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Juan Rivera

Music 110C

Choir Book Review: Compare and Contrast

After a careful analysis, I found certain similarities and differences in both layout and
approaches pertaining to the subject matter in each book. While the three dealt with various
aspects relating to choral instruction, there were some underlying principles that these books
emphasize which are:

1. A comprehensive understanding (historical, methodical, and practical) of the application


of choir instruction in the classroom/ rehearsal
2. Provides tools to build and maintain a successful choir program
3. Provides the reader with a list for further research
4. Each book is by no means the only one approach to teaching choir
5. Training students to be competent musicians
6. Making singing fun and rewarding for students

Teaching Choral Music: A course of study

Outline

1. Curricular, Extra Curricular, and Quasi-Curricular Choral Opportunities


2. Repertoire
3. Considerations for preparing music for study and performance
4. Vocal skills and choral techniques
5. The choral warm-up
6. Childrens choirs
7. Junior high and middle school choirs
8. Aspects of the choral music program
9. Music concepts framework
10. Prototype lessons
11. Evaluation of the choral music program

This book provides a brief and simplified overview of the various aspects on what choir
teachers need to know and consider during each rehearsal regardless of size and
composition of any ensemble. It emphasized the need for a core choir that consist of mixed,
treble, and male voices. As the book states, this core choir serves as the starting point for all
other ensemble whether it is a barbershop quartet, madrigal singers, school musical, and
jazz choir among others. It also provides examples of a good warm-up sequence, classroom
management, and topics specific to grade levels.

Teaching Music Through Performance in Choir: Volume 1

Outline

Part 1: Teaching Music

i. Stylistic awareness from polyphony to the classical period


a. Polyphony
b. Baroque
c. Classical
ii. Performance practice in the African American slave song
iii. Modern Music
iv. Meeting National standards for music education through choral performance

Part 2: Repertoire Resource Guide

i. Level One
a. Mixed voices
b. Treble Voices
c. Mens voices
ii. Level Two
a.
b.
c.
iii. Level Three
a.
b.
c.
iv. Level Four
v. Level Five
vi. Masterwork

This book takes a more comprehensive approach to choral instruction in that it presents the
reader with a more detailed explanation on the correct stylistic interpretation for each piece.
The book starts off with an overview of the performance practices of polyphonic music up to
African American Slave songs. It covers aspects of rhythm, melody, dynamics, and tempo
appropriate for authentic singing in the styles. This book has no sections devoted to warm-up
exercises though it does address how the music standards can be applied to each piece in
addition to providing the reader with a template plan for choral rehearsals.

Building Choral Excellence: Teaching Sigh Singing in the Choral Rehearsal

Outline

Part 1: why teach sight singing?

1. A History of sight singing instruction in the united states


2. What research offers teachers

Part 2: How to teach Sight singing

1. Systems and Methods of Instruction


2. Sight Singing Lesson Models
3. Integrating sight-singing into the choral rehearsal
4. Sight singing assessment procedures

Part 3: What Materials Are Available

1. Materials
2. Review of materials

Lastly, this book provides the reader with methods, research, and practical guidance on how to
teach sigh singing. The layout of this is somewhat different given its emphasis in a specific area
of study in choir instruction but nonetheless, it gives us a sequenced structure to understanding
and implementing sight singing. The book is broken down into three sections that focus on a
specific area. Part one deals with the history and research on sight singing in choral music
education as well as clarifies some of the myths about teaching music reading. Part two focuses
on the how-to information that looks at the major approaches to teaching sight singing
followed by applications of these approaches through exercises and rehearsal strategies. Part
three is mainly a summary of the published material available to the reader to help with
choosing a curriculum that suits his/her program.

While an exhaustive analysis of each book is beyond the scope of this assignment, I have
chosen to focus on the lesson outline models each book provides.

In Teaching Choral Music, the section entitled Prototype Lessons includes 19 lesson plans of
various songs in the choral repertoire. The books states that these should serve as the basic
pattern for planning rehearsals in addition to providing the teacher with ways to focus the
development of musical understanding, vocal and choral techniques. The book also states that
the choir director should keep in mind the following during rehearsals:

1. Breathing (breath support) 2. tone quality 3. Posture


4. Diction 5. Vibrato 6. blend and balance
7. Interpretation 8. sight singing 9. cognition of vocal
problems 10. attack and release

Getting back to the example lesson plan on the right, you


can see that the lesson plan is divided into 6 sections:

1. Background
2. Musical Features
3. Rehearsal Startegies
4. Musical Terms, Signs, and Symbols
5. Extension
6. Evaluation

In Teaching Music Through Performance in Choir Vol.1, you


can see that the author has taken a similar approach to the layout above but has chosen to
focus on other areas that pertain to his objectives of performing with authentic interpretations.

Outline:

1. Composer
2. Stylistic Considerations
3. Form and Structure
4. Text and Translation
5. Suggested Listening
6. Composition
7. Historical Perspective
8. Technical Considerations
In Building Choral Excellence, the sample lesson on the right bears more resemblances to that
of the prototype lessons with the inclusion of the evaluation at the end.

Outline:

1. Materials
2. Rhythm Preperation
3. Pitch Preperation
4. Reading
5. Evaluation

These lesson plans also provide specific directions


much the same way a the MENC book does. As
opposed to focusing on a vocal piece, its goal is to
get students to become effectice sight singers by
disecting the different compnents involved in this
activity.

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