ERE’S A WARM-UP exercise I wrote for my choir. Some may wish to download it and try it out with your singers. This exercise—when sung properly—should reinforce the following : (1) Correct intonation; (2) Proper Choral Vowels [“Faw” not “Fah”]; (3) The relationship and function of different pitches of the scale; (4) Blending with the other singers; (5) Watching the conductor [during the final section].
Give Us Time • We tried it out for the first time last night at rehearsal. It came out fine, but I will record it again in a few weeks—after we’ve had a chance to let it “sink in”—and I guarantee it will be pristine. Here’s our first attempt:
* PDF Download • Jeff’s Warm-Up Exercise [color]
—1.3MB free download • Vocal Warm-Up for Volunteer Choirs.
—You can also download the Black & White Version.
The volunteer choir I’m blessed to conduct attempted this warm-up exercise for the second time on 15 September 2022.
You can also stretch out different chords and make sure every singer is in tune.
Here’s a live recording of one of the choral warmup exercises we like to do, taken during our rehearsal on 27 January 2023.
Update (11-10-2022): My volunteer choir has felt the repercussions of this year’s (particularly severe) flu season. Nevertheless, I believe in always—always—giving your best as a choir director, even when many singers are absent. You can hear by this brief recording that our singers are starting to blend very nicely.
Addendum • I have a very obnoxious ‘teacher’ voice. I became aware of this when I heard the video. The warm-up exercise currently has a place next to our “opening prayer” with which we open every meeting, and which our choir members quickly memorize:
