Young  Singers  In  Harmony  7  Week  Teaching  Package  

 Compiled and edited by Rebecca Mutton

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Barbershop Outline This 7 week program is designed to add understanding to the performance of a cappella music in the barbershop style. Each theory session should take from 20 to 30 minutes with the song rehearsal completed during specific singing sessions. Each session will focus on a particular vocal skill and will suggest multiple exercises for teachers to pick and choose from for their classes.

Week 1 - What is Barbershop Singing? “Four-part, unaccompanied, close-harmony singing, with melody in the second voice, called the "lead." Sung in the range between A below middle C, and C above middle C. Tenor is a harmony part sung consistently above the lead. Although tenor is the highest voice in barbershop harmony, it should not be confused with the soprano of conventional singing groups. The tenor should have a light, sweet, pure tone that will complement but not overpower the lead voice. Baritone covers approximately the same range as lead. The baritone harmony notes cross the lead notes; sometimes sung below and sometimes above. Bass singers should have a rich, mellow voice and be able to sing the E flat below middle C easily. Bass should not be confused with the alto of conventional groups.” – Sweet Adelines International Website. It should be noted that though the part placements remain the same for the boys, the ranges are slightly different. Listening Play a short YouTube clip of: Swedish Match for boys - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x3AtSYIcB8c&playnext=1&list=PLF7879B3DB3A79887 Royal Blush for girls - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZgJfbUD850E&playnext=1&list=PLA272DD57A6B4A8E5 Discuss What do we notice about these clips?

● Note firstly: ○ the lack of accompaniment ○ the dominance of the bass part in the chords ○ visual energy and movement ○ lack of rubato singing ○ harmonies ○ overtones (slightly more difficult to hear – suggest students listen for a note

that is an 5th above the tenor’s last note – you might need to play or sing this) What about in these choruses? Richtones Chorus – http://youtu.be/5wfSU5_pms8 Ambassadors of Harmony Chorus - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QmDGntpZC3I&playnext=1&list=PL2902124D19120FF7

Practical Have students sing through all of the parts of the tag from the Barbershop Big Day Out song. Allow students to choose own parts with possible suggestions as required. Issue music and learning tracks for the two workshop songs.

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Week 2 - History of Barbershop Barbershop Harmony Society History The Barbershop Harmony Society is the International governing body for Men’s Barbershop singing. It was through this group that Barbershop singing first saw a revival at the beginning of the 20th Century. Two men from Tulsa, Oklahoma garnered support from their local area to form Barbershop quartets and this grew to a response from thousands across North America, which lead to the formation of the “Society for the Preservation and Encouragement of Barbershop Quartet Singing (SPEBSQSA) - in 2004 becoming the Barbershop Harmony Society. Sweet Adelines International The date was Friday, July 13, 1945, when Edna Mae Anderson of Tulsa, Oklahoma, brought a few women together in her home. The women wanted to participate in – the "chord-ringing, fun-filled harmony" that their husbands, members of the men’s Society for the Preservation and Encouragement of Barbershop Quartet Singing in America (SPEBSQSA), were singing. From that meeting grew the nucleus of what was to become Sweet Adelines International. July 23rd was going to be the kick-off date. Invitations were sent to all barbershop wives asking them to meet at the Hotel Tulsa, where the men had met in 1939 to form SPEBSQSA. Mrs. Anderson got more than she bargained for. By year's end, the chapter incorporated in Oklahoma. Anderson was its president. It had 85 members and a chapter name, Atomaton (We have an atom of an idea and a ton of energy) that recognized the new nuclear age. Within four years, the organization had grown to 1,500 members singing in 35 chapters and 60 quartets in 14 different states; adopted bylaws and elected national officers; and created a system for adjudicating national annual competitions to select the best women's barbershop quartet. (Thanks to Sweet Adelines International Website - http://www.sweetadelineintl.org/history.cfm)

Warm-ups * Posture Remind students that singers posture is tall and relaxed, knees flexible, and chest high. Ask students to stand like an ape, than normally, and finally like a solider. How do these feel? Ask students to stand a little taller then normal but not as tight as a solider - there is Singer’s Posture! * Breathing This can be quite challenging at first for students to understand but does come with practice. Exercise 1 To help students find the singing breathe muscles, try this exercise: - Sit in a chair with your feet flat on the floor - Lean over and rest your forearms across your knees, relaxing your head, neck and body - Inhale slowly and deeply through your nose - Feel your back and stomach expand; relax into your lap, while you are expanding your lower abdomen - Exhale slowly through your mouth and gently pull your tummy away from your thighs, lifting the abdomen in - Let the chest stay relatively still. Exercise 2 Another activity is to have students blow up balloons and feel the muscles that engage as this process occurs.

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Exercise 3 Inhale through the nose and hiss breathe out to count of 6. Increase numbers with repetitions.

Song Divide students into their 4 parts. Students rehearse parts in individual sections. Teacher may choose to do this one at a time on choir risers with all parts listening or give each part a space to practice and teacher rotate around these spaces. Students should listen to part if required and sing through against track. As students become more confident in part they should sing against other parts and/or without Learning Track.

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Week 3 – Vocal production specific to barbershop – maybe have coach visit on this day Barbershop Coning Barbershop chordal structure is quite different to SATB structure and because of this requires a different balance of voices to make the chords work. SATB arrangements require a cylinder like approach to voicing, ie: an equal amount of singers/volume/density across all parts. For Barbershop to work the bass is the foundation of the chord and sings with great depth; the lead and baritone singing in the middle parts have more clarity to their sound and work closely together to fill the space between the bass and tenor, and the tenor sings with a lighter quality to add clarity to the top of the chord. This structure can be clearly depicted through a cone shape.

Warm-ups * Posture Quick reminder of Singer’s Posture. * Breathe Repeat Exercise from Week 2. Additional Exercise Add - inhale to count of 4, exhale on hiss to count of 6. Repeat. Vary numbers so that inhalation time shortens and exhalation extends as students become more familiar with exercise. * Phonation Phonation is the act of producing vocal sound in either speech or singing, and occurs as the exhalation moves past the vocal cords. Exercise 1 - Ask students to sigh with no sound then ask them to exhale with sound. What do they notice/feel? This introduction of sound to the exhalation is phonation. Exercise 2 - Have students pretend to blow out birthday candles. As students begin to blow the candles out, slowly turn the breathe into an ooo. Exercise 3 - Hiss (no pitch) a familiar song such as Happy Birthday. Be aware of the vocal apparatus and movement within it. Exercise 4 - Hum lightly the tune to My Bonnie Lies Over The Ocean. You might like to play with this one and have students sit and stand any time they sing a word starting with B.

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Song Duet Bass / Tenor and Lead / Baritone – sing through the song or a part of the song in different duet combinations. Work any sections that may be particularly difficult. Put the song together As a group, discuss what the message of the song is. Is there a character that might personify the story? How would this characterisation affect the dynamics of the song?

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Week 4 – Musical Structure Structure Melody – largely major keys, with a line that is not too jumpy and has climax towards the end of the song. Chords – As per below Lyrical Content – consider the vowels and the singable nature of the song – lots of hard consonants are not conducive to smooth a cappella singing. Form – usually – Introduction, 16 bar verse, 32 bar chorus, tag. Vowels – all singers need to sing each vowel, diphthong and tripthong in the same manner/space. Chords A key aspect to Barbershop singing is the ‘lock and ring’ that comes from the creation of harmonics in the vertical chords when they are sung correctly. These harmonics can be heard in many different chords; however there are eleven chords that are predominately used in Barbershop due to their strength for lock-and-ring. The first few and one of the strongest are the Major Triads with usually the tonic or the dominant doubled. Barbershop 7th – a major triad with a minor or 7th added. Strongest with root in bass. Major 6th – major triad with 6th added. A weak chord that is often used in passing. Major 7th – major triad with major 7th added. Again a weaker chord, used for passing phrases. Strongest with root in bass. Major 9th – major chord with 9th added. Used only with root in bass part. Dominant 9th – major triad with minor 7th and major 9th added. Usually root is omitted and 5th is sung in the bass part. Minor 6th – minor triad with major 6th added. Very weak chord, used only sparingly with root in bass. Minor 7th – minor triad with flatted or minor 7th added. As discussed in last week’s lesson, the unique coning structure of Barbershop is integral to the sound and the ‘lock-and-ring’ principle. This coning is reinforced in the chordal structure, and is often evidenced with the strongest tone, usually the tonic, sung in the bass. This is due to the fact that the Bass part forms the foundation of the cone and supports the implied harmony of the melody line – cementing the ‘lock-and-ring’ potential. The voicing of the other parts also affects the balance of the chord and the ability to ‘lock-and-ring’. Each part must be aware of where they sit in each chord so as not to over-power the melody and breakdown the harmonic series. In close voicing (parts singing notes close together) the production of tone must be closely balanced, as the coning space is narrower. In open-voiced chords parts must give consideration to the space between their notes and the need to fill that space. Special consideration must be given to phrases where the melody moves to other parts or the baritone sings above the lead. The singers should be aware of these moves and the need to adjust the tone accordingly. Additional Note – due to the tessitura of male and female voices, re-pitching men’s arrangements for women often results in balance, blend and tuning issues. If you really like a song that is sung by the opposite gender, try and find it arranged for your gender.

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Warm-ups * Posture - Singing posture reminder Breathe Exercise 1 - Sip in through mouth as if through a straw for 2 counts. Exhale on sh for 4 counts. Repeat. As this is mastered increase the exhalation to 6, 8,10. Phonation Exercise 1 - Hum a familiar tune such as Somewhere Over The Rainbow or Bonnie Lies Over The Ocean. Articulation It is important at this time to remind students that articulation in barbershop needs to be clean as in other choral artforms. However due to the lack of instrumentation in this artform the articulation needs to be conducted in such a way so as not to disrupt a clean vocal line. Therefore explosive consonants need to be moderated. Exercise 1 - This is a good time to bring out all those tongue twisters! Students can sing these exercises on a unison note. - Some word exercise you might try include: - Maybe my mammy may move to Miami and maybe my mammy may not - She sells seashells by the sea shore - Where is the boy with the ping pong ball Exercise 2 - There is a number of scale degree exercise out there. One of them to try with your students is: 1,121,12321,1234321,123454321,12345654321,1234567654321,123456787654321 and then reverse 8,878,87678,8765678,876545678,87654345678,8765432345678,876543212345678

Song Continue the duet options - Duet Bass / Lead and Tenor / Baritone – as required, Focus on the unity of vowel across voices and sections. Add the discussed dynamics to the performance. Are there any sections that are not quite coming together? Take this section out and work it separately. It may need one part to sing alone or for duets.

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Week 5 – Judging Categories Overview SAI – Music, Sound, Expression, Showmanship Check the Sweet Adelines International website for an overview of the judging guidelines for Young Women In Harmony. BHS- Music, Singing, Performance Competitors receive live feedback from the judges following the contest. Music Judges in this category adjudicate the musical elements in the performance: melody, harmony, range and tessitura, tempo and rhythm and meter, construction and form, and embellishments. They judge the extent to which the musical performance displays the hallmarks of the barbershop style, and the degree to which the musical performance demonstrates an artistic sensitivity to the music’s primary theme. Presentation These judges evaluate how effectively a performer brings the song to life. They respond to both the visual and vocal aspects of the presentation, to evaluate the interaction of these aspects in creating the image of the song, as well as everything about the performance that contributes to emotional impact upon the audience. Singing Judges in this category evaluate the degree to which the performer achieves artistic singing in the barbershop style: the production of vibrant, rich, resonant, technically accurate, and highly skilled sound, created both by the individual singer’s use of good vocal techniques, and by the ensemble processes of tuning, balancing, unity of sound and precision. They listen for a sense of precise intonation, a feeling of fullness or expansion of sound, a perception of a high degree of vocal skill, a high level of unity and consistency throughout the performance, and a freedom from apparent effort that allows the full communication of the lyric and song. Each judge may award up to 100 points per song. YWIH – scoring guidelines Sing full chorus together

Warm-ups Posture Exercise 1 Feel tall from waist to shoulders, shoulders aligned over hips, knees & feet Sternum rides high; rib cage is expanded comfortably; let body align. Stand tall, breathe tall Breathe Exercise 1 - Sip in through mouth as if through a straw for 2 counts. Exhale on sh for 4 counts. Repeat. As this is mastered increase the exhalation to 6, 8,10. Resonance Ask students to yawn – how much space do they feel in their mouths? Ask students to yawn again and with a well supported breathe gently sing an ah in the same space as they yawned. How does this feel different? It is important for students to understand that to create a well-supported resonant sound they need to sing from the same space that they breathe. Yawn increase awareness of the actual space that is available.

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Exercise 1 Ask students to say Holy Moley with a big woofy space, then say Mini Me with small nasal sound. How are the spaces different? Exercise 2 - Sing down a 5 note scale singing Nyah on each note. Keep resonance open and spacious throughout the exercise. Take up and down the scale. Exercise 3 - Sing up and down a 5 note scale, alternating between Ng and Ee. Again keep the resonance space wide. - Repeat scale degree exercise from last lesson. A harmony exercise for some fun at the end of warm-ups

Song Duet Bass / Lead and Tenor / Baritone This week might be a great week to try a Grand March. This is where the chorus lines up in parts and the person at the front of each line sings the song. After a phrase or 2 the director indicates for the front row to move to the back and the next 4 singers take the front and continue from where the group before stopped, without break in the flow of music.

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Week 6 – Showmanship In Barbershop the music is enhanced by the showmanship performance of the group. But what does Showmanship mean? Well, when you attend a musical theatre performance you see more than just singing – there is also staging, costumes, movement and facial expression. These are all elements that need to be considered in a performance. Some things to consider:

- Display of appropriate facial expression and poise - Energy and emotional connection to the audience - Emcee material is appropriate and delivery is professional

Costuming:

- Proper fit of costumes - Costume clean, pressed and in good repair - Costume appropriate for venue and audience - Hair that is neat, clean and styled suitably for the costume – this applies to boys as

well as the girls! - Appropriate stage or street makeup applied in a uniform manner

Choreography: Choreography is the planned movement in a performance – this does not mean a dance routine! Movement could be as simple as each individual raising their hands on a particular word or pointing in the same direction for a line of music.

- Synchronisation of planned movements - Dynamic visual movement and communication supports and enhances the music

Character: A visual plan begins with the definition and development of a character. Sit down with your most visually minded students or the whole group and discuss what they thing the song is about. Can you develop a storyline that this song fits into? Can everyone relate to this storyline? Character colours the lyrics and gives believability, urgency and passion to the song. Characterisation influences the way the music is interpreted, sung, the faces of the performances, the dynamics of the music. Much consideration should be given to character development. Staging; Correct stage stance and posture Even spacing between chorus / quartet members

Warm-ups Exercise 1 - Inhale to the count of 4, hold (with an open mouth) to the count of 4, exhale to the count of 4. Repeat! Exercise 2 - Sing down a 5 note scale singing Nyah on each note. Keep resonance open and spacious throughout the exercise. Take up and down the scale. Exercise 3 - Sing up and down a 5 note scale, alternating between Ng and Ee. Again keep the resonance space wide.

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Exercise 4 - Vah vah vah vah Flexibility exercise – teaches that low notes can be sung lightly and quickly. Lift as you ascend – keep lift as you descend. Always in the mask. Keep it light – no weight in the sound as the exercise descends. 1324354654321 Vowels - Full chorus matching vowel shapes When we consider the notion of tuning in Barbershop we need to consider more then just singing the right notes – we also aim to sing the same vowels. Some of the main vowels and their similar sounds are listed below. AH=odd AW=awed IH=id A=ad EH=ed ER=urge UH=ugh OH=ohd OOH=oohd OO=ood (as in good) Try this exercise for practice in matching vowels.

Song Work song in any combination of activities as covered in previous lessons.

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Week 7 – Information, Navigating Websites, Sheet Music, Local Organisations Girls Sweet Adelines International - http://www.sweetadelineintl.org/ - Home page for the International Women’s organisation. From here can access information about the organisation, resources and music. Young Women In Harmony (YWIH) program information and download page - http://www.sweetadelineintl.org/young-women-in-harmony.cfm - can access and order program information, resources, and sheet music arranged for girls. Boys Barbershop Harmony Society - http://www.barbershop.org/ - Home page for the Men’s International organisation. From here can access information about the organisation, resources and music. Youth in Harmony program - http://www.barbershop.org/youth-zone.html - can access information about the Youth program and sheet music for boys. National Organisations Both organisation provide additional support and mentoring in the youth programs Australian Association of Male Barbershop Singers - http://www.aambs.org.au/ Sweet Adelines Australia - http://www.sweetadelines.org.au/ Australian Barbershop Youth Initiatives Youth in Barbershop Development Initiative (YIBDI) - http://yibdi.info/ - WA’s own BBS for kids program! Young Singers - http://www.youngsingers.com.au/ - AAMBS youth program operating out of Qld. Warm-ups Repeat exercise from previous weeks as desired.