DEVELOPING VOCAL QUALITIES IN A STANDARD CHOIR SET UP

BY
ALBERT OIKELOME

“You do not sing. Your body sings YOU”

The voice is the most flexible and expressive instrument in existence for transmitting mood or
emotion. Its uniqueness lies in the singer’s ability to display the singing voice in such a way as it
would pass the desired message across to the listeners. However, there is a note of warning. The
voice is such a delicate instrument that can either be developed or destroyed. The following points
are the basic fundamentals of good singing

1. Good Posture
Good singing is all about the ability to combine properties that aid the voice in bringing to reality
a good rendition. The ability to maintain a good posture is the first step towards good singing. A
good posture in the singing course is vital to a good vocal production. To achieve this,
the feet should be width apart with one foot slightly in front of the other. It should also be securely
planted on the feet. The legs should not be locked rigidly at the knees but be relaxed and slightly
bent. The hips should be drawn in and forward enough to prevent undue protuberance in the rear
and spinal curvature just above.

The back and spine should be stretched up into a straight line as if measuring for height.
The neck should be held long and straight in such a way as does not incline forward or slump
downwards. It should be relaxed and align with your spine.

The head should not be rigid or stiff. It should be balanced evenly on the spinal axis, neither titled
up nor forced down abnormally. The eyes should be raised above the heads of an audience for
serious art songs.

The chest is raised comfortably high before inhalation and remains quietly in this position to the
very end of the phrase, or the entire song. The shoulders should be in a natural position. They
should be relaxed and not be made to shoot high and low when singing.
The hands must not be clasped behind the back or put in the pocket. The hands should be held a
few inches away from the body.

Exercises for Good Posture

For you to arrive at a desirable posture during the rendition, the following exercises will be of help:
1. Stand straight, one foot slightly in advance of apart from the other.
2. Lightly dig in advance your toes as if to grasp the floor with them.

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3. Tuck up your hips under without allowing the upper part of your body to change its position.
This will tend to keep your knees from locking (They should be slightly bent.)
4. Stretch the muscles of the lower back from the tip of the spine to the point of their attachment
to the lower ribs. This action should make you feel an expansion of the lower ribs at the back and
a drawing in the pelvic muscles.
5. Inhale deeply to a slow count of four;(the chest should during both inhalation and exhalation)
6. Exhale with Sssssss to a slow count of four, maintaining the high, quite a chest lift and spinal
stretch to the end.
7. You can increase the count on exhalation to eight or more.

Intonation
Intonation is the ability to sing to pitch. It is an act of singing in perfect unison with other singers
within a section. Many singers have had to grapple with keeping to the right key during a
performance. The inability to sing to the right pith would make the voice lose its tone quality,
unity, and blend. Some singers go off-tune as a result of tension and rigidity of the body in singing.
Others may just be nervous or tone-deaf! However, to maintain the right tone from the begging of
a song to the end, the following points will be of help:

· Be relaxed. Don’t be too tensed up or over-exited.

· Visualize the pith in the mind’s eye before singing it out.
· If you are singing with a group of choristers, take time to listen to your section to be sure you are
singing in the right pitch.
· Do not scream above your voice. Do not sing too low either. Being too relaxed can also alter
your tone.
· Make sure you have practiced sufficiently with your accompanist before the performance.
· Practice your vocal exercises daily.
· When singing, keep enough breathe movement to support the pitch
· Don’t be too emotional as to be buried in the song that you are ‘out of tune’ with the song and
the environment.
· Concentrate on the proper vowel to sing.

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Exercises

Move up or down by half step.

1.

2.

Musical Expression
Musical expression has been defined as the art of playing or singing with a personal response to
the music1. This involves the use of dynamics, phrasing, timbre, and articulation to bring the music
to life2. This is sometimes indicated by composers in their music scores. These directions need to
be interpreted by the singers. However, good singers sometimes make use of their discretion to
evoke certain emotions such as joy, sadness and images of nature. This is done in the bid to inject
live into the song. Music is more than just a scribble of notes and chords on a sheet of paper. It
means nothing until it is communicated to people by way of performance. Communication is key.
But this is meaningless without proper interpretation of expression of feeling evoked by the music.
Singing as an art comes alive when you are able to communicate your feelings through the song
like one that tells a story. This involves visualizing the song in the mind’s eye and employing the
proper dynamics to bring the song alive.

Musical expression is determined by the following expressive elements:

Style of the music: This is determined by the form, type of melody, rhythm, and harmony needed
in a composition. Expressive elements that give style to music are tempo, dynamic, phrasing and
articulation. Tempo is often determined by the mood of the music and text.
Phrasing: This is the grouping of tones based on text and music. The proper performance of a
phrase should be delivered according to the prescription of the composer. Sometimes, the
composer does not give any prescription but allows the performer to use his discretion based on

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his taste and feelings. Since phrase marks are often omitted by the composer, the choirmaster
should add the marks for the singers to perform.
Punctuation: The punctuation of the text should be adhered to, otherwise the meaning of the line
will be lost.
Good intonation comes as a result of a musical ear that that has been trained in the art. Such an
individual must have practiced very well. So, don’t give up. You are on your way to the right
“Pitch”!

Tone Quality
Every choral rendition has its own tone quality. The tone quality of a Contemporary song may not
be the same as that of a classical piece. But it will still be subject to the same even if the sound is
different. You do not sing the Handel Messiah with the tone quality of the contemporary Fred
Hammond ‘Bread of Heaven’. The tone produced by the choir depends on the resonance of the
individual voices. The sound produced by the individual singers (the pitch, tone colour, dynamic
level and phonation) need to be unified.

EXERCISES

Choral Blend.
This is perhaps one of the seeming ‘nightmares’ of several choirs. It is not in the numbers- but the
quality of the voices within the numbers. Furthermore, the distribution of the voices in the choir
is very vital. The Soprano and the Bass is much higher than the Tenor and the Altos in a classical
SATB choir. We should situate the melody of the song and ensure it takes pre-eminence above
others. All parts must blend in harmony. The instrumentalists are what we call them- accompanists.
They do not and must not drown the choir. That to me would be undue subjugation. All chords in
the instrumental display must flow in harmony with the choir else we have unnecessary discord
and dissonance during performance.

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 1. You must take time to hear others. The moment you are hearing yourself alone, you are
screaming.
2. Every part must sing as ‘one’. ‘With one’ voice.
3. Take time out to internalize the lyrics of the songs.
4. There must be rhythmic precision in your delivery. Study the notes carefully and if there
is bound to be any modification, it must not be such as to take away the composer’s
ingenuity- except of course, if it is your own composition
5. Understand all the dynamics involved in the music and all interpretations must be
communicated to the choir so they react as ‘one’.
6. Learn to look up at the conductor. He is not a gymnastic displayer. He listens to the music
and when he finds it is not too soothing, he makes gestures that you MUST obey.

Diction
Singing is a function of two act; music and poetry. These acts should complement each other with
the right blending by the singer. Diction is the clarity with which consonants are articulated and
vowels are enunciated. These will aid in the correct pronunciation of words in singing.
Vowels are words from the lips and the tongue while the consonants are words from the lips, teeth
and the tongueThe best way to achieve a good diction is by singing as if you are speaking the text.
Make vowels long and consonants short.
ee oo

ay oh

ah

There are many other vowel sound and combinations, but they are derived from the vowels shown
above.

Exercises

1. Sing the vowel on the pitch by proceeding down ad up each side of the triangle.
2. Sing the tongue vowels: ‘ee’, ‘ay’, ‘eh, ah and the lips wovels: ‘au’, ‘oh’ and ‘oo’.

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 CONSONANTS

Consonants are formed with the lips, teeth, tongue and both hard and soft palates. They can be
sung pitched or voiceless. There are some with duration and some without duration. . Consonants
function as the ‘bone’ of the speech. It should be as brief as possible without doing damage to the
tone. Consonants must be quickly and clearly articulated without interrupting the onward flow of
the vowel.

CONSONANTS WITH CONSONANTS

DURATION WITHOUT DURATION
PITCHED UNPITCHED PITCHED UNPITCHED
V F b P
h g k, c
I s, c = s t
m ss d ts
n y ch
ng q
w x – gs x = ks
z
-I
th (this)
zz th (thin)
sh (shell)

Exercises on vowels and consonants

1. Exercises on V vowels

2. Exercise on fast M’s

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3. Exercise on Consonants

* Practice on veal, veil, vase, vow etc. Let the Z’s and V’s hum nicely

Points on the use of correct pronunciation in singing:

1. When pronouncing your words, ensure they are clear and crisps.
2. Speak your words at the lips, and not in the back of the mouth or in the throat.
3. Avoid all ‘provincialisms’ and ‘Vulgarisms’ in pronunciation.
4. Preserve the purity of the vowels, and give them their full value in duration.
5. Emphasize on the need for the clear articulation of consonants.

DIPHTHONGS AND TRIPHTHONGS

A diphthong is a compound vowel which is made up two sounds. One sound is sustained while the
other is sung quickly at the end of the tone and is called vanish. Triphthongs are compound vowels
made up of three sounds.

EXERCISES

1. The underline vowel sounds should be sustained; final vowel sound should be performed
quickly (vanish).
Now = (ah – oo)
Right = (ah – ee)

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 So = (oh – oo)
Boy = (aw – ee)
Say = (eh – ee)
2. Drop the final ‘r’ and end with a neutral sound
Fair = (eh – uh)
Dear = (ee – uh)
More = (aw – uh)
Poor = (oo –uh)

DYNAMICS AND BALANCE

This is the act of establishing the limits of a choral ensemble loudness and softness of tones. The
scale of dynamics should be known by each member of the group. The volume of voices should
be balanced among the parts. If any sound or diction is louder than the other, it should be for
musical reasons.

EXERCISE

A comfortable medium dynamic level should be mezzo forte (mf), or moderately loud. Begin
singing mezzo forte, lento and decrease the volume little by little (decrescendo) but always
return to a mezzo forte.

RHYTHMIC PRECISION

Rhythmic training is essential to successful ensemble performance. Depending on the meter, a

rhythmic beat, or pulse is usually divided into two, two, three or four parts. The division of the
beats should be felts as you sing, to keep the tempo steady and the rhythm of the melody the same
as the others on a given part.

EXERCISES

Exercises: Students should tap each pulse.

& & & &

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 & & & & & & & &

Breath Control
Breath control is the foundation of good singing. The ability to inhale sufficient breath for a phrase
at a time helps with easy flow of the music. You should be a good ‘breath manager’ when singing.
To achieve this, you take a little air at a time when you want to sing. Relax your muscles and stand
comfortably with your feet slightly apart, and your arms flexed at the sides. Remember that the
shoulders must not rise nor should the chest move upwards when singing.

Musical compositions are divided into phrases. The breath should be taken at the end of each
phrase to last through the end of the next phrase. Breathing exercises are essential to good singing.
Exercises on breath control are needed to relax the muscles controlling the diaphragm.

To increase your breathing storage capacity, the following points will be of help;

1. Take a full capacity of air into the lungs when preparing to sing.

2. Take a little fresh air at a time, instead of a long drawn full breath.

3. Do not breathe entirely through the nose, or through the mouth. Both must be used.

4. Always part the lips to inhale for the beginning of each phrase.

5. Keep the nose well opened in singing, so that you do not have to breathe with strained
efforts.

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Interpretation- Dynamics and Balance
Singing is an art- just like dance and drama. It should radiate with life. That is why the singer’s
adherence to and interpretation of the mood of the music is very important. Dynamics and balance
is the act of establishing the limits of the softness of your tone. The volume of the voices should
balance among parts. Some composers use to indicate the type of mood they want their music to
be performed. Such moods are indicted at the beginning of the compositions. The pace of the music
is also indicated so that the performer knows how fast or slow the music should be performed. If
the tempo is not indicated, the singer is left to use his or her discretion in determining the correct

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pace of the music. Examples of dynamics applied in music are seen in a classical music excerpt
below:

Facial Expression
The singer is not only a performer. He is also an interpreter. The success of any singer depends to
a large extent on his ability to interpret his songs. This means the singer should understand the
songs and be able to make his listeners experience what he himself feels. Otherwise, he might be
experiencing a great emotional thrill and be getting much enjoyment from his own singing and yet
be boring to hearers. The singer is like an actor. However, think of an actor that has mastered the
words alone without adequate acting. You will bore the audience. That is the same about good
singing without the right facial expression.

Facial expressions are a part of body language and the strongest, silent message sent to the
audience. The comportment of the singer should be determined by the song to be rendered. The
gesticulation should not be mechanical. Your facial expression should tell the story. Get a mirror
and practice the desired facial expression - a major point you should have in mind when singing is
to be whoever the song has called you to be. The skill of every singer must include the eyes and
face, which should always be communicating. A simple lift of the eyebrows, a wrinkling of the
forehead, and an uplifted chin, all convey important messages. When you smile, you convey
warmth and happiness; when you frown, you show sadness and displeasure.

1. Appear smiling on a mirror.

2. Take some phrase, and repeat this in many different ways, try to express the desired
emotion, anger, for instance, by means of the face and voice. Then try astonishment,
sadness going through the scale of emotions
3. Practice the same on your friends, saying the phrase to them and seeing if they can tell him
what he is trying to express.

Use of the Mirror

The mirror is an important tool any voice student should have to check pleasant and appropriate
facial expression. A full-length mirror should be the possession of every voice trainer to check

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 1. Frowning,
2. Wrinkling of the forehead.
3. Grimacing,
4. Pained expression around the eyes.
5. Setting the lips or jaws.
6. Strained cords in the neck.
7. Unbalanced head position.

Through the mirror, you are able to practice any gesture used in a song like bowing, or curtsying.

In conclusion, here comes the taste of the pudding! When a good voice is controlled with good
breathing and is in tune with whatever the scale of the song is, combined with other techniques of
good singing and a clear enunciation of words so that they are intelligible to the listener, a good
singer is made!

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