Sight-singing means taking a piece you’ve never seen, or heard before, and singing your way through it, or a section of it. This can be an intimidating process, but it can be very beneficial for singers:
#1. Conquering fear:
Many people don’t like sight-singing because it makes them incredibly vulnerable. The risk of singing a wrong note (or several!) is exponentially higher when sight-singing. But sight singing your way through a piece of music can be of great benefit to one’s confidence; it is such a comfort to know that you’ve sung through the piece once, and now every iteration of that piece will be an improvement.
#2. Musical literacy:
Learning to read music fluently can be a difficult process, and one that takes many years. More than just learning to read the notes in the staff, sight singing teaches how to understand the overall structure of a piece of music, including phrasing, cadences, and dynamics.
#3. Improving aural skills:
Sight singing is just as much about hearing the music, as it is about reading it. The best sight singers also have an excellent ability to hear, and interpret what they’re reading on the page as sound. Developing an understanding of intervals, changing tonalities, and intonation are all important aspects of singing, and can be greatly improved by practicing your sight singing skills!
How else can sight singing benefit singers? Tell us in the comments below!
The term acapella refers to singing without any accompaniment by instruments. The word is Italian, and means, ‘of the chapel’. It refers to early sacred music, when instrumentation was not permitted inside the church, and specifically the chapel. Only human voices were permitted, and thus acapella music was created.
There are many benefits to singing with instruments; it creates rich layers, and the timbres of the different instruments can sound so beautifully together. But there is also great value in singing acapella:
#1. The vocal sound:
There is something truly unique about the human voice. To hear it by itself, without other instruments distracting the ear, can often be a very intimate and human experience. It allows an audience to truly appreciate the breadth and beauty of the voice.
#2. Intonation:
Singing acapella music, is a unique opportunity for singers to focus on intonation in a manner that is much more internal than when singing with instruments. Without an instrument to act as a tether, singers focus on tuning their voices to one another, creating a wonderful resonance of tone, and even heartbeats!
#3. Overtones:
As discussed in the post, Math and Science in Music – Harmonics, different instruments create a series of different pitches above the fundamental pitch, called overtones. These pitches create the unique timbre of different instruments, and nowhere is this more evident than in the human voice. The full timbre of rich overtones in the human voice can be heard to greatest benefit when singing is acapaella.
Why else might it be valuable to sing acapella? Tell us in the comments below!
Music is a valuable element in many aspects of our lives. We’ve discussed music at sporting events before. Celebrations are another aspect of our lives at which music is an important element.
Celebrations are a meaningful part of the fabric of our society. They allow us to come together as a community, and partake in the joy and merriment commonly found in these kinds of social gatherings. Music can be an essential part of these social activities, since it is so often a group event, and can become the central aspect of many celebrations. As well, music communicates across cultures and languages, unifying people from different backgrounds and experiences.
The music used at celebrations is often seeped in tradition, such as singing Happy ‘Birthday to someone, or joining in carols at Christmas time. The music at celebrations can also have important personal significance, such as the pieces used at a wedding, or a festival.
Enjoying music together can even be a celebration in and of itself, such as a concert or a musical!
How else is music important at celebrations? Tell us in the comments below!
Music is such a wonderful pursuit for mind and body because it is not just an art form, but combines a myriad of other disciplines, including mathematics, biology, and physics. This series, Math and Science in Music will explore the many ways in which music incorporates a variety of these disciplines.
BRAIN POWER
Musicians require a variety of skills and characteristics to excel at their vocation, but perhaps the most interesting aspect is how the brains of musicians differ from a normal brain.
Studies have shown repeatedly that those who study music over an extended period of time, and at a difficult level, have fundamental changes in the way their brains process information. Musicians have been found to have better concentration, memory functions, problem solving skills, and higher executive function than the average person. The multitude of cognitive tasks demanded by music creates a greater diversity of synaptic paths in the brains of musicians. While these are useful in playing and understanding music, these synaptic paths can also be re-purposed for other cognitive functions, which is why musicians can be such creative thinkers in all areas of their lives.
Moreover, musicians show physical changes in their brains as well. The Corpus Collosum, the bridge between the two hemispheres of the brain is noticeably thicker and more connected in the brains of musicians, than in a normal human brain.
Check out this fascinating TedEd video for more information!
How else is the brain important for music? Tell us in the comments below!
Music is such a wonderful pursuit for mind and body because it is not just an art form, but combines a myriad of other disciplines, including mathematics, biology, and physics. This series, Math and Science in Music will explore the many ways in which music incorporates a variety of these disciplines.
ENGINEERING INSTRUMENTS
Music is discipline for both the mind and body, which is why it’s important that we have the best tools available to enable us to play beautiful music. For those of us who are singers, our instruments are built right into our bodies, but all other musicians require a physical instrument that they can hold and manipulate to create beautiful sounds.
Crafting musical instruments requires a varied skill-set, including engineering abilities. These skills allow engineers to create instruments that have unique timbres, and tone while still conforming to the basic specifications of the instrument they are crafting.
Engineers use the physics of sound to assess how frequencies will perform within a given instruments; observing aspects like size, shape, and material to create the best and most unique tone possible. They also have to consider comfort and the aesthetic quality of the instruments; thinking about an instrument from the inside to the outside.
This isn’t just for ‘classical’ instruments either, engineering students continue to come up with new, unique sounding instruments, as part of their engineering studies. Check out this cool article about engineering students creating unique instruments at Yale!
How else is engineering important in music? Tell us in the comments below!
Music is such a wonderful pursuit for mind and body because it is not just an art form, but combines a myriad of other disciplines, including mathematics, biology, and physics. This series, Math and Science in Music will explore the many ways in which music incorporates a variety of these disciplines.
HARMONICS
Musical harmonics are another discovery from the field of physics. In our first post about sound waves, we discussed the fact that sound acts as a wave. A pitch is actually made up of several different waves sounding together. These are referred to as the note’s harmonic series.
The bottom sound wave that we can most commonly hear is called the fundamental. All of the sounds that we hear above that fundamental, are referred to as overtones. They can be heard by the human ear at the same time as the fundamental, but they are significantly less obvious. The harmonics sound in order of strength, as it relates to the fundamental. The first sound we hear is the octave, followed by a fifth and a fourth.
For more information on the subject of harmonics, check out this fascinating video!
How else might harmonics be important in music? Tell us in the comments below!
Music is such a wonderful pursuit for mind and body because it is not just an art form, but combines a myriad of other disciplines, including mathematics, biology, and physics. This series, Math and Science in Music will explore the many ways in which music incorporates a variety of these disciplines.
MUSCLE MEMORY
Our bodies are amazing at doing so many things. The physiological makeup of our bodies allows us to make music by playing instruments, or by using our voices. One of the most amazing aspects of these bodies is what is commonly referred to as ‘muscle memory’. This term can be a misnomer, because it does not actually mean that memories reside in your muscles.
Instead, our brain has the ability to develop what are known as ‘procedural memories’, an ability which is developed through repetition. By practicing something over and over again, our brain develops synaptic pathways that allow our bodies to perform these tasks without conscious thought.
For musicians, muscle memory can be a tremendous boon. Instrumentalists develop the ability to play scales and other technical aspects of music without conscious thought. Making the technical aspects of musicianship a ‘procedural memory’, allows musicians to focus on the artistic expression of their music. It is also what allows them to learn and remember massive amounts of musical data; so much so that a professional musician can sit down at a piano years later and still play a piece they haven’t performed for many years.
One caveat about muscle memory is that the synaptic pathways do not distinguish between good playing, and poor playing. If you repeatedly practice a scale or a piece incorrectly your brain with put those errors into your procedural memory, and it can be very difficult to ‘un-learn’ those mistakes.
What other effect does physiology have on music? Tell us in the comments below!
Music is such a wonderful pursuit for mind and body because it is not just an art form, but combines a myriad of other disciplines, including mathematics, biology, and physics. This series, Math and Science in Music will explore the many ways in which music incorporates a variety of these disciplines.
Sound Waves
The way we understand sound, is a product of the scientific discipline of physics. From the study of physics, we understand that sound is a vibration; a mechanical wave of pressure through air (or sometimes water!)
In the diagram above you can see that the type of wave generated has a great effect on what kind of sound is eventually produced. Sound waves affect volume, pitch, timbre, and dynamic!
Check out this interesting video for a deeper understanding of the physics of sound:
How else is the discipline of physics used in music? Tell us in the comments below!
Music is such a wonderful pursuit for mind and body because it is not just an art form, but combines a myriad of other disciplines, including mathematics, biology, and physics. This series, Math and Science in Music will explore the many ways in which music incorporates a variety of these disciplines.
TIME SIGNATURES
Time signatures are used in Western musical notation to denote rhythm and metre in a piece. The time signature is found at the beginning of the piece and is usually comprised of two numbers:
Math is used in a myriad of different ways when looking at time, rhythm and metre in a piece. Music is mathematically divided into equal parts using measures, and those measures are divided up into equal parts using varied rhythms. Rhythmic values usually differ from measure to measure to make a piece more interesting.
Musicians must become adept not only at translating the rhythmic values they see into their mathematical counterparts, but they often need to subdivide those rhythms in their mind to ensure they’re keeping a steady tempo. This means that they are completing mathematical formulas in their mind, while keeping a steady tempo, and applying artistic expression to their performance! Pretty amazing!
How else might math be used in music? Tell us in the comments below!
Here are three ways in which singing can make you more independent:
#1. Uncertainty:
Because of the transitive nature of music, and performance, musicians must become comfortable with uncertainty. A performance will never be perfect; a piece never played the same way twice. In music, there are no absolutes, and musicians are experts at accepting that. Comfort with uncertainty is important in becoming more independent, because it allows you accept and adapt to whatever comes your way.
#2. Motivation:
Music can seem like an exceptionally overwhelming area of study to those who have never been trained. It requires a great deal of self-motivation to continue to study music, since there are no quick fixes in learning music. Time, patience, and perseverance are the hallmarks of musical education, and this can be intimidating to many, because it seems like there is always too much still to learn. Self-motivation is an important skill in gaining independence; it ensures that your drive to learn and succeed comes from yourself, instead of from external sources.
#3. Discipline:
Although music is an art form, it is also a discipline. The study of music, the act of performance, requires a self-discipline that few other areas do. Learning the music, practicing, and honing a piece for performance means an incredible amount of dedication and commitment. Discipline like this is so important in becoming independent because it ensure that you won’t give up, even when things become difficult or overwhelming.
How else might singing make you more independent? Tell us in the comments below!
There are many reasons why it is valuable to sing with others, but it is especially beneficial to sing with others of different ages. Here are three reasons why:
#1. Voice types:
For many children, being able to sing with the full spectrum of voice types is something they have to wait until they are grown to experience. Because our program runs from age 3 up until age 25, and because we often sing with adult choirs, and musical groups with varying voice types, we are able to expose our choristers to the full range of the human voice. This is essential to their ear training, and to their confidence as singers, as they move from childhood through adolescence and into adulthood.
#2. Musical Abilities:
We accept singers of all abilities, and this helps us to foster a community of people who above all, love singing. We believe that everyone has something to learn, and that allowing different ages, and musical abilities to come together to make music, ensures that everyone can take something valuable away from the experience.
#3. Mentoring:
In the Calgary Children’s Choir we have developed a mentorship program from our youngest singers to the oldest. This program ensures an inclusive, and welcoming environment for all singers, and provides support to our newest choristers, or those who need extra help with music. Our eldest choristers, look out for the youngest ones (and sometimes vice versa!), ensuring a caring, and committed group of choristers who are happy to be together and make wonderful music!
Why do you think it is valuable for people of all ages to sing together? Tell us in the comments below!
This past weekend we were very excited to be out in Bragg Creek, on our annual retreat to choir camp! Camp is a great opportunity for our choristers to get to know one another better, to rehearse new music, and learn more about what it means to sing as part of an ensemble!
We had a wonderful time in our drumming session with David Kovatch from One World Drum Co.!
The Calgary Youth Choir led us in an amazing activity, in which choristers composed song in the style of an era, like the 50’s, or the 80’s, and then performed them in costume! It was so much fun that even the chaperones got in on the action!
Our skit night was a great event, featuring the amazing musical and compositional talents of our choristers!
We had a lot of fun singing both in rehearsal, and around the campfire, where we would often break into four part harmony!
It was another great year at camp full of music, fun and friendships – old and new!
What was your favourite part of camp? Tell us in the comments below!
#1. Listening:
Listening is an essential aspect of singing, and of music in general, but it is also an important aspect of communicating with others. By listening to others around us, we gain a better understanding of the complete picture, and the diverse perspectives of others.
#2. Understanding Text:
The ability to analyze text in a piece is an important part of singing. The words add an important layer to the music, as discussed in greater detail here. Singers become very adept at understanding exactly what they are singing, and in communicating that effectively with their audience.
Often, the text of music is set to poetry, which can not always be taken in a literal sense. Poetry uses literary devices to beautifully convey sentiment, and it requires singers to not only understand the literal sense of the words, but to deduce the metaphorical meaning as well. This subtext is essential to communicating the true spirit of a piece, and interpreting the meaning musically.
#3. Clarity:
Singers always seek clarity in their performances. Because of the nuance involved in vocal pieces, singers are conscious of always trying to communicate the piece clearly. Enunciation, breath management, and careful consideration of which words to highlight, are all ways in which singers can clarify the meaning of a piece. These are essential communication skills; allowing singers to effectively evoke the character and meaning of whatever they are singing!
How else does singing improve communication skills? Tell us in the comments below!
Today we started with the doors to the breakfast hall being locked, so after some confusion and some well placed phone calls by Heather Fradette we got our morning meal in lots of time.
We then walked through Ottawa to get to the national arts centre and got to see some of the prep work for Canada day! Once we arrived we warmed up and started our unisong concert! It was amazing being up on stage with all our new friends and truly singing for the joy of it!
After our 10 AM concert we had some time to go for lunch and walk around down town Ottawa to enjoy the festivities. After lunch we returned to the preforming arts centre and sang/accompanied the national arts centre orchestra. The concert when really well and the absolute highlight was when we were closing the concert with nothing other when ‘Oh Canada’! We were given little paper flags to wave wildly after wards and there was an amazing sense of pride, especially when the crowed cheered and waved their flags and various items with us; It was like nothing else.
After that we had a delicious dinner at a local restaurant and got to go up to parliament hill and see the stage and the street vendors. We then had our final concert. As soon as it was done we hurried back to the hotel to make it back to the centre in time for the fireworks. They were spectacular! We then all headed back to our rooms and headed so bed after an amazing Canada day in the capital.
Our upcoming Spring Concert on May 24th, 2015 is called Madrigals and More, and unsurprisingly, will feature a type of music known as madrigals!
Madrigals are a type of music that became popular during the Renaissance period. A madrigal is usually a secular vocal piece of music, often unaccompanied by instruments. These types of songs originated in Italy in the early 1500’s, and were the most important secular music of the period.
Madrigals are most notable for their expressive text. Composers were fastidious in ensuring that the vocal lines they wrote highlighted and enhanced the text of the madrigals, creating another layer of expression and communication. Madrigals combined the most beautiful and descriptive poetry of the time, with lively, vivid vocal lines.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1w38kHRd0vE
We would love for you to join us at our concert on May 24th, 2015!
The Calgary Children’s Choir is very lucky to have a wonderful artist as part of our staff. Our Creative Consultant, Kat Long-Jones, recently created three new t-shirt designs for the choir to wear on our upcoming tour to the Unisong Choral Festival this summer!
Kat designed these three t-shirts to be something the choristers would want to wear after tour was over, and to serve as a reminder of the fantastic time had on tour!
Kat chose the national animal of Canada, the beaver, for the first design. Since beaver tails have such an interesting texture, Kat elected to modify the tail to include the Calgary Children’s Choir kilt pattern! The beaver is depicted holding a flag heralding the choir, and our upcoming tour destination!
In this design, Kat was inspired by the popular collegiate-style t-shirts. She created a replica of the Canadian flag, using black and red text. The writing on the shirt contains the lyrics from the songs the Calgary Children’s Choir will be singing on tour. This shirt is meant to convey that the Unisong Choral Festival, and our wonderful Canadian nation is made up of music, and communities coming together.
The third design features an Inukshuk, a symbol from our northern First Nations people, and a symbol which is recognized around the world as Canadian. The Inukshuk is built as a physical marker for travellers, but also a spiritual reminder of safe journeys, and the way home. Kat designed this shirt with our choristers in mind, as they travel away from their families to represent our choir on the national stage. The Calgary Children’s Choir logo is seen as a sihouette in the moon – Singing For The Joy Of It!
Our choristers got to see their new tour shirts at our recent choir workshop!
Many thanks to Kat Long-Jones for these beautiful designs!
Which t-shirt design is your favourite? Tell us in the comments below!
As our Calgary Flames play in the second round of the 2015 Stanley Cup playoffs, it seemed like a great time to write a post about two distinct aspects of our popular culture that may seem incongruous, but are in fact closely aligned – sports and singing!
Anthems:
Anthems are extremely prevalent at sporting events. Almost always, national anthems are performed before the game starts. With the advent of user-generated media content platforms, like YouTube and Vimeo, different kinds of anthems have become popular. Using their creativity, and the technology now readily at hand, anybody can create and share an anthem.
A great example of this is the ‘Never Quit’ anthem written and performed by our friends at Cowtown Opera Company!
Athletic Performance:
There are number of recent studies that demonstrate the many ways in which music can enhance athletic performance! Upbeat music with a strong, steady beat can increase an athlete’s performance by up to 20%! Slower, more lyrical music has been shown to calm and focus an athlete’s mind. As well, in sports that combine art and athleticism, such as figure skating and gymnastics, music can significantly enhance the artistry of the performance!
Atmosphere:
Sporting events always have an electric energy about them – it comes from the excitement of the fans, and the passion of the players and the crowd for the game! Using music featuring strong bass elements, and singable lyrics, sporting events can capture the excitement and energy of the crowd! And it’s not just popular music that can encapsulate that excitement. As demonstrated by the wonderful Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra, classical music like O Fortuna from Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana, can be used to great effect with some newly tweaked lyrics!
What do you think about the relationship between music and sports? Tell us in the comments below!
Music strikes an interesting balance between being an art form and a discipline. It is a difficult process to learn the intricacies of music; understanding the mathematical principles behind music concepts such as time signatures, intervals, and chord progressions. But it is equally difficult to learn how to approach music as an art form; learning to communicate subtle and nuanced emotions, understanding how the music informs text and vice versa, and personally opening up to the music.
Approaching music from an artistic perspective, requires a great deal of vulnerability on the part of the singer, and this can be difficult to manage. Here are three thoughts on understanding the power of vulnerability in music.
#1. Understand the music:
This goes beyond just understanding the structure of the music; learning the rhythm and melody of a piece. A singer needs to also understand the text they’re singing, which we discussed in greater detail here. But even more than that, a singer needs to understand how the music and the text work together; how one informs the other, and how subtleties in both music and text can convey the true nuances of the human experience. Truly understanding the many complicated layers of music is essential for a singer to communicate and connect with the audience.
#2. Connect with the music:
Making a personal connection with the music we are learning is not always as easy as it sounds. Sometimes we have not experienced the event, thoughts or emotions communicated in the music. Thankfully, we do not need to have personally experienced every event and emotion, for us to be able to connect to the music. This is why empathy, the emotion that allows us to see things from another’s perspective, is an important aspect of every artist. Through empathy we can imagine the event or emotion the piece is discussing, even if we do not have these experiences ourselves. Emulating the thoughts and emotions of others, and then communicating those emotions effectively is the hallmark of talented singers, actors, and artists. This connection is what allows us to express the human condition, and it is why art, music, dance and drama, are considered the emblem of civilized society.
#3. Connect with the audience:
One of the most important aspects of performing is connecting with the audience. Music is a wonderful, and powerful way to communicate, and in order to effectively communicate, we must forge a connection with the audience. The most effective way to do this is to allow the audience to see our own understanding, and interpretation of the music, and this comes from our own understanding, and connection with the music. The most difficult aspect of performance is allowing the audience to see that understanding; through our facial expressions, the tone of our voice, our delivery of the music, and in the emotional energy we share with our audience. This is true vulnerability in singing, and it is what allows us to truly create magical, musical moments.
Before you can inspire with emotion, you must be swamped with it yourself. Before you can move their tears, your own must flow. To convince them, you yourself must believe. – Winston Churchill
What are other aspects of vulnerability in singing? Tell us in the comments below!
There are many different ways to sing as part of an ensemble, as we discussed in our blog post A Brief History of Choral Music. When people sing the same part at the same time, it is called Unison singing. When people sing in multiple parts it can be homophonic music – when the voices move at the same time on different pitches, or polyphonic music, when voices move at different times on the same pitches. Canons, or rounds (ex: Row, Row, Row Your Boat) are forms of polyphonic music.
There are several benefits to both types of vocal music:
Unison:
Unison singing really allows singers to focus on how their voices blend together. Often, people think of unison singing as easier than singing in multiple parts, but it can be quite difficult. Since singing in perfect unison demands that all voices blend seamlessly, it can be difficult to remove ego from the process. It involves refinement, subtlety, delicacy, and a light touch.
Multiple Parts:
Singing in multiple parts demands that singers focus on intonation. Singers need to be in tune not only with the instruments, but with the other singers around them; listening carefully for changes in tonality, as the chords made from multiple parts change. Singing in multiple parts also provides a breadth and depth to the vocal sound, by layering the different voices and pitches.
What do you think are the benefits of singing in multiple parts or in unison? Tell us in the comments below!
People have been singing together for as long as we have kept recorded history. The history of Western choral music as we know it today had its origins in sacred music.
Gregorian chant was commonly used in churches as a form of worship. Monks would sing the passages in unison, blending their voices to create the sound that we strive to achieve in modern choir; many voices sounding as one.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eC6OKIYXBxQ
As music composition matured, the use of several different tones began to be common. Polyphony, or as we began to be used in increasingly complicated iterations. As polyphonic sound increased the breadth and depth of music heard in church, composers began to seek a greater range of sound. Since women were not allowed to sing in church, composers turned to the high soprano sounds of young boys, who were able to sing the treble lines.
Church music reflected the changes of society and with the Reformation of the 16th century, sacred music was forced to adapt. In order to clarify the words sung in sacred music, reformists insisted that there by one syllable per note, thus signaling an end to the prevalence of polyphonic music, and giving rise to homophonic music. Instead of the vertical lines of melody overlapping, there melodies would move at one, on different pitches. Focus on text had another effect on music – it resulted in a greater focus on the marriage between text and melody. This is best reflected in madrigals (which we will feature in our spring concert!)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1w38kHRd0vE
Choral music began to leak outside of the church, and into more secular performances. Though still used in church, choral music in the secular arena had greater license to experiment away from the rigid strictures of the church. Often instruments would double the voices of the choir, but increasingly, choirs were used to enhance instrumentation, and to add another important layer to music. The use of text allowed another layer of communication, and the audience responded appropriately. Several of the most famous choral moments in history involved the use of large choirs singing with large symphonies, as seen in Beethoven’s 9th Symphony – Ode To Joy:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xBlQZyTF_LY
With the advent of modern music, many people think that choral music has fallen by the wayside. But this is categorically untrue. More than ever, people seek the togetherness and intimacy that singing with others affords. This is seen with the myriad of choral groups available in every major city in the world. The advent of technology also introduces a new kind of creativity in choral music, best illustrated with events like Eric Whitacre’s Virtual Choir. (Check out his great Ted Talk about the process!)
Though choral music has a long and illustrious history, it is far from over! If anything choral music is just getting started. After all, the joy and wonder of singing with others is something that will never go out of style!
What is your favourite kind of choral music? Let us know in the comments below!
Musicians often have a healthy dose of confidence. It comes from the self-discipline, self-awareness, and sheer amount of practice that is a part of the process of learning music. Here are four ways in which singing in a choir can increase your confidence:
#1. Conductor:
Despite the myriad of jokes about what exactly a conductor’s purpose is on stage, they are actually a very important aspect of the musical process. Our director is a guide, not only through the process of learning the music; pointing out important technical aspects, and instructing us in the interpretation of the music. There is an implicit trust that develops between conductors and choristers, and that trust can be seen on stage, when a conductor has to manage the many moving parts of a performance. Unconditional trust is an inherent aspect of confidence – it allows singers to get up in front of people, and put their full heart into the performance.
#2. Peer to peer learning:
Confidence comes from knowing those around you support you. And what better way to support someone, than by teaching them? In a choir setting, choristers are not just learning about music from the conductor, but from those sitting around them as well. In the Calgary Children’s Choir we actively encourage peer mentorship, from implementing a buddy system between our youngest singers, and the oldest, and creating collaborative concert settings.
#3. Opportunity to perform:
As a choral group we have at least three large concerts that are part of our singing season. We also have several other singing engagements throughout the year. Because of this, our choristers have many opportunities to practice performing. With every concert, or performance, our choristers become more self-assured, more confident in their ability to stand up in front of an audience and sing!
#4. Part of a team:
When our choristers get up on stage to perform, they know that they won’t be up there by themselves; they will have the rest of the choir up there with them. That is the beauty of choral singing; many voices as one. Knowing that you have others with you, enhancing your own sound, supporting you, and together, creating something beautiful greatly increases confidence. Singing is terrific, but singing with others, is truly something special!
Do you think singing in a choir increases confidence? Tell us in the comments below!
The Calgary Children’s Choir has three major performances a year; our Christmas concert, our Folk Concert, and our Spring concert. Sometimes we’ll have other singing engagements sprinkled in as well. Much of the music that we learn throughout the year is chosen for one of those concerts, but sometimes we learn music without having a specific performance in mind. There are several reasons why we find value in learning music that is not for performance:
Practical Elements:
Often we learn a piece of music to demonstrate a certain aspect of music to our choristers. This could be anything from multi-part harmonies, to great vocal leaps, appropriate breathing techniques, or poignant text. What our choristers take from a piece of music should be from our rehearsals and exercises, our workshops and the practice they might do at home. A piece of repertoire is a valuable way to provide an example of a musical technique, but that doesn’t mean that we have to perform that piece.
Music For Its Own Sake:
While it is wonderful to perform, we shouldn’t think of music as valuable only in the context of performance. Much of what makes learning music so amazing – the self-discipline, the hard work, the hours of practice, are all aspects that are not readily seen in a performance. It is important that we teach our choristers that learning music is important because music itself is important, and not just the act of performing music.
Do you think every piece you learn needs to be performed? Tell us in the comments below!
On Sunday afternoon, March 1st 2015, the Calgary Children’s Choir performed at our annual Folk Music concert at the Rozsa Centre. The theme of this year’s Folk Concert, was ‘Home’, and our concert was emceed by our talented Creative Consultant, Kat Long-Jones. Our concert featured artwork made by the choristers at our recent Winter Retreat, and embody the choristers’ vision of ‘Home’. A big thanks to our Artist in Residence during our Winter Retreat, Lisa Hodgkinson who helped us with this beautiful project.
We sang a variety of different pieces that encapsulated our ideas of ‘Home’, and different perspective on that theme, including: Hey Ho, Nobody’s Home, Almost Home, 900 Miles, and Woodsmoke and Oranges.
It was a wonderful concert, and a great way to celebrate all the different perspectives on ‘Home’! Thank-you to everyone who came out to see our concert!
What was your favourite part of the concert? Tell us in the comments below!
The best kind of music is influenced by small, seemingly insignificant elements. Where the musicians stand or sit, how well they watch their conductor, the way in which they listen to the other performers. One of these subtle elements, is the space in which a musician performs.
A ‘live’ space, is one in which there are many hard surfaces. This allows the sound to bounce off of those hard surface. In live spaces it takes the reverberation from your sound longer to decay. It makes your sound linger, and it sounds very pleasant to the ear. This is why everyone sounds great singing in the shower!
Still, there are occasions when a space is too ‘live’, and the reverberation of sound can be disorienting.
Ex: When the choir toured to New York in 1999, we performed in St. Patrick’s Cathedral, a beautiful venue that has exceptionally live acoustics.
Unfortunately, the organ, which we were using for our performance, was located at the opposite end of the cathedral to where we were performing. The cathedral was so massive, that the reverberations from the organ took a few beats to reach the choir, and the reverberating sound from the choir took a few beats to reach the organ. In that case it was very difficult to rely on the sound we were hearing as feedback, because the reverb of our singing in such a live space, was interfering with the reverb from the organ.
A ‘dead’ space, is one in which there are sound absorbing materials present in the room. These can include carpets, wall hangings, and certain materials that are specifically designed to absorb sound. Another example of a ‘dead’ space is the outdoors. There is simply too much space for the sound waves to escape, and so the reverb from singing decays almost instantaneously. A ‘dead’ space can be very difficult space in which to perform, or even in which to practice.
In which spaces do you prefer singing? Tell us in the comments below!
Apps have become prevalent with our use of technology, and they can be highly beneficial for singers on the go. There are a myriad of excellent resources available for musicians at the touch of a finger, but here are 5 apps that we think are some of the best for singers.
YouTube is a platform that allows users to post, share, and view video. It is incredibly useful for singers because it allows them to view as well as hear performances by other musicians. There are millions of hours of video to choose from, and YouTube has a very powerful search algorithm to allow users to find what they’re looking for.
Cost:FREE!
This is a great free piano app, designed to look and sound like a real piano. Virtuoso is particularly valuable because it names the true note names on the keyboard, and users can play multiple notes (like a chord) at the same time. In the app’s latest update, they’ve included new sounds; guitar, clarinet, as well as dual keyboard function.
Cost: FREE!
Android alternative – Real Piano
Shazam is a music identification app. It allows users to press a button when they hear a song they like. Shazam then listens to the song, identifies it, and provides links to where the song can be found online. It’s a great app for anybody who loves music, because it allows you to discover new music you like, simply by pressing a button.
Cost: FREE!
This is a very powerful tool that can be used on Apple products. GarageBand allows users to create multi-layered music, as well as podcasts. It includes several powerful editing features, as well as multiple instruments, and its latest update allows users to access music lessons.
Cost: FREE!
Despite the cost, EarBeater is the best ear training app available. It includes over 200 exercises in each section, and contains lessons about intervals, chords, and scales in an extremely user-friendly design. Its latest update allows users to create their own ear-training exercises.
Cost: $7.99
Android alternative – Perfect Ear
What is your favourite music app? Tell us in the comments below!
