Sound Advice: Becoming a Better Children's Choir Conductor

Front Cover
Oxford University Press, Mar 6, 2003 - Music - 288 pages
Sound Advice is a valuable resource for college students, beginning teachers, and experienced conductors of children's choirs. It covers the vast array of skills needed by today's conductor and will benefit all choir directors who want their choirs to reach a higher level of artistry. This book will be useful on many levels: for the college student studying the child voice and elementary teaching methods; for the teacher beginning to direct choirs in schools, synagogues, churches and communities; for experienced children's choir directors who wish to know more about orchestral repertoire for treble voices, conducting an orchestra, and preparing a children's choir to sing a major work with a professional orchestra. The underlying educational philosophy is sound; the author sees development of musicianship through singing as the primary goal of a children's choir program. This philosophy differs dramatically from the traditional concept of the conductor as all-knowing and the singers as receptacles. An outstanding aspect of the book is how the author leads the reader to an understanding of how to teach musicianship. Developing literacy in the choral setting is a mysterious, amorphous process to many conductors, but the author clearly outlines this important process with practical suggestions, well-documented examples, and a clear reading style which will reach readers on many levels. The comprehensive repertoire, skill-building sheets, and programs for all types of children's choirs will provide teachers with immediate and highly valuable resources.

From inside the book

Contents

INTRODUCTION
3
The Formative Years
5
Training Eight to FourteenYearOld Children to Sing
15
Checklist for Ideal Rehearsals and Preparation for Complete Artistic Performances
33
Developing Literacy
46
Discipline
59
The Importance of Organization
66
The Audition Process Know Your Children Your Parents and Your Community
76
Criteria for Choosing Repertoire Appropriate for Children
182
Repertoire Lists for Toronto Childrens Chorus
188
Concepts to Be Learned by the End of Training Choir I Training Choir II and Training Choir III
202
Memos for the the First Four Rehearsals
204
SightSinging Curriculum Outline for the Toronto Childrens Chorus
225
Rounds All Children Should Know
229
Treble Choir Repertoire with Orchestral Accompaniment
233
Repertoire Recommended List
242

Things They Didnt Teach You at Music School
86
Conducting an Orchestra
97
Preparing the Children to Sing a Major Work with Orchestra
105
Recording Commissioning and Touring
132
From the Children
145
Warmup Vocal Exercises
151
Audition Form
159
Sample Programs from Toronto Childrens Chorus
162
Toronto Childrens Chorus Compact Discs
249
The Seating Plan
255
Examples of FourMeasure SightReading Passages
257
Transposing and Nontransposing Instruments
259
BIBLOGRAPHY
261
INDEX
265
Copyright

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About the author (2003)

Jean Ashworth Bartle is the Founder/Music Director of the Toronto Children's Chorus.

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