About the Choirs

What is our curriculum? What we do at rehearsals?

Hummingbirds - Kindergarten-2nd Grade, Directed by Patty Shade

Curriculum goals for the Hummingbirds are to foster a fun and dynamic atmosphere for learning musical terms and concepts and learning to sing in a group.

Example of a typical Hummingbird rehearsal:

• Poetry reading or singing with the ukulele or guitar while waiting for all students to arrive

• Warm up - physical body movements, beginner vocal warm ups (age appropriate warm up canons and body awareness)

• Pitch matching exercises (helping children learn to hear and sing on pitch)

• Work on choral piece or work on singing in a round (all songs learned by rote)

• Age appropriate music theory through games and/or fun demos/practice (learning about rhythm, musical terms such as staff, notes, dynamics, etc.)

• Work on second choral piece or work on singing in a round (round are precursors to learning to sing in harmony)

• End the session with “camp” type songs either taught by me and/or suggestions of songs the children want to sing.

Other topics that will be addressed in the course of the year are:

• Choral singing etiquette 

• Acting - learning to show thoughts and emotions on our face while singing

• Performance anxiety and performance preparation 

Larks Choir - 3-6 Grade, Directed by LuAnn Higgs

The Larks Choir is the intermediate choir for the Davis Youth Choir. Children in Larks start singing in harmony, learn to read choral scores, sharpen their music sight reading skills, note identification, and rhythm identification. 

• A typical rehearsal starts with a warm-up:  a body stretch.  Then we start warming up our vocal apparatus with close interval singing, all the way to arpeggios.  We work on vowels and tone placement, and dynamics (soft and loud singing).  We start listening to each other to as a choral body.

• We sing actual choral music.  Along with learning the notes, the rhythms, and the words, we take time to see all those facets create a piece.  We explore the meaning of the words, and find individual personal connections to the piece, based on group exploration.

• We take time to practice rhythms, note identification, and ear training through team games.

• We learn performance skills:  how to stand, how to breathe, how to follow a conductor.

• At the end of the rehearsal, we take a quiet moment to reflect on the day, the week, and how they fit into the bigger picture!

Bel Canto Choir - 6-9 Grade, Directed by LuAnn Higgs

The Bel Canto Choir is a fast moving, fast learning small ensemble.  This group builds on the skills learned in the younger choirs, and learns how to hold harmonies, as well as sing solo material.  Often this choir sings in multiple parts.  Grade 6 choristers should be able to master the skills taught in the Larks Choir. This group is a “feeder” for the Davis High School Advanced auditioned choirs, such as Madrigals.  Many of the Bel Canto Choir play and study instruments. This is a serious musician group.