Welcome to Beginning Chorus Luis P. Untalan Middle School Director: Christine Pama Theisen

ELEMENTS OF VOCAL PRODUCTION Posture Breath Management Articulators Resonators Tone Intonation Vowel Placement Diphthongs Vocal Warm ups

Posture Posture- The position of the body in standing or sitting, often, specif., with respect to the proper alignment of the back, shoulders, and head There are many different aspects of singing posture that can affect the sound produced by vocalists. While singing, pay close attention to the position of your feet, knees, hips, abdomen, chest, shoulders, arms, hands, and head. Correct positioning of these makes it easier for sound to be produced. The examples that follow show correct positioning for all of these. ♬ The chin should be about parallel to the floor. ♬ Shoulders should be held back and down, with chest held high,     but not in a strained position. ♬ Abdomen should be flat and firm, held in an expandable position. ♬ Hands should be relaxed and still at the sides. ♬ Knees should be flexibly loose, and never locked. ♬ Feet should be slighty apart, one slightly in front of the other.     The weight of the body is slightly forward.  

Posture : Practice 1. Stand up against a wall, placing heels, calves, buttocks, shoulders, and head touch the wall. 2. Place one hand on the abdomen while breathing, to ensure the abdomen is expanding and relaxed. 3. Shift the weight of your body forward until almost standing on tips of the toes. 4. Try to establish a feeling of buoyancy. 5. Stand in a slouched position, then change to the correct position, noticing the difference between the two. Source: http://cmed.faculty.ku.edu/gummposture/posture.html

Breath Management Breath- the air that you take into your lungs and send out from your lungs when you breathe : air that is inhaled and exhaled in breathing. As we begin training our body to sing, we need to take deeper breaths in order to sustain our sound loud and clear for our listening audience. At first you may even feel a rush of dizziness, but as you breathe deeper more oxygen gets to your brain. Don’t stress it! Your body just needs to get used to proper and more efficient breathing. Learn to Sing: Breathing Breathe deeply from your lower lungs - imagine a rubber ring around your waist (your diaphragm) Breathe in and try to push the ring outwards. Breathe in through your nose and out through your nose and mouth. Avoid raising your shoulders as you breathe in - keep them relaxed and level. Relax! Soure: www.bbc.co.uk/sing/learning/breathing.shtml http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/breath

Articulators Articulator- Any organ in the mouth or throat whose movement produces speech sounds. Articulation: The vocal tract articulators (the tongue, soft palate, and lips) modify the voiced sound. “The LIPS, the TEETH, the tip of the TONGUE” Source: www.yourdictionary.com/articulator#iuWQuu16cCXQ382o.99

Resonators Resonance- Sound that is produced by the vocal cord and is modified by various chambers. Resonators- Areas include the throat, mouth cavity, and nasal passages which help produce a person's recognizable voice.

Tone Tone- the quality of a sound produced by a musical instrument or singing voice. The color of your singing voice. HOW TO IMPROVE VOCAL TONE You need to improve your airflow, Your muscle strength, and Your vocal placement (i.e. where you resonate the sound within your body.) Tip #1. Warm up before you sing Tip #2. Make sure you take in enough air Tip #3. Open your mouth wider when singing Source: http://singerssecret.com/how-to-improve-your-vocal-tone/

Intonation Intonation- the ability to play or sing notes in tune. Tip #1 Stand up straight. - Correct their posture - Elongate the back of the neck.   - Pitch will improve when head is in correct position.  - A raised chin leads to collapsed shoulders and chest, which leads to poor breathing and support, which leads to bad intonation. Tip #2 Think “UP” when singing a descending scale. Source: http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tone http://www.totalchoirresources.com/a-quick-warm-up-exercise-for-good-tuning/

Vowels “Cuh” “Duh” “Tuh” “Muh” Vowels- Sounds that are characterized by a flow of air, whereas, consonants are produced when obstructing air flow. Vowel sounds “EH” “EE” “AH” “OH” “OOH” Consonants “Cuh” “Duh” “Tuh” “Muh” Source: http://www.slideshare.net/sukkarif/consonant-clusters

Tips on Vowel Placement Do not sing vowels the same way you speak. Carry the tone. Vowels have the greatest energy when the vocal tract is open. Singing vowels require mouth space. Do not let consonants get in the way of singing your vowels. Consonants cannot be sustained (held out). Sing on open vowels, and not sustain consonant sounds, in order to maximize the resonance and carrying power of your voice. Tension is the biggest enemy to the singer. The word legato is an italian word that means to sing or play smoothly and connected. Each note and word is connected one to the other. This means that vowels should be balanced when singing from one vowel sound to another. To match one vowel to another there must be absolutely no tension in the tone or face, lips, jaw and tongue. Develop the habit of relaxing the neck and shoulder areas before and during vocalization. Be sure the knees are not locked. Source: https://spinditty.com/learning/How-to-Sing-the-Five-Basic-Singing-Vowels

Diphthongs Diphthong- a sound formed by the combination of two vowels in a single syllable, in which the sound begins as one vowel and moves toward another (as in coin, loud, and side). VOCAL EXERCISE “How now, brown cow” Hold one of these syllables on a sustained pitch and sing the primary vowel for the entire length of the pitch. Souce: https://www.google.com/search?q=Dipthongs&ie=utf-8&oe=utf- 8&client=firefox-b https://www.smartmusic.com/blog/teaching-tricky-diphthongs-to-your- choir/

Choir Voices Soprano- The highest range of the female singing voice. Mezzo Soprano- a female singing voice that is higher than the alto and lower than the soprano. Alto- The lowest range of the female singing voice. Tenor- The highest range of the male singing voice. Baritone- The range of the voice lies between the bass and tenor ranges, overlapping both of them. Bass- The lowest range of the male singing voice.