Choral warmups - ear training

Here is a followup presentation with additional warmup links from 2022: • Choral warmups - ear t...
This video is of a vocal (choral) exercise I came up with in 2013 to help my singers identify and more accurately perform all varieties of intervals. Here I'm teaching it to my York (Maine) High School Chamber Singers. If in fact there is no such thing as "difficult notes", but rather "challenging intervals", this is one way to go down the road of adequately training our singers to conquer those challenges by having them master the phonation of various intervals. This went well this morning... my singers clearly have work to do, especially with "4" as their reference pitch, and additionally there are other spots as well that you can hear which need attention. However, my singers were later able to articulate the benefits of the exercise while acknowledging that it made them think and concentrate on their pitch accuracy across ALL intervals. Here is a followup presentation with additional warmup links from 2022: • Choral warmups - ear t...

[@Febr.89]

This how every high school chorus room should be constructed, with such a great acoustic, great sound!

[@piercejohnson6191]

I love that you are giving these students such phenomenal aural training. I think that a lot of choral students miss out on having focused aural training. In this video you can tell that not everyone is getting is as well as others, but everyone is trying learning and improving and what's so great about this group exercise is that they are referencing both their inner ear and the pitches from their neighbors at the same time.

[@destinyfredette9104]

I had the amazing opportunity to be directed in a large group by this man. He's a musical genius. I learned so much from him, and only ever met him twice. If you ever get the chance to work with him, don't let the opportunity pass. It was one of the most beneficial, educational, and fun experiences I have ever had.

[@yolandaharrison906]

Yes it's Always great to do warmups while during choral practice 🎤🎧🎷🎙️🎶🎵

[@miakabutterfly68]

This video helped me find my pitch and has really helped me hear what I was missing. I'm so thankful I happened to stumble upon this video

[@mikehopkins4040]

Really good .

[@riddheshwarpandey5192]

Really very nice teacher

[@Lawgiver777]

wow! this is amazing. I have been singing all my life and I have never known this. This choir sounds good together.

[@dianarosalindland1566]

Great exercise. Interval training is so important.

[@jfarenga29]

I'm gonna try this tomorrow with my honor choir

[@priscillaprueter]

I will try with my choir here in Brazil!!!

[@redstonius1673]

This is a great exercise! I think this will help with sight reading and confidence. Thank you so much. I am going to try this with my choir.

[@didamerrill3345]

Hugely helpful. Thank you!!!

[@Irishb0y]

Wow, I also practice this method at my church choral warmups in indonesia, even before I see this video,,,what a nice coincidence :)

[@rosamendez7415]

Gracias por compartir sus dones

[@lazykitten4356]

what a practice!

[@carolineandtigger]

Bravo!!!

[@RitaRitach.2997]

It was good. I liked a lot.

[@tmswolfpackchoir]

It's the descending tritone. They sing "four seven" on the way up and "seven three" on the way down.

[@Alexamariemusic]

This is awesome! However, just a word of advice for any singer at home who is trying to follow along with this. This is starting in the key of B so if you would like to sing it in the key of C, just sing a semitone higher.

[@veronikanadtochii2844]

Agree. Especially when in the video he shows C as 1 on the whiteboard.

[@meggriffin467]

Awesome ear training, but I was so distracted by the open marker. Cap the marker! lol

[@dedmo79]

I would argue that we do not sing by thinking about intervals, but rather by thinking about the tonal function of each scale degree. After all, the point of using any system of numbers or solfege is to attach a tonal function to the number or syllable.

[@bonniejunk]

I mean, isn't that all intervals really are? Yes, any cadence has tonal functions attached to each note, but without hearing the interval they're just frequencies in a vacuum. Maybe I misunderstand, but I would say that we sing thinking of intervals and (tonal) functional melody.

[@user-ne4xg7yx6s]

Thanks from Ukraine!!!

[@user-ne4xg7yx6s]

@Oparah Magnify C. T. I play piano and teach music theory at school and my husband plays accordion, guitar, pan flute and double bass

[@user-ne4xg7yx6s]

@Oparah Magnify C. T. Northwest

[@mllama4]

MRHS Choir, point well taken. My frustration has always been with the students who accurately assess the number or solfege symbol, but in no way link it to the correct pitch... for decades I've been a judge for district and state events where the student issue was not the visual component, but rather the aural, so this exercise is meant to address that concern alone. I completely agree with you however that the coin has two sides and that accurate visual identification of the actual interval has to be developed simultaneously, if not even as a prerequisite!

[@cabreramirna1568]

aural before symbol, ALWAYS!

[@carwashslayer4235]

2:46 is my favorite interval

[@oneCHOIRoneVOICE]

I think it's neat, but I think the problem with sight reading for choir singers more lies in noticing those intervals on the *staff*... so the student may be able to sing a sixth no problem from any pitch in any key, but noticing it right away while sight reading quickly is the issue which this doesn't address. Obviously students who have taken piano or another instrument are better because of the kinesthetic practice of playing the notes.

[@PurdyBear1]

Great video, but they should be standing up, how can they expand their diaphragm when sitting. My choir master would be shouting at them to stand up.

[@darnellfrancis4406]

This Is what I Seek to do As a musician. Where can I find a class for this?

[@bjason5013]

This method is great. Does anyone know of a video in which the chorus properly hits all the notes that can be used for training? THX

[@lunanightsiren3635]

Are they saying sev instead of seven?

[@shyfroglet]

I've done that with groups before. It alleviates the confusion of multiple syllables on one note.

[@CJCappella]

LunaNight Siren - sev’n

[@rosamendez7415]

Podría traducirlo al español? Por favor!

[@ivanhendr]

Or they can sing do re mi instead of numbers

[@Jared852]

numbers are easier to associate to sound for most people

[@Altivelzian]

Would like to do this using tonic sol fa.

[@slim531]

0:50 that sounded like 7 1 not 1 1

[@lunanightsiren3635]

Are they saying sev instead of seven?

[@iv0rye]

Yes. Obviously

[@dinopad10]

Yes. The reason is, all of the other numbers are monosyllabic. SEV-EN has two syllables, therefore, it throws off the timing of the rest of the line. So, singers will often say "sev" to keep the single syllable going.