SURVIVAL STRATEGIES FOR TEACHING THE MALE CHANGING VOICE

Kansas Choral Directors' Association Convention, July 11, 2014

Laura Farnell, email:

“Middle school boys just want to be good.” (Russell Farnell)

PITCH MATCHING TIPS FOR UNCERTAIN CHANGING VOICES

  • Women model for changed voices an octave up (while playing on piano in correct octave if needed)
  • Invite older male singers to join class (8th graders, high school students, dads, coaches, principal, etc.)
  • Work individually with non-pitch matchers, in class once rapport is established or last few minutes of class:
  • Tips for individual work with changing/changed voice non-pitch matchers:
  • Begin individual work in their range (establish from speaking voice, count backwards)
  • Droning below: Try to hit one note (scoop up from low to high to match it)
  • Singing in small low range: Five note ascending scale from best part of range and go upward
  • Ask them if they are higher or lower to train their ears to match
  • For recently changed voices, tell them to “think higher”
  • Ask another student with a similar range who is a strong pitch matcher and ask the non-matcher to try to match that student
  • Try asking the student to match pitch using a keyboard “Ah” or string sound (rather than piano)
  • Protect their self-esteem. Try to approach the situation casually and give them lots of specific feedback (e.g., “Much better! The first 3 notes were perfect that time. . . were the last 2 too high or too low?”)

TALK ABOUT SCIENTIFIC ASPECT OF VOICE CHANGE

  • Show video of vocal folds and/or changing voice (search for The Boys Changing Voice on You Tube)
  • Hairdryer and paper trick to demonstrate Bernoulli principal

SELECT APPROPRIATE LITERATURE

  • Know the ranges of the singers in the choir (from quarterly voice checks, or sooner if requested by student) and select music accordingly


Adapted from Freer, P. K. (2009). Getting Started with Middle School Choir, Second Edition.

Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield Education, p. 64.

WORKING IN HEAD VOICE

  • Cow game/Woo-ball game—demonstrated by Karyn Myers' Gunn JH boys—great for guys to work on head voice. Throw small cow or “woo ball” to another person in choir. Students are out if they don’t use head voice, miss a catch, or if their throw is “uncatchable”. Choir director is the referee!

CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT

I recommend Tools for Teaching, by Fred Jones—Much of the content of this general ed book actually applies to teaching choir, and the book is full of funny illustrations. It contains lots of classroom management and teaching ideas!

NON-VERBAL CUES/PROXIMITY

  • Eye contact—look at students (not at the music) when speaking to the class
  • Look all around the room (don’t forget the sides of room)
  • Look directly at the people who are talking/disrupting and pause with your instruction until quiet
  • Shake head “no” and/or motion with one finger to turn around (if students turned around talking)
  • SMILE when desired effect is achieved (and NOT before)! 
  • Don’t get stuck behind the fort (piano). . . walk around the room.
  • Ask for their eye contact (and continue only when eye contact achieved)
  • Stand closest to the talkers. (Can lean over and whisper, “Please be quiet or your name is down”)
  • Think about volume, pace, and pitch of speaking voice. Think “lower and slower” when speaking to boys.

INDIVIDUAL REWARDS: Choir Bucks (or tickets)

Earn bucks for:Spend bucks to:

Six-weeks grade of 100 and A+ conduct—2Add 5 points to a written work grade—1

Six-weeks conduct grade of A+—1 Get a drink/go to restroom – 2

Semester test grade of 100 – 1Buy a pencil – 2

Rehearsal effort recognition – 1Remove a tardy or warning – 5

Participation in optional events – 2Study period* – 5 *At director’s discretion

Other as deemed appropriate by director – Select your seat day* – 5

e.g. wearing choir shirt on specific dayOther privileges or prizes – candy (FMNV?)

GROUP REWARDS: Section Tallies and Marvelous Musician Minutes (requires consistency!) (SAM or TBM)

  • Award tally marks on board for the sections w/ desired behavior. Winning section puts folders up first
  • Be generous with these at the beginning of the year to establish expectations for when you want quiet, students to move quickly, etc., and as “hurry up bonuses” for sections that transition the quickest
  • ONLY give these points if deserved. . . remember they’re just lines on the board!
  • Award “minutes” (as marks) to the entire class as rewards—daily total stored in “bank” for use later
  • Spend “minutes” on choir and/or sightreading games

INCORPORATING MOVEMENT INTO REHEARSAL

  • Wake Up/Energize Activities (other session)
  • Different standing orders for sightreading, literature, etc.
  • Kinesthetic connection to warm ups and literature
  • Incorporate sports analogies into rehearsal

MAKING CHOIR “COOL”/DEVELOPING RAPPORT

  • Go to/ask about school events
  • Recruit top athletes/popular kids
  • Compliment, thank, and invest in students
  • Have choir social events