Tone (Breath/Range)

Has!
Description: Students will sing “Has” tonicizing the major triad. It can ascend and descend. Students will use a
pushing hand gesture for each Ha.
Objective: Engage diaphragm and encourage energetic singing.

Mms
Description: Students hum an ascending/descending penta-scale in a major key. The key can ascend by step.
Students will use their pointer finger to draw an imaginary hill and will reach the top at the fifth.
Objective: Engage diaphragm, work dynamics, establish healthy tone production.

Yahs
Description: Students will sing a descending penta-scale on Yah. Students should not push as it gets lower but
should just let it settle. The exercise repeats getting a step lower each time.
Objective: Warmup range, engage lifted soft palate, encourage low singing that is healthy.

Buzz
Description: Students will buzz a tonic triad in their head voice. The exercise repeats but a step higher each
time.
Objective: Warmup high notes without the tension of singing, engage the lips, lift the soft palate.

I Know!
Description: Students will sing “I Know” four times. The first “I” is song on low do. The first “know” is sung
on high do as well as the second I. The second “Know” is sung on middle So along with the third “I”. Etc
descending to Mi and Do. The exercise repeats ascending in pitch so that students will sing “know” on a higher
pitch each time. On high Do, students stomp and push their fists down as if they are throwing a tantrum.
Objective: Warmup range, minimize strain in the higher register, keeping soft palate lifted, not screaming high
notes.

Intonation
Major Solfege Scale
Description: Students will sing a major scale ascending and descending on solfege using hand signs. Students
will be encouraged to listen across for vowel unification.
Objective: Vowel unification, tuned singing, solfege practice.

AH EH EE OH OO
Description: Students will sing the five pure vowels on a single pitch starting on the fifth. On OO, students will
sing five descending notes of the major penta-scale to finish.
Objective: Unifi vowels, practice singing unison on one vowel without consonants, listening across.

Chord Tuning
Description: Basses sing the solfege syllable Do, tenors sing So, altos sing Mi, and Sopranos sing do. Students
will sing their pitch creating a major chord. They will be asked to listen more than sing to tune the chord
perfectly.
Objective: To hear a tuned chord, vowel unification within section, holding your own.
Diction
I Lova to Sing
Description: Students will sing “I Lova to Sing” on low Do, high Do, So, Mi, and low do. Emphasis should be
given to the “v” in Lova and “s” in Sing.
Objective: Encourage diction, engage singing voice through diction, require breath to produce consonants.

Mana Mena
Description: Students will sing Mana Mena Ma repetitively on a note of the penta-scale, descending in pitch.
Students will be encouraged to move their lips.
Objective: Encourage diction, engage singing voice through diction, require breath to produce consonants.

Zing a Mama
Description: Students will sing Zing a Mama repetitively on a note of the penta-scale, descending in pitch.
Once the low tonic is reached, students will sing Zing once then once again at the 5th, then once again on the
low tonic. Students will be encouraged to move their lips.
Objective: Encourage diction, engage singing voice through diction, require breath to produce consonants.

Balance/Rounds
1 Bottle of Pop
Description: Students will perform the song below all together. Students will be divided into groups and will be
stagger started.
Objective: Sing in multiple parts, listening across, having part independence.

Rose
Description: Students will perform the song below all together. Students will be divided into groups and will be
stagger started.
Objective: Sing in multiple parts, listening across, having part independence, tall vowels.
Layering Solfege Scale
Description: Students will be divided and sing a major solfege scale up and down once all together. The
students will then be broken up. Group 1 will start, then Group 2 will come in once G1 reaches “Mi”, etc.
Objective: Sing in multiple parts, listening across, having part independence, tall solfege vowels.

Interpretation
Loud/Soft following the conductor
Description: Students will sing any given/chosen small song. The conductor will show either a big or small
gesture. Students must follow every gesture and reflect that in their singing.
Objective: Follow a conductor, understand dynamic contrast and importance, be able to sing loud/soft, discover
interpretation.

Do goes to Do, Re goes to Do

Description: Students will sing the short song illustrating where each solfege syllable leads to. Do > Do, Re >
Do, Mi > Do, Fa > Mi, So > Do, La > So, Ti > Do.
Objective: Understand music resolves in common ways, solfege tonal practice, solfege relationship practice.

Shoutouts (Legato, Staccato, Marcato)

Description: Students will sing a note repetitively on a neutral syllable. It will be repeated in time. The T will
call out different articulations. Students must show those using their voice.
Objective: Understand the variety of stylistic choices we make in music, singing supported in a variety of
different ways, responding quickly to vocal direction, discover interpretation.

Technical Accuracy
Zeee Ha Ha Ha
Description: Students sing Zee on an ascending penta-scale in a major key. They then immediately descend on
the major triad singing “Ha” for each note. During this exercise students will use “bouncy hands” to keep the
exercise light and buoyant.
Objective: Engage diaphragm, encourage meaningful breath, vocal agility, mature tone.

Vocal sightreading
Description: Students will sightread (read for the first time) solfege melodies using their singing voice.
Objective: Improve ability to read solfege for the first time and overall.

Solfege shoutout
Description: Students will be made familiar the key that we are singing in by singing the major scale up and
down. Students will be asked to sing a specific solfege syllable by only thinking of it then saying it. They will
throw an imaginary dart and sing the note precise. It will be repeated until all students sing the correct note.
Objective: Sing given solfege precisely by aurally identifying the note first.