Lesson Tag: Music

Welcome back. Today’s lesson
• Introduction and explanation of required materials including water bottles, music scores and a quiet place to concentrate

• Warm-up (Background Soundtrack: Meditation from Thais, Jules Massenet)
o Exercise 1: Stretching of the body to relax, centre the mind and align for singing
o Exercise 2: Scale degrees and holding of specified numbers to create chords

• Set piece – Gawilla by Josephine Gibson
o Learn and rehearse melody & words, broken down line by line
o To finish: Singing along exercise. Set piece performed all the way through

• Warm-down
o Exercise 1: ‘u’ vowel exercises. Scale degrees 1,5,1,5,1. (ascending)

Module 4 complete. Congratulations!

Music: Pallah Pallah (Precious Colours): Alice Chance

Melodic Exploration: Call and Response and Contrary Motion Melodies

‘Pallah Pallah’ call and response melodies – learning the melodies phrase by phrase
Exercise:  Speak the words and feel the shape of the words in your mouth

Pallah Pallah, where did your precious colours go?

Pallah Pallah, your wings used to be a rainbow.

Learning the call and response melodies phrase by phrase
Exercise:   Tongue roll or lip trill the melody and allow the air to flow freely

Questions:

Can to get through all the phrases without running out of breath?
Are you taking a deep enough breath before each phrase? Initial intake of breath should be half the length of the first phrase, say 2 sec intake.
Exercises: Sing the melody on ‘doo’ checking all your intonation (correct and in tune notes)

Sing the melody again on ‘ng’

Questions:

Is it easier to sing on ‘ng’?
Can you sense the extra buzzing in your nose?
Sing the melody on words – the vowels should be bright and clear (vertical height/space in your mouth); use sustained consonant opportunities to connect the vowels to the consonants to create an unbroken vocal line.
Word painting – find ways to colour and use the vowels and consonants to create interest and artistic qualities across the phrase or on specific words. This can be done by:
Shaping a word with your breath e.g. rainbow
Bright vowels e.g. ah’s in Pallah Pallah
Crisp and clever consonants e.g. ‘precious colours’ – make them sound like their meaning
Learning a descending melody – ‘Opals shining bright’
Exercise:  Sing a descending scale on scale degrees 8,7,6,5,4,3,2,1

The pattern of scale degrees for this descending melody is:

8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1-8-7-6-5-4-3-4-5-8

Sing this melody a couple of times on scale degrees and check intonation (accuracy of notes).
NOTE: Singing on scale degrees is a great way to navigate your way around a melody and know which way it is going, whether it moves in steps or there are jumps or larger intervals (bigger steps).

Exercise:   Speak the words and feel the shape of the words in your mouth

Opals shining bright with the river flowing over, I see the…

Exercises:  Sing the melody on lip trills or tongue rolls to get the air flowing supported by the breath

Sing the melody again on ‘ng’ to achieve a forward and focused vocal production

Word painting – find ways to colour and use the vowels and consonants to create interest and artistic qualities across the phrase or on specific words. This can be done by:
Shaping a word with your breath e.g. ‘flowing’
Bright vowels e.g. ‘opals shining bright’
Crisp and clever consonants e.g. ‘shining’– make it sound like its meaning
Learning an ascending melody – ‘Her colours captured’
Exercise:  The pattern of scale degrees for this descending melody is:

1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-1-1-5-6-7-8

Sing this melody a couple of times on scale degrees and check intonation (accuracy of notes).
Singing on scale degrees is a great way to navigate your way around a melody and know which way it is going, whether it moves in steps or there are jumps or larger intervals (bigger steps).

Exercise:  Speak the words and feel the shape of the words in your mouth

Her colours captured in a stone, frozen she will live on

Exercises:  Sing the melody on lip trills or tongue rolls to get the air flowing supported by the breath

Sing the melody again on ‘ng’ to achieve a forward and focused vocal production

Word painting – find ways to colour and use the vowels and consonants to create interest and artistic qualities across the phrase or on specific words. This can be done by:
Shaping a word with your breath e.g. ‘colours’
Bright vowels e.g. ‘stone’ and ‘she will live on’
Crisp and clever consonants e.g. ‘captured’ and ‘frozen’– make it sound like its meaning.