future classroom.

Finally, Mr. Armstead makes sure that his classroom is a welcoming and safe environment. I was stunned at how open students were in this class, particularly during the reading and discussion portion of class. While I was teaching there were a handful of students who were willing to be honest and open about their feelings and thoughts in my classroom or in front of their peers. I would love to know what Mr. Armstead does at the beginning of the school year to make his students feel so comfortable sharing personal thoughts and feelings in his classroom. It is also very apparent that the students have a great deal of respect for Mr. Armstead through the lack of talking and the degree of attention the students gave him during rehearsal. It takes a very special person to inspire the trust and respect of middle school students, and I would love to know his secret so that I can work on embracing those behaviors in my teaching.

The Takeaway:

-          Routines can make or break a rehearsal—make them good and stick to them.

-          An active class is a happy class—more music making equals less behavior issues.

-          Trust and respect between all members of the group—vital for music making?