Over the years I have come up with a short, simple method of training the choir singer as easily and as uncomplicated as possible. I have used this technique with junior high/middle school, high school, community, and church choirs. And, I have tried to pass this on to my student teachers--but not always successfully. This is not for the college age singer or the professional chorus--although variations of it would be useful.

Learning music begins with understanding the "Three M's": The Map, Mechanics, and Musicianship needed to learn every song.

MAP: I call it the road map. This is simply the layout of the music on the printed page. What line does the singer read? Are there repeats? If so, how are they notated? Are there first and second endings? Where is the end? How is it notated? If there is accompaniment... what kind? Where is it notated on the page? Does it have the three "...ludes"? a prelude (introduction), an interlude? (a section without singing), a postlude? (an ending without singing)? Without singing a note you need to be able to follow the entire score of the song as written.

MECHANICS: to the written notes you must be able to find pitch, rhythm, and text. Pitch is within your part's singing range from one note to the next (intervals). Then put a rhythm with it and finally add the words. Rhythm and text may be learned without pitch at the beginning. Speaking the text in rhythm is a great technique especially when the rhythm is difficult or confusing. Being able to learn the two parts make adding the pitch much easier. All of this should be done at a comfortable level of singing. A mezzo-forte is considered your average loudness. It is very difficult to learn at a forte or fortissimo or the whisper of a pianissimo when unsure of the three parts of the mechanics. Mezzo forte (mf) is in the middle of the range, so use this to learn.

A special part of the mechanics to be considered is where to start--or what section should you learn first? I try to find a unison, or an easy section to begin with which does not necessarily mean at the beginning of the song. Then go to something hard, difficult, unusual, confusing. After these two spots have been conquered, the entire song will come together quickly. And you need to be sure to do the three sections of the mechanics with each section before moving on to the next. There have been some songs that I have worked on maybe 8 to 16 measures for several rehearsals before moving on the to the rest of the piece. Don't try the three steps on the entire song at once--work in sections.

MUSICIANSHIP: added last. Here is where you add the dynamic levels--from pianissimo to fortissimo, the notation marks such as ritard, tempo and a tempo, crescendo, decrescendo, fermatas, accent marks: whatever the composer has put on the page and in the style the composer has indicated. It is also here that you add the accompaniment to the music (from only the parts which you have previously had with the mechanics). When learning the mechanics it becomes much too difficult to try and put all the musicianship into the music when you are unsure of pitch, rhythm or text. When you get to the musicianship it gives you a new meaning and approach to what is on the page. (We do get tired of repeating the same things time and again in order to learn them.) Musicianship is fresh with a new twist on something that has maybe become tiresome yet familiar. The hard part of the mechanics is over, and the artistic result is now apparent--and most enjoyable for the singer.

So often a singer will get ahead of themself in the learning process. I don't know how many times a member of my chorus will say that while we are learning the mechanics it is supposed to be sung softly, or loudly, when in reality we are not ready for that portion just yet. The "Three M's" are the three steps you need to learn the music before you. You can't skip any, you can't rush any and you can't do it all at once. They have to be in order. Once this is accomplished you are ready to become the true "choral artist" --a title which most chorus members are unaware belongs to each of them.

DWCrouch
4/5/03
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** From part of the presentation planned for the LanSing Big Sing music reading session.