![singing in unison singing in unison](https://media.giphy.com/media/3oz8xOItZxJtwVcZBC/giphy.gif)
I really, truly believe that taking small amounts of time in every rehearsal or class to work on literacy in some small capacity ultimately builds a better choir with smarter musicians. I often hear from teachers that, while taking the time to teach music reading is a goal, it is often unachievable due to time constraints. This activity will also teach singers to listen critically. Rather than use too many words, demonstrate what you want, or even model the right way versus the wrong way. There’s no use telling them to use pure vowels if you sing with a heavy twang.
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![singing in unison singing in unison](https://mdrtresourcezone.azureedge.net/web-site/image/_asset/0c1dfde39c5741419987a94a00b70b38/whitacre.jpg)
You don’t need to be Pavarotti, but you should be able to produce a clear, in-tune, pleasant sound for singers to emulate. Your singers will learn a great deal from the way you sing to them. Either way, the idea is to anticipate challenges, and set the choir up for success. In other cases, I go right to that spot in the music and identify a particular concept to introduce that section, so the choir has an understanding of that concept to support their learning. In some cases, I create a warm-up that addresses the challenge, so the choir begins building the necessary skill before they ever learn the piece. I like to look for the top three to five challenges and develop several ways of addressing each of them in rehearsal. Setting the Choir Up for Successīefore your first rehearsal of any piece, identify any areas where your singers may need additional support in order to be successful. That’s why I program unison songs and rounds for virtually every group I conduct, even my advanced groups: because I believe that fundamental skills should be revisited and refreshed frequently. If you choose your repertoire with an understanding of this gradual skill progression, your choir will react to each new challenge with anticipation and joy rather than fear or trepidation-and the excitement from singers easily translates into productive rehearsals and solid teaching moments. Each new step calls upon the lessons learned from the last. Time spent learning to blend, match vowels, and work through different areas of the voice is never wasted! Similarly, the way singers learn to manage entrances and cutoffs in echo singing leads to them being able to handle the staggered entrances required in a round, while still maintaining a good vocal sound through their own musical line. The time spent creating a beautiful unison will pay dividends when it comes to echo singing, where sections learn independence for the first time. Skills toward the bottom need time to develop and must be solid before singers move up the pyramid.