Welcome to Chorus!
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Dear PS233 Langston Hughes Chorus Families,
I welcome you to our vocal music program! My name is Ms. Grechko, and I am a general music teacher at the school. I hope each chorus students will have a great learning experience in our singing ensemble and have many opportunities to express her/his musicality through singing. Our chorus has 4th and 5th grade students and we will rehearse on the following days: Mondays 1:35pm-2:20pm 4th and 5th grade students Tuesdays 12:35pm 4th grade only Thursdays 10:45am 5th grade only Students are to report to the music room as soon as the classroom teacher dismisses them. Please note that 3 unexcused absences from rehearsals or concerts may result in suspension from the chorus. Please work out conflicts with Ms. Grechko prior to the absence. If a student misses even a few rehearsals, she or he will not know the music well enough to perform in concerts. Also, a student who behaves inappropriately in chorus will receive a discipline strike. If a student receive 3 strikes he/she will be removed from the chorus for the rest of the school year. Chorus Supplies needed: a folder and a pencil. Concert Dress: Black pants/skirt and black dress shoes, white dress-up top (no t-shirts please) Best regards, Mrs. Grechko,music teacher |
Chorus Archive
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Daily Singing Warm-Ups
Consistency in practice is key as you learn how to sing! Just like an athlete stretches his or her body and muscles during a practice, a singer must warm up his or her voice every day! All it takes is 10 minutes with a few simple warm ups to maintain a healthy voice. Here are some vocal exercises that will work for your singing voice:
Maintain Good Posture
When speaking in daily life, breathing is broken down to two phases: inhalation and speaking. When singing, however, breathing should be broken down to three phases: inhalation, pausing and stabilizing the diaphragm, and singing.
Lip Buzz
Simply vibrate your lips together, without pitch at first. It may take a while to get used to. This will help build up your breath support and stamina while singing. Next, try adding a pitch to your lip buzz, and holding it anywhere from 3-5 seconds. Pitch can go up, down, or stay on one note. There should be a funny, tickling sensation in your nose, and your other resonators (forehead, cheeks, etc.). If you do not feel this, try harder!
Throat and Mouth Opening:
Place your index finger on each side of your head in front of the ears at the hinge of the jaw. Open your mouth until you feel a space or hole in front of the ear. The hole indicates your jaw is unhinged, which is important in singing. Focus on the back of the mouth and relax the throat, then arch the palate. If you aren’t sure how to move it, say “Hung-ah” and watch the soft palate and tongue meet and then separate. Say the “Hung-ah” several more times until you can feel the muscles that move the soft palate.
The higher soprano singer sing, the more open their throat and mouth should be. However, the opposite is true for low voices singers – the lower they sing, the more open their throats and mouths should be.
Word Exaggeration:
Always exaggerate the pronunciation. After all, we don’t dance like we walk, so we don’t sing like we talk. Additional emphasis should be placed on important words or syllables, as done in speech, so the musical phrase will have shape and the audience can understand the text.
Articulation: Sing the words or syllables carefully. Before singing find the natural places where you would take a breath (i.e. at the end of sentences, after some commas, etc.). Usually, if you are in the middle of a sentence, it doesn't make sense to breathe- even if you are at the end of a line on the page. On the other hand, making a short break where there is a comma (even in the middle of a line) can add emphasis to the words and make them more understandable.
Maintain Good Posture
- The chin should be about parallel to the floor.
- Shoulders should be held back and relaxed, with chest held high, but not in a strained position.
- Abdomen should be flat and firm, held in an expandable position.
- Hands should be relaxed and still at the sides.
- Knees should be flexibly loose, and never locked.
- Feet should be shoulder distance apart
When speaking in daily life, breathing is broken down to two phases: inhalation and speaking. When singing, however, breathing should be broken down to three phases: inhalation, pausing and stabilizing the diaphragm, and singing.
Lip Buzz
Simply vibrate your lips together, without pitch at first. It may take a while to get used to. This will help build up your breath support and stamina while singing. Next, try adding a pitch to your lip buzz, and holding it anywhere from 3-5 seconds. Pitch can go up, down, or stay on one note. There should be a funny, tickling sensation in your nose, and your other resonators (forehead, cheeks, etc.). If you do not feel this, try harder!
Throat and Mouth Opening:
Place your index finger on each side of your head in front of the ears at the hinge of the jaw. Open your mouth until you feel a space or hole in front of the ear. The hole indicates your jaw is unhinged, which is important in singing. Focus on the back of the mouth and relax the throat, then arch the palate. If you aren’t sure how to move it, say “Hung-ah” and watch the soft palate and tongue meet and then separate. Say the “Hung-ah” several more times until you can feel the muscles that move the soft palate.
The higher soprano singer sing, the more open their throat and mouth should be. However, the opposite is true for low voices singers – the lower they sing, the more open their throats and mouths should be.
Word Exaggeration:
Always exaggerate the pronunciation. After all, we don’t dance like we walk, so we don’t sing like we talk. Additional emphasis should be placed on important words or syllables, as done in speech, so the musical phrase will have shape and the audience can understand the text.
Articulation: Sing the words or syllables carefully. Before singing find the natural places where you would take a breath (i.e. at the end of sentences, after some commas, etc.). Usually, if you are in the middle of a sentence, it doesn't make sense to breathe- even if you are at the end of a line on the page. On the other hand, making a short break where there is a comma (even in the middle of a line) can add emphasis to the words and make them more understandable.