Five minutes a day

At the moment I'm taking care of two groups of adult singers while a couple of colleagues are away.  Both groups cover the generational spectrum, and include people ranging from 20-somethings up to 80-somethings.

When I do these sorts of locums, a couple of consistent questions crop up in conversations with the singers.  How do we sound?  What can I do to improve my performance in the group?

One of the particular challenges of singing in a church choir is that Sunday morning simply must mean business.  In twenty minutes there is a lot to be dealt with.  If there is no weekday rehearsal there is a further degree of intensity to ensure everything is covered in time.  One aspect of a singing group's corporate habits that invariably goes by the board is technical development, both of the group as a whole and for individuals who might want to address specific issues.  Over the last fifteen years I have often found myself recommending a five-minute routine for the weekdays, and it goes something like this:

1. Open up the body by stretching gently and slowly for a minute.  Make sure your feet are planted securely at shoulder width.  One sequence I use a lot is the three trees: stretching up like a Cyprus (with children: "pencil tree"); stretching outwards like an Oak tree, gently swaying in the breeze; and stretching downwards like a Weeping Willow.  End by standing tall and rolling the shoulders forwards and backwards.
2. Practice deep breathing.  This step can take up to two minutes.  Breathing through the mouth, try to place your breath so that it feels like you're filling your body right down to the toes: try to make your big toes tingle while feeling your back lengthening and your jaw relaxing downwards.  Let the breath go with a sigh, then make a siren sound, starting high and gliding downwards.  Activate the sound from the belly (if you're having trouble finding this sensation, try breathing deeply and letting it go with a series of short sharp hisses). Do this four or five times, starting higher each time.  Through all of this, check that your posture is relaxed and tall, and that your face is stretching vertically.
3. Sing something familiar.  Sing it with words, on a vowel, or humming (lips closed, making a ng sound).  This step can become the link to practicing new repertoire, or sustaining existing pieces.

There are lots of things one can do to build on from this very basic routine.  You could add vocalises, or do some specific voice-building exercises.  In a rehearsal situation, I usually follow step 1 with a series of non-vocal sounds that focus on building up breath placement and control, moving through sirens and humming to definite pitch before carrying on with the work of the rehearsal.  In this case, the warmup is part of a larger task -- encouraging creative perception and responsiveness towards the music we're singing.