Coaching Details & Info

How coaching works?

As mentioned earlier, coaching is divided into four main categories. These categories are Vocal Techniques, Musicianship, Stage Presence, and Choreography. I work with your group on each of these categories throughout your coaching experience. Here is an outline of each category, and what I work on in each of the four areas:

Vocal Techniques

The term Vocal Techniques includes all aspects of the art of singing. In my teaching, training, and coaching, I tend to focus on the skills and techniques used in a cappella (unaccompanied) singing as the basis for nearly all my vocal techniques work. The logic behind my thinking is because of what my first voice teacher, John Stein, whose focus was on classical voice, said to me back in 1971 when I told him I had begun singing in a barbershop quartet at my high school: "If you are going to sing a cappella, we need to focus on a cappella singing techniques. Why? Because it takes special listening skills to sing a cappella well and a good a cappella singer can sing any type of music well." And Mr. Stein was right! Therefore, I work with a group on the following areas:

  • Diaphragmatic breathing

  • Breath support

  • Breath management

  • Effective use of vocal resonators

  • Developing a clear, open, "warm" vocal sound

  • Avoiding vocal tension

  • Developing "Unit Sound"

  • Target vowels

  • Vowel migration/modification

  • Tone and voice placement

As mentioned above, each group's needs are different, so the Assessment Session first analyzes the overall technical ability of the group. As the needs are prioritized, effective exercises are introduced to aid in development or correction of each of the above areas, always with an emphasis on creating a rich, resonant, freely produced vocal sound.

Musicianship

Another word for Musicianship might be "artistry." As part of your choral development program, I help improve the musical artistry of each singer individually, as well as of the group as a whole. I help each singer understand the importance of singing well to the overall sound of the group. I also work to improve overall Musicianship by introducing various concepts:

  • How to eliminate "choppy" singing

  • Handling ascending and descending intervals as a tuning aid

  • Vowel migration to "lock in" the group's Unit Sound

  • Effective use of the "singer's breath"

  • What is "forward motion" and why is it important?

  • Aural interpretation, and developing "mood" within a song

  • The use of vocal "color" as an interpretative device

  • The importance of the "inner smile"

  • Focusing of tone

Beyond this, I explain why each of these techniques is so important to good vocal performance. I strongly believe that it is not enough just to correct a problem or difficulty, but that if the singers understand why a correction is so important, they will desire – and be able – to transfer that correction throughout all pieces of the repertoire.

Stage presence

Of course, a good choral performance requires more from a group's singers than just singing well. A good singer also knows how to effectively use his/her body during performance to help express the mood and believability of the performance. This simple act of how to present oneself on stage during performance is called Stage Presence.

Proper use and understanding of Stage Presence involves an innate understanding of how to use the body as an interpretive aid to the music being sung. Stage Presence, however, does not mean "moving about" on stage. That is Choreography, something not all groups use in their performance, and it will be discussed in the next section. Stage Presence is – or should be – used by all performers, however. It is the concept of physically "feeling comfortable" during performance, and integrates posture, stance, and attitude to help present a believable performance. Areas covered in this section include:

  • "Reference Position"

  • "Down The Tiles"

  • "Press" and "Release"

  • Facial expression

  • Body complement

  • Visual focus

As with Vocal Techniques, Stage Presence is a skill set built upon fundamentals. Elements of Stage Presence are introduced to a group early in the education program implementation, so that these skills become integrated into the performance, as do basics like proper breathing.

Choreography

The final element of a choral development program is Choreography. I said in the previous section that not all groups use Choreography, and this is true. However, many groups that do not use Choreography can easily incorporate simple movements into their performance. This "visual interpretation" of a song can often help the performer present a more meaningful and believable performance. It also makes any performance more interesting for those watching and listening in the audience.

Let's get one thing straight – Choreography does not mean dancing! Choreography is planned and executed stage movements that accompany a singing performance. It can include any type of movement by the singers; therefore, I like to introduce the basics of stage movement to all groups, if possible. Areas covered in Choreography include:

  • The "four dimensions"

  • Leg movements - Basic steps ("Heel-toe;" "Crossover; "Taps," "Touches," and "Kicks;" "Traveling")

  • Hand Movements ("Swipes" and "Passes;" Finger/hand points)

  • Body complement; "Presses" and "Releases"

  • Turns

  • Use of height differentiation

  • Integrating leg movements, hand movements, and body complement

What's the next step?

If your group is interested in improving itself through a choral development program, the next step is to contact me and book your free Assessment Session. From this, I can evaluate your group's performance ability and level, and can provide a comprehensive education program to help you reach your performance goals. Please see my contact information at the bottom of my Home page.

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