"Learn To Sing" Beginner's
Level 2 Class v. 2.0
Instructor: Izolda Trakhtenberg
301-441-3005, izolda@folknouveau.com
Warm-ups
(to be done before every time you sing)
1. March in place (2 minutes) (Singing uses muscles that
must be warmed up in order to function at their peak)
2. Deep breathing (three-part breath) preparing lungs and
maintaining a column of air
3. Yawning
4. Stretching:
a. Shoulder roll (five on each side)
b. Half neck roll (left side to front to right side and
back)
c. Half neck roll to the back
d. Neck stretch (turn neck to the side and stretch and then
for a deeper stretch turn chin down to the shoulder)
e. Arms above head stretch (lift both arms and stretch the
right arm up lengthening your ribs and then follow with the left arm)
f. "C" stretch (lift arms above head clasp
right hand with left and curl your back while extending your arms. For an added stretch, turn in the direction
of the arm clasping.)
g. Shake out hands
h. Face scrunch
i. Face big
j. Yawn
k. Horse noise
l. Yawn with "Ah"
m. Yawn with "Ah" bent over
5. Posture (preferable to stand when singing so you can
keep an uninterrupted column of air)
a. Practice standing to sing. Stand with both feet shoulder width apart, your knees
slightly bent and your spine straight.
Pretend someone has grabbed the hair at the very top of your head and is
tugging it upward slightly. Jaw is
loose and breathing is relaxed.
b. Sit comfortably upright with your torso resting on your
sit bones. Sit in an uplifted way
with your feet flat on the floor and your gaze at a comfortable level with your
eyes and jaw relaxed.
Week 1 (Breath review and next
steps)
1. Deep breathing correctly. Stomach is relaxed and flowing out on inhalation. Ribs are relaxed and expanding and
shoulders are relaxed and down. Objective: increase breath control & length
of tones.
a. Exercises
| Sound | Scale | Directions | Exercise |
| Hm | Up scale | sing on so fa mi re do - no vibrato, keep forward a little buzz - keep in
head - all head voice |
1 |
| Ah | Up scale | Sing Ah, and hold for 4 count,
then 6 count, 8 count, 10, 12, (work up to 14) |
2 |
| ah ah ah ah | Up scale | Concentrate on the pulse of each note and support each with your breath. Start with note held for four beats, then move to two notes held for two beats each, then four held for 1 beat each and end with one four beat note. Breathe between each note attention on pulse. Pulse with mouth open and 1 inch space between teeth. 1/4, 1/8, trips, 1/16 | 2 |
b. Tongue twisters This week: Unbelievable beveled bubble.
Concentrate on elongation of the vowels so that consonants are interruptions
to the flow of air/sound.
2. Songs for the week:
a. Russian Lullaby: (jewish origin)
Wordless Oo round in three parts.
b. As I Mee Walked (Renaissance England)
As I mee walked
(Repeat here) In a May morning
I heard a bird sing,
Week
2: Blend
1. Do warm-ups 1 - 5
2. Introduction of concept of compression and breath
a.
holding tension in back and sides
b.
support from abdomen, thighs, buttocks
c.
tonal quality of beginning, middle, end of breath
3. Circle (sing to finger on moving tones)
a. Ahhhhh
b. Ehhhh
c. Eeeee
d. Oh
e. Ooh
e. Ah, eh, ee, oh, oo (up scale, half-steps and then down
scale half-steps)
f.
| Sound | Scale | Notes | Directions | Exercise |
| eh ah eh ah eh | Up scale | so fa me re do | stay in compression, release
but don't let go |
6 |
| eh ah eh ah eh | Down scale | so fa me re do | stay in compression, release
but don't let go |
6 |
| ah oh ee oh eh |
Up scale | do mi so mi do |
stay in breath - vowel stays
in same place |
6 |
4. Tongue twister (this week: quick lip)
5. Songs for the week (with review of introduction to harmony
basics)
a. Om Shanti (Hindu peace chant)
Om, shanti, shanti, shanti, shanti Om
b. If The People Lived Their Lives (Russian round)
If the people lived their lives
As if it were a song
For singing out of light
Provides the music for the stars
To be dancing circles in the night
Note: practice all songs
incorporating what you are learning (especially “If the people lived
their lives”)
Week
3: Harmony
1. Do warm-ups 1 - 5
2. Pitch differentiation and introduction to intervals
a. sound bright
b. sound sad
c. sound open
3. Learning parts (sticking to your own part)
a. melody (sopranos, usually)
b. harmony (altos and tenors usually)
c. supporting tones (basses usually)
d. holding your part
| Part 1 |
ah oh oo oh ah |
do mi so mi do |
melody | Exercise 11 |
| Part 2 |
ah oh oo oh ah |
so so so so so | blend, but let melody shine |
Exercise 12 |
| Part 3 |
ah oh oo oh ah |
do do mi do do |
blend, but let melody shine |
Exercise 13 **Exercise 14 for all three parts together** |
e. punctuating melody line
| Part 1 |
ah | do mi so mi fa - mi re
do --- |
melody | 17 |
| Part 2 | ah | so mi so la ti - la ti
do --- |
blend, but let melody shine |
17 |
| Part 3 |
ah | do - so - do - so -(down)
do ---) |
blend, but let melody shine |
17 **18, 19** |
4. Tongue twister: (this week: Germanic Menagerie)
a. Add pitch variation to all tongue-twisters. Go up scale.
5. Songs for the week
a. Peace On Earth
Peace, peace. peace. Peace on earth.
Peace, peace, peace. For all the universe.
b. Kwaheri (traditional Kenyan)
Kwa- he- ri,
kwa- he- ri, m- pen-
zi kwa- he- ri,
Kwa- he- ri,
kwa- he- ri, m- pen-
zi kwa- he- ri
Tu- ta- o- na- na te- na tu- ki- ja- ri- wa
Week
4: Range
1. Extending range
a.
using breath (horse noise with tone)
b.
vocal exercises
|
1. mi, me, ma, mo, moo (n, l, t, f, s) 2. mi ma mi ma mi ma
mi ma mi (n, l, t, f, s) |
Up scale |
do re mi fa so fa
mi re do As going up in pitch,
lift eyebrows, smile, project resonance into your sinus cavity. Support with breath. |
Exercise 20 |
| meh mah meh mah meh |
Down scale |
so fa me re
do Focus on supporting
your chest voice with your breath. |
Exercise 21 |
| ah ee, ah ee ah ee ah ee
ah |
Up scale |
do mi re fa mi so
fa re do. As going up in pitch,
lift eyebrows, smile, project resonance into your sinus cavity and especially
your head on the high “ee” and support with breath. |
Exercise 22 |
2. Tongue twister: doe-eyed doily (an easier version is doe-eyed
dolly)
3. Songs for the week
a. Under the Sky (round)
Under the sky,
Under the sky,
We are all one family,
Under the sky
b. Ya Na Ho
|
Ya- na ho- way- ah, ho ay - nay. |
(Oh, Lord make me like a strong
bear) (This I pray, Lord. Make me strong) (Oh, Lord make me like a strong bear) |
Week
5: Vocal Facility
1. Do warm-ups 1 - 5
2. Warming up voice to sing quickly with correct rhythm
a.
| ah ee ah ee ah ah ah | Up scale half steps | do mi so mi do do do | Keep rib cage high, tailbone tucked under
and support with breath |
24 |
| ee ah ee ah ee ah ee ah ee
|
Up scale | do mi re fa mi so fa re do |
same | 25 |
| pree prah pree prah pree prah pree prah
pree |
Up scale | do mi re fa mi so fa re do |
same | 25 |
| ee ee ee, eh eh eh, ah ah ah |
Up scale | do re me (fast) |
anchor breath in sides and back |
25 |
3. Individual work on Russian Lullaby
4. Tongue twister: (this week: Topical capital [try on different
pitches])
5. Songs for the week
a. Now I Walk In Beauty: (Hopi)
Now I walk in Beauty
Beauty is before me,
Beauty is behind me,
Above and below me
b. Lachen Exercises 55-57
| Lachen, lachen, lachen, lachen Kommt der Sommer über das feld, Über da-as feld kommt der Sommer, Ha ha ha Lachen über das feld. |
(Laughing, laughing, laughing, laughing) (Laughing over the field) |
Week
6: Practice
1. Each song, chant, round altogether and with individual
work
a. Individual work with attention paid to breath, vocal quality,
resonance
2. Tongue twister: (this week manacled monocle. [try on different
pitches])
Week
7: Practice
1. Each song, chant, round altogether and with individual
work
a. Individual work with attention paid to breath, vocal
quality, resonance
Week
8: Practice
1. Each song, chant, round altogether and with individual
work
a. Individual work with attention paid to breath, vocal
quality, resonance
Sources:
(Compiled by) Kate Marks, Circle Round, 1993.
(Edited by) Peter Blood and Annie Patterson, Rise Up,
Singing, 1992
Richard Miller, The Structure of Singing, 1996
Madeline Bruser, The Art of Practicing, 1997
Libana, "Fire Within" Songbook, 1990
Libana, "A Circle Is Cast" Songbook, 1986