The development of a vocal warm-up resource for busy teachers: creating a set of warm-up resource cards for teachers and directors of children's choirs

Olivia Sparkhall, Head of Academic Music, The Godolphin School, UK

Issue One | Page 17 | May 2020

Abstract

Following extensive, transdisciplinary research, a resource has been created to be used by teachers and choir directors when warming-up their choirs. Recent research into warm-ups, professional advice, and peer-reviewed evidence has been drawn upon to ensure the resource is both credible and valuable to the music profession. It is intended to be concise enough in its presentation to be implemented by busy teachers, with little time to complete this research themselves. Through previous research it has been discovered that conventional warm-up exercises, those which are devised by singing professionals and aimed, perhaps, at adult and auditioned youth choirs, are not well-received by youngsters. It was my intention to devise a more child-friendly set of warm-up exercises and present them in an easy-to-use format for the busy teacher. Consultation, via a questionnaire and the 'drum and marble' data collection method (Omotosho, 2014), of the children in my choir, has enabled me to devise child-friendly exercises which are at once, vocally appropriate, whilst being appealing to the demographic concerned. In this way I have been able to follow the process of understanding, theory, and change which lies at the heart of epistemological reflexivity (Ryan, 2005).

Key words children, singing, warm-ups, exercises, consultation, action research

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