Unit Name: Beginning Singing

Unit Name: Beginning Singing

Author/Teacher: Kristen Leinbach

Unit Educational Objective: Students will demonstrate their understanding of the basic principles of vocal technique by performing in a duet for the class.

Learning Level: Beginning Musical Theater

Students Prior Experience: Since this is a beginning class students don’t need prior theatrical experience for this unit. It is preferred if they have a basic understanding of performance, stage presence and musical theater terms and principles from previous units of instruction.

2014 National Core Arts Theatre Standards: TH:Re7.1.HSI a. Respond to what is seen, felt, and heard in a drama/theatre work to develop criteria for artistic choices. TH:Re7.1.HSII a. Demonstrate an understanding of multiple interpretations of artistic criteria and how each might be used to influence future artistic choices of a drama/theatre work. TH:Re9.1.HSI a. Examine a drama/ theatre work using supporting evidence and criteria, while considering art forms, history, culture, and other disciplines. b. Consider the aesthetics of the production elements in a drama/theatre work. c. Formulate a deeper understanding and appreciation of a drama/ theatre work by considering its specific purpose or intended audience. TH:Pr6.1.HSI a. Perform a scripted drama/theatre work for a specific audience.

1994 National Standards: Content Standard #6: Comparing and integrating art forms by analyzing traditional theatre, dance, music, visual arts, and new art forms. Content Standard #7: Analyzing, critiquing, and constructing meanings from informal and formal theatre, film, television, and electronic media productions.

Big Idea: Understanding vocal technique and how to perform in a duet teaches self-respect, awareness, and confidence. Performance teaches empathy for others and how to analyze the world around them.

Essential Questions: Why is it important to have proper vocal technique? What messages can performance share through song? How does working well with others strengthen theatrical performance as well as our interactions in everyday life?

Key Knowledge and Skills: By the end of the unit of instruction students should be able to recognize proper vocal technique in not only their own singing but in analyzing others performance. Students should also gain an understanding of the basic function of how the body creates sound and can sing, as well as how posture, breath, resonance, and, phonation affect singing. As well as be able to recognize different styles of music.

Authentic Performance Tasks: Students will demonstrate their understanding of vocal technique and performance through completing class activities, quizzes, reflections and performance.

Unit Name: Beginning Singing

Lesson: 1, Introduction to different styles of Singing

Class: Beginning Musical Theater

Materials Needed: Images, Video of Jason Brown, Video of Kristin Chenoweth.

Educational Objective: Students will demonstrate their understanding of the importance of healthy singing by participating in a class discussion.

Hook: When students enter the classroom show images of Michael Phelps, Michael Jordan and Idina Menzel and ask the students if they know who each of these people are? Then ask them what do they all have in common? Have a conversation with the students about the fact that each of these are all respected genius’ within their given fields. As you discuss read the following description of why Michael Phelps can swim so fast.

“What sets Michael Phelps above even those genetic geniuses is a unique endowment; he was born with a body that makes him a nearly perfect swimming machine. Not only is he 6 feet 4 inches with 195 lbs perfectly distributed on a classic swimmer’s build – broad shoulders and slim hips. His unusually long torso and short legs are perfect for impeccable balance and minimal resistance, while his wingspan of 6 feet 7 inches gives him unusually long levers for holding onto the water as he strokes. And then there are his size 14 feet and hyper flexibility that gives him a range of motion that provides tremendous propulsive efficiency. Finally, he has demonstrated, virtually from his first laps at age 7, a natural relationship with the water. While “feel for the water” – a natural instinct for finding just the right positions in which to slink through the water and work with it effectively – cannot be measured, Phelps just has it.” (http://www.tiswim.co.il/contentManagment/uploadedFiles/imageGallery/what_makes_michael_phelps_so_good_23507008.pdf)

Step 1: Discussion/Transition: Tell the students you have one more person to show them and show a brief clip from the ice skater video. Ask how does this relate to singing and performing? Not everyone has the ability to sing a belt in chest voice above a high E and not even break a sweat like Idina Menzel. If you don’t know what I am talking about think through the notes in Defying Gravity. Explain that through training it is possible but the problem is, especially with young singers we hear a song on the radio or a Broadway show and try to force our bodies to sound like the particular singer. Why would we want to do that?

Talk with students about the importance of finding your own voice, it is distinct to you and only you can sound like you. Explain that I am not a vocal coach, and although I have had training the purpose of this unit is not for me to attempt to be a vocal coach but rather to help teach some basic singing principles in order to protect your voice. Ask if anyone can guess what age men are before their voice matures? (33 years old) Then ask what they think a females age is? (28 years old) Talk with them about the fact that the most important thing for students to do now is to practice good habits. Ask why they think that is important?

Step 2: Discussion/Practice-Ask for a volunteer to come up to the board to write, then ask students what are some different styles of singing they have heard of? (i.e. Belt, Mix, Pop, Jazz, Classical/Legit, Opera) and ask them to describe what each of these styles sound like, also ask that if they have an example from their ipod to share and explain what style of singing is in the song.

Then share with them the song 14G by Kristin Chenoweth and ask for them to take notes in their head about what different styles of singing they are hearing. After the video ask what styles of singing did they hear and what defines that style of singing? Talk about performance too.

Step 3:Transition- Ask when they think of a musical theater sound what do they think of? (i.e. bright sounds) Tell the students that in this unit we will mostly be focusing on good habits for belt and mix singing. Ask for four volunteers to read the following and as you hand each of the papers out explain the following about singing belt…. Ask the students to read them and discuss the ideas at the end of each quote.

1) Many classically trained singers who now teach were taught that belting was automatically injurious to the vocal folds (cords). This is based on a lack of accurate understanding and experience. ANY use of the voice has the potential for harm. There is no right or wrong, but which sounds can you sustain for long periods and which are more fatiguing? ALL sounds are on the table but pacing, pacing, pacing!

2) Any kind of squeezing, pushing, forcing, yelling, and extreme nasality in belting can lead to both musical and vocal health problems over time. The sound should be free, easy and comfortable, and the vocalist should also be able to sing softly in most pitches without undue effort. If it is pushed, that’s not belting, that’s just pushing. If it is yelling, that’s not belting, that’s just yelling. If you can’t sing a range of dynamics, that’s not belt either.

3) The face, neck, head and body should be in harmony and look comfortable in a belt sound, although the louder, higher sounds will require more activity on the part of the vocalist in order to be done correctly. It all works holistically and organically with the entire body. It’s not isolated in the throat. “Activity” does not necessarily mean tension or work.

4) General advice: if it feels good, and sounds good, and does the job over and over, it probably is good. If it feels bad and sounds good, be suspicious. If it feels good but sounds bad, something is not working correctly, and if it feels bad and sounds bad, it is bad and should be stopped. This is true in any style of music. It should be exciting to hear and exciting to sing in this way. If you’re uncomfortable as a singer, so are we as an audience. We don’t want to hear technique, we want to hear story and expression and emotion. We can’t do that if your technique (or lack thereof) makes us feel uncomfortable.

Step 4: Assessment-Explain that we have spent this first lesson going over the first principle of singing…Awareness. Ask the students to each share one thing that they learned from the lesson about awareness and singing.

Unit Name: Beginning Singing

Lesson: 2, Posture and Respiration

Class: Beginning Musical Theater

Materials Needed: Ping Pong Balls, Straws

Educational Objective: Students will demonstrate their understanding of the importance of breath support and good posture in singing by completing a short quiz.

Hook: Instruct students to gather six students around each of the tables in the classroom. Instruct that we are going to be having a competition. Explain that you will be placing ping pong balls on each of the tables and their objective is to keep the ping pong ball from falling off their section of the table. But they are required to kneel and they can’t use their hands, instead they are only allowed to blow on the ball to keep it from going off their side of the table while trying to blow it off the other sides of the table in order to eliminate opponents. The trick is the first time they play everyone has to blow through a straw.

Step 1: Transition/Practice- First ask in general for the students to describe their experience, how difficult was it to keep the ball on the table? What were some of the strategies you used to keep the ball on the table? What would make it easier? This time allow them to play the game without the straws and make it a competition where each table has a winner and then they all compete against one another. Have a discussion once again to allow students to share their experience and then ask how does this activity apply to singing? Write on the board and explain that there are two points you want to focus on today, 1.) Posture, 2.) Breathing

Step 2: Instruction/Practice: Explain that the key to singing comes from proper posture. Ask students to describe what they think proper posture is for singing? Talk with students about how your feet should be grounded with the floor, you should feel a connection between your feet and the ground. Hit a D on the piano and ask students to hold out that note while first just standing. Then ask them to do it again while standing on their tip toes. Ask students to take a moment to close their eyes and breath and really feel the ground beneath their feet and try to sing the note again. Then have them try to move around while focusing on feeling that connection with the ground. Ask for students to share their experiences.

Next explain that the spine needs to be lengthened and the chin is slightly raised. We are going to practice singing again but this time they will try holding a D, first with their chin tucked, then when it raised all the way to the ceiling, and then ask them to find a comfortable place looking forward and to try to sing the note. Explain that everyone is going to find their strength from their posture in slightly different places and that is okay.

Then explain that the shoulders and neck need to be relaxed while standing grounded. Have them hold out a D again first with their shoulders really tense and then trying to relax. Ask students to share their experience and why they think these techniques help singing.

Lastly tell them we are going to sing the notes that I play five times while having good posture and trying to keep the neck relaxed by turning the head side to side while singing. Explain that often students will stop moving their neck or move it at a strange pacing in order to sing, but they need to try to move seamlessly back and forth. Have them get with a partner and try singing the same note five times and provide each other with feedback about your posture. Ask that when everyone is done they look back at you so you can move on. Ask students to share any changes they may have felt or experienced.

Step 3: Instruction/Practice: Instruct students that we are now going to work on breathing. Ask students to explain how we should breath properly to get the right air support? Explain that there are three different types of breathing Clavicular – where the breath comes from the shoulders and chest moving up and down. Diaphragmatic- breathing from the diaphragm and Costal – breathing from the ribs. Demonstrate each type of breath and have the students practice and explain that generally you want a balance between Diaphragmatic and Costal. Explain that the diaphragm is connected to the bottom of the ribs and as a result your organs will move down lower causing your stomach to move when you breathe.

Practice two breathing exercises

1.) Have students Inhale for a 3 count, hiss for 8 or 10, and emphasize that they still need to remain relaxed and able to move their head

2.) Inhale for 5, suspend for 5, exhale for 5 – explain it is important to be able to stay relaxed while holding the air in your lungs (not forcing air to stay in, just a comfortable hold)

Step 4: Assessment- Instruct students to take out a piece of paper and write 1.) and 2.) for a short quiz. Explain that for question one they need to provide one example of good posture and why it is important and number two is fill in the blank “We are trying to achieve what type of breathing ______. The quiz is worth 10 points.