We learn to sing Choir rehearsals begin with warm-ups, including stretching, vocal exercises, breathing, and listening. In 5-6 choir we work on building head tone--the heart of the high, flexible sound unique to children’s choirs. Warm-ups include some whooping, maybe some siren sounds, and an exercise about Pepe LePew, the Looney Tunes skunk. In 7-8 choir, we continue to emphasize head tone and also work on integrating the upper and lower registers of the voice, which is a particular challenge for changing adolescent voices, both male and female. We learn music for worship After warm-ups, we work on specific music we are preparing for performance. This is the part of the rehearsal that requires the most work and concentration. Sometimes a piece of music seems boring, or too hard at this point, as the singers struggle with its difficulties. When they know it better, they like it much better too. The hardest music is often the most rewarding.
We sing for fun No, we don't sing pop songs or the soundtrack from High School Musical, but we do sing rounds, folk songs, and other music that is both fun and healthy to sing. We talk about worship and faithSinging at Grace is an expression of our love for God. In choir, we discuss how the music we sing fits into the story of Jesus. We talk about the ideas and the images in the music and the text and what these may mean for our spiritual lives. Texts matter a great deal as students mature in their intellectual ability and their faith. The words to hymns and anthems give them ways to think about God and words to pray with and to use to encourage one another.
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