1. Exam date: January 13, 2016 9:45-11:45am
Vision Exam Review
Exam date: January 13, 2016
9:45-11:45am

2. Basic Elements of Music Theory
Staff consists of 5 lines and 4 spaces Treble Clef/Treble Notes Bass Clef/Bass Notes

3. Correlating the Notes on the Piano with the notated pitches.

4. Sharps, flats, Naturals, Measures & Bar Lines
*Sharps raise a pitch by a half step
**Flats lower a pitch by a half step
***Naturals cancel a sharp of a flat
Bar lines divide the music on the staff
Into measures. The double bar indicates
That you are at the end of the piece.

5. Time Signatures, Note & Rest Values
Notes
Value
4 beats
3 beats
2 beats
1 beat
Rests

6. Ties, Slurs , and other articulations
Fermata
Hold longer
than note
value
Accelerando
Gradually faster
Accent marks
With emphasis
Tied notes connect the SAME
Pitch for the combined values.
Ritardando
Gradually slower
Crescendo: cresc.
Gradually get LOUDER
Decrescendo: decres.
Gradually get SOFTER
Slurs are phase markings
Indicating to play Legato:
Smooth and connected
Staccato
short &
detached
Tenuto
hold for
absolute value

7. Dynamics

8. TEMPO(S)

9. More Music Theory concepts
a capella is singing without accompaniment.
An interval is the distance between two pitches.
The fundamentals of a melody are pitch, interval relationships and rhythm.
A single melodic line is known as monophony.
When voices of an SATB choir perform block chords it is known as homophony.
When voices in an ensemble perform independent melodic lines, it is known as polyphony.
Rhythmic consistency is achieved through a constant and steady pulse.
Musicians frequently use a metronome to insure rhythmic accuracy.

10. Jazz (stylistic) articulations
A glissando (gliss) is slowly moving from one note to the next in a downward slide.
A fall is rapidly moving downward from one note to the next.
A scoop occurs when the approach to the pitch occurs from beneath the note.
A bend occurs when the voice move upward to downward from a note back to the note.
A doit is when the performer deliberately releases the note upwards.

11. AND ALL THAT JAZZ
Jazz is a truly American art form that originated in the early 1900’s.
Its origins come from both the European & African American musical traditions.
European in the form, melodic and harmonic structure
African American; in the blues forms, use of syncopation as well as call and response from the gospel (spirituals of the African American slaves)
Jazz has it roots in Dixieland music of the New Orleans region of the US
Syncopation (that is, off the beat) is a key element of jazz.
Jazz music evolved in the 1940’s into a style known as SWING.
Characteristic of Swing music in the uneven feel of two eight notes where the first beat is slightly longer than the second.

12. Vocal Jazz stylistic characteristics
It is very common in Vocal jazz singing to bend the 3rd and/or 6th notes of the scale, which originated in gospel and blue music.
Vocal jazz stylings have influenced pop, Broadway, Latin swing, and R & B all of which can be incorporated into a “show choir”
Vocal jazz concerns itself with lyrical interpretation of text, vowel placement to create more resonance and consonant accentuation.
A unique aspect of vocal jazz is scat singing, an improvisational style of singing where singers imitate the sound of instruments on nonsense syllables. This style of improvisation later developed into vocal riffs commonly used today in pop and R&B music.
Vocal jazz ensembles are often referred to as Swing choirs.
Vocal jazz defining characteristic is a great amount of dissonance.

13. Other Musical Styles: Broadway showtunes, Pop, Latin and country
Latin music is predominantly driven by it’s rhythmic groove or rhythmic element and sometimes will include auxiliary percussion instruments.
Country music singing styles places high emphasis on beats 2 & 4, as well as crisp articulate consonants and the use of dipthongs.
Pop music is also known as Top 40 music
Broadway show tunes originated in the 1920’s & 1930s from Tin Pan Alley composers like Irvin Berlin, Richard Rogers and George Gershwin, who are also affiliated with jazz and jazz standards.
Important elements of ballads are: melody, harmony and text.
Poignant moments are created through silence in ballad singing.
In all styles of vocal music, the melody is the most predominant feature.

14. Vocal technique
Healthy breath control is most appropriate in all styles of singing including pop, jazz and show choir.
When sustaining breath control, it is important to maintain good posture and keep the throat relaxed.
Breath supported tone will contribute to a stronger, more blended unison sound.
Singing with vocal tension can lead to vocal damage.
Warm ups are short vocal exercises to prepare the voice for singing by releasing vocal tension.
Phrasing is the shaping of the music in between the breath marks.
Vocal energy is achieved through dynamics, focus and drive (motion in the tone)
Well trained singers can sing a wide variety of musical styles (a capella, rock & musical theatre)
Vocalist should study the poetry or lyrics and think of interpretation as “text painting”
When a singer smiles (behind their eyes) many aspects of their sound are improved including:
Opening the chambers in the front of the facial mask
Accenting the resonance of the higher harmonics.
Contribution to the excitement and brilliance of the tone

15. Breath control & Posture

16. “SUPERIOR” INSPIRATION
I am so excited to continue the journey of “Vision” this year. You have all grown so much, however we still have a lot of work to do and goals to accomplish. I leave you with these inspirational quotes: