Of Quires and Places where they sing

I ran an information session for the prospective children/youth choir at All Saints, Preston, today.  I've been spruiking this in the parish for a couple of months now, so it was good to see a few people from the congregation at the session.  The vicar attended, even though he had been celebrating at one of the other centres in the parish, and no doubt would have preferred to spend the hour in his garden or under a blanket in front of the television (it was a very crisp morning!).

There were about a dozen young people in attendance, with eight potential choristers.  So much energy!  It was great fun, though.

Below the jump, I've put the text of the booklet I put together for the parents and other adults attending the session.  If there's anyone out there reading this who is thinking about setting up a childrens choir from scratch, perhaps this might be of some use.  I am a great believer in making sure the structure of a presentation like this is clear; people respond much more receptively if they can see that the program will be well organized.

I'm really grateful for help from some parishioners who've volunteered to do some of the administrative work: relatively small but important things like getting attendance registration sheets filled in, general copying and folding -- the sort of thing that can consume so much energy when they have to be accomplished simultaneously.  There are so many things that require attention at the start of a big project like this, and so many maintenance tasks once it gets off the ground.  You'll see the office bearers listed at the bottom of the section below.

Each of the children who attended the session and put their name on the attendance list will be receiving a personal letter in the next day or two, inviting them to join the choir.  Rehearsals will begin in a couple of weeks' time.

the Anglican parish of _{Jika Jika}

All Saints, Preston, St Mary’s, East Preston & St George’s, Reservoir

CHOIR INFORMATION SESSION

11.30am, Sunday 30 May 2010

Outline of session

· Introduction to the choir.

· The concept

· Benefits to children

· Opportunities for parents

· Structure of the choir: introducing the office bearers

· Questions

· Group singing

· Short warmup

· Call and response songs

· Hand signs: Do, Re, Mi

· Clapping

About our Training Program

How Voice for Life works

There are five levels in the Voice for Life scheme, for singers of any age from beginners through to advanced singers, starting with a preparatory level for brand new, inexperienced singers.

White (preparatory level)

Light Blue

Dark Blue

Red

Yellow

How singers are trained and assessed

To enable choir trainers and teachers to train and assess their singers with confidence, each level of Voice for Life comes complete with:

Teaching material to provide the appropriate training for each level. This includes practical exercises, diagrams, photocopiable worksheets, and sample tests. The teaching material for the preparatory White Level is available for download, and for all other levels is contained within the Voice for Life Choir Trainer’s Book.

Worksheets and workbooks for singers containing questions, exercises and puzzles. At the preparatory White Level the worksheets are available for download. For all other levels there is an appropriately coloured Voice for Life workbook, designed for use by singers of any age.

Clear targets which state exactly what a singer should have achieved/be able to demonstrate in order to be awarded their next level. These are listed in the back of the singers' workbooks with a space for the choir trainer or teacher to sign and date each target as it is achieved, showing the progress of the singer through that level. At White Level the targets are listed on a special White Level Record Card.

The skills developed in Voice for Life

Each level of the scheme (except the White Level) provides training in the following areas:

Module A: Using the voice well

This module aims to teach singers how to develop good vocal technique. It contains many practical exercises and helpful diagrams enabling you to deliver the training in this Module with confidence. It begins by helping singers get used to the physical sensations of healthy vocal technique, and in the later levels develops their understanding of the physiology of the voice.

Module B: Musical skills & understanding

Musical skills and musical understanding should grow together; as a singer makes progress with their voice they need to develop the understanding and skills to support them in their singing. Singers need to understand the music they are looking at and develop an ability to read and interpret what they see. Likewise, they need to develop their listening skills. This module develops knowledge of music theory and notation, and then encourages singers to demonstrate this understanding through sight-singing and aural skills.

Module C: Repertoire

This module aims to develop a good understanding of the musical and historical contexts of the music performed by the choir or individual singer. It also gives singers the opportunity to demonstrate the musical understanding they gain in Module B through some simple musical analysis. Singers are encouraged to find out about the background of the music that they sing: to translate and understand the text of a piece, to look at the historical background, to look at the purpose of a piece, to develop an understanding of the style/genre. Through this research, singers develop the ability to gather information from various sources and to present this in an original form.

Module D: Belonging to the choir

If a singer wants to be part of a choir, there is more required than simply being able to sing. There are issues of commitment, punctuality and responsibility. This module considers how a singer can be encouraged in these areas and gives plenty of additional advice for you on recruiting singers into the choir and how to maintain their interest and commitment.

Module E: Choir in context

A choir does not exist in isolation. Although it is a community in its own right it is also part of a wider community such as a school, church, village or town. This module encourages singers to explore the wider context of its choir’s existence: Why do they sing in that particular choir? Why does the choir exist? For whom does it sing? How does the choir benefit its members and those outside the choir? The material is divided into various sessions, each based on one topic, and these come complete with photocopied worksheets.

For more information, visit the RSCM Voice for Life website.

 

Choir Rehearsal Times

Tuesdays during school term, 4.30-6.00pm

Trebles only, focusing on  Voice For Life training program.

Wednesdays during school term,

4.00-6.00pm

Includes full rehearsal with adult choir.

Sundays during school term, 9.15-11.15am

Singing for Mass, including pre-service rehearsal.

All rehearsals and services are at All Saints,

corner Murray Road and High Street, Preston.

Choir Contact Details

Director of Music

Attendance Registrar

Compliance Officer