Christmas Musicals for Church
Issue link: http://read.jwpepper.com/i/1377049
99 • A vocal warm-up, such as "mama made me mash my M 'n M" on 1-2-3-4-5-4-3-2-1 (for resonance); or "I love to run in the sun" on 1-3-5-8-5-3-1 (for vocal range, breathing and a beautiful open "AH" sound.) • A funny way to help the kids experience an open throat and big sound is to have them sing like the fat lady at the opera. Have them stand up tall, with hands clasped in front of their belt. Ask them to feel like they are yawning, then all together sing the first phrase of the "Hallelujah Chorus." Lead the way by exaggerating it for them. It's okay to be silly and laugh – just make sure they are hearing and feeling that big open sound (which they will need for the few high notes in the music!) • Help the kids discover that they can sing with different sounds or different kinds of "voices." They have a "head" voice that is high and light. They will need to use this beautiful voice especially in "Joy Unto the World." It takes a lot of air, using big deep breathing, to support this high voice. The high energy, fuller voice comes naturally to most kids, but be sure they don't push too hard and get harsh or sound like yelling. Repetition is the key to confidence! Think of many ways to have the children sing each song many times. Don't just sing all the way through every time. Plan your rehearsals to spend 5-10 minutes per song during each rehearsal. Try to get to all songs at every rehearsal. • Clearly define the sections in each song – verse, chorus, bridge, etc. Help the kids see and hear the sections that are alike and different. • Sometimes only work on one section of a song: at one session only rehearse the wordy verses in "We Three Kings." Don't even sing the chorus. • You might take one or two difficult phrases out and sing them as a warm-up. Do this with the Chorus of "Christmas" or the Bridge of "Rejoice." • If they have trouble getting the pitches exact in a particular section, have them sing the syllables "doot, doot …" instead of the words. This might work in the chorus of "Love Came Down," to help with learning the big leaps in the melody. • A technique that makes the kids really pay attention is to sing "Inside or Outside." Instruct the kids to start singing and when you give the signal, they only move their mouths but do not make any sound. On another signal they can close their mouths and only sing "in their head" but keep making meaningful expressions with their faces. On another signal everyone starts singing again (and hopefully you are all in the same place.) A variation of this can be done with a song that has motions. The Leader sings the song and kids only do motions (no singing). Or kids mouth the words (no sound) and do the motions. All of these are done with no CD, no accompaniment, just the singing.