Rehearsals

Segments

Rehearsals consist of the following segments:

• Warm-ups: Physical, breath, vocal (tone, range, agility, diction) and energiser warm-ups

• Song learning: Learning a range of rounds, 'call and echo' songs, folk songs and 2-3 part performance songs

• Musicianship: A range of activities and games as part of our sequential Kodály-based musicianship programme

• Cool-down: Winding the voice down, releasing any tension and bringing the voice back to its speaking range

Delivery

Songs and activities are taught in a variety of ways, in order to engage children of this age group and so that the children develop a broad range of musical skills. Each week we build on what we've learnt before, through adding new sections of the music, deepening the learning on a section that we've already learnt, or approaching it from a completely different angle. 

Our teaching reflects the multi-faceted nature of music, where the many concepts of music are continually being taught alongside each other. Some examples of these concepts are: Beat, rhythm, pitch, phrasing, metre, tempo and part-work. You may see us learning new songs through counting out the beats, clapping the rhythmic patterns, singing the pitches in solfa, conducting to show the beat groupings or pointing in the air to show where the pitch is going up and down.

We aim to look at music through the eyes of the child, and find fun ways to turn warm-ups and song learning into games and challenges. 

The choral setting is a powerful one, where children work with and help each other in groupwork activities. This may be in small groups or within the whole choir, with others who are singing the same part as them. Students are given the chance to take an active part in their own learning through answering questions, offering ideas and discovering musical concepts for themselves. 

Rather than focusing on an individual sound, choirs give children the chance to work together to create a combined choral sound as if all singers have merged into one. All children then play an equally important role within the choir, where not one voice is more important than another. This working together to create one unified sound, using the instrument that we are all born with is the epitome of teamwork and community. 

Teaching and Learning Styles

Listening (auditory)

• Active listening is encouraged through the children repeating melodic and rhythmic patterns, as modelled by the tutor. Listening is also developed through vowel and pitch matching exercises.

Watching (visually)

• Children are regularly reading and comprehending lyrics, as well as decoding abstract musical symbols

Movement (kinaesthetically)

• Children physicalize musical concepts (such as pitch, phrasing, beat and rhythm) on different parts of their body, and through smaller and larger movements. This helps children to feel what is happening musically inside of their bodies, which then gives more meaning when applied to abstract musical symbols.

Academic and Life Skills

A range of academic and life skills are embedded through music learning, including:

Literacy Skills

• Literacy skills are developed through reading and comprehending lyrics. Students discover language concepts such as rhyme, poetry, lyric structure and more. See Anita Collins' research on the strong connection between musical learning and improved literacy.

Mathematics Skills

• Through our musicianship programme, children are adding, subtracting, dividing and multiplying beats and rhythms. 

Movement Skills

• Through small and large movement activities in relation to specific musical outcomes, children develop coordination, directional awareness, spacial awareness, as well as fine and gross motor skills

Teamwork

• Children develop teamwork through working in pairs, in small groups and as part of the larger choir. Younger and older children help each other, fostering a strong sense of community.

Confidence Building

• Through a supportive atmosphere, and specific praise of effort, children develop confidence in  themselves and their singing. Songs are chosen that are within a suitable pitch range, and that are well-suited to the dovelopmental stage of the young singer. This means that children feel success early on in themselves as learners and musicians.