Band Directors Teaching Choir: Warm-Ups and Rounds Thursday, May 08, 2014
Here at Stanton’s
, we’re aware of the rising number of music teachers working outside of their specialty. Cutbacks have forced many instrumental specialists to begin teaching choir-but never fear! In this series, we will try to give some advice on where to start, as well as recommending some “tried and true” products that will help you become a great choral educator!
Warm-Ups-Much like instrumental warm-ups, choral warm-ups are essential for both mental and physical preparedness. You don’t have to be an accomplished pianist to warm-up your choirs! 
After teaching the warm-up in a comfortable key, you can give the only the first pitch in each successive key. At a loss for what warm-ups to do? Every choral director should have at least one of these standard collections on their piano:
The Complete Choral Warm-Up Book-Russell Robinson & Jay Althouse; Alfred Publishing #11653 $23.99
The Choral Warm-Up Collection-Edited by Sally K. Albrecht; Alfred Publishing #21676 $24.99
Rounds-They’re not just for elementary school! Choirs of all levels can benefit from working on rounds. In addition to being one of the simplest forms of part singing, rounds are great for working on balance, blend, facial expression, diction and much more. Students will be thrilled with the full, lush sound that is produced when a round really comes together. Make one or more rounds from these collections part of your daily classroom routine:
150 Rounds for Singing & Teaching by E. Bolkovac and J. Johnson; Boosey & Hawkes #48007805 $18.99
Round the World by Cheryl Lavender; Hal Leonard #09971739 $19.99
Don’t be shy about asking for help, especially if you are new to the choral world. As always, the experienced choral directors at Stanton’s are thrilled to help you select materials, make recommendations or give advice. Contact us at 1-800-42-MUSIC, extension 1 or visit our store. We look forward to seeing you soon!