November 3, 2011
One of my favorite things to do is to program
music. Though selecting music for five
choirs can be a challenge, this process allows me to be creative and thoughtful
about my teaching. After many years of
directing choirs, I have found that certain pieces work really well and return
to those pieces periodically. But
variety is the “spice of life” and I am always looking for music that will make
our singers think, challenge me or provide a little inspiration. During the course of the school year I look
through our choral library database, listen to recordings, go to an array of
concerts, visit publisher’s websites, attend new music reading sessions, or dig
through the piles of music I have sitting in my “music closet” at home.
When I reflect on my process for selecting
and teaching music I consider the following:
1) The quality of the literature. Does this choral piece stand by itself as a
work of art? How is this piece structured? Are the vocal parts well
written? Is there a good marriage
between the text and music? Does it have
a piano accompaniment or instrumental part that supports the singers?
2) What will we learn from these pieces? Are we strengthening our listening and reading
skills? Are we stretching our
range? Are we improving our breath
control? What are we expressing by
singing this music? What theoretical concepts or historical information will we
explore? Will this song challenge us
without overwhelming us?
3) Is this music part of a healthy musical
diet? As a music educator, I am responsible for exposing young singers to a
wide of choral music. Over the course of
four years an Upper School singer may study everything from early chant to
popular music. The basis of western
music and our choral tradition stems from European roots and I believe it is
important to study the music of Palestrina, Bach, Mozart, and Brahms. However, in the last fifteen years we have
also gained access to music from around the globe. It is not unusual for us to sing music from
other cultures, trying to emulate their sound, wrestling with their language.
4) Am I developing a concert around a
theme? Programming Elizabeth Alexander’s
“Do Not Leave Your Cares at the Door” and the Southern Harmony Tune “Bound for
the Promised Land” allows the Chamber and Concert Choirs to explore themes of
change and transformation. Though one
needs to be careful about strict adherence to a theme for fear of one piece of
music sounding like the next or coming across to “heavy-handed”.
Sometimes you have to let the ideas simmer,
contemplating what may or may not work in a concert program. As I tell my singers, it can be hard to
appreciate a song until one has lived with it for a while. Mentors of mine have encouraged me to find
what is “cool” in the music or to “fall in love” with a particular phrase or
lyric. My goal is for each singer is to
explore the possibilities and to create an expressive performance. In the end, concerts are really opportunities
to share what we have learned.
Keep Singin’
Mr. Habermann
