Importance of choral warm-ups
Most voice teachers advocate a sequence of exercises to facilitate warm-up and development of technique during individual practice. Choral directors vary in their use of warm-ups, but we believe the choral warm-up process should both physically ready the singers to sing and focus on vocal technique to develop and preserve healthy voices.
A thoughtful warm-up process that addresses important aspects of vocal technique is essential for the vocal development of singers. In addition, ensemble conductors can establish rehearsal expectations (e.g., vowel colors) during the warm-up.
Benefits of a thoughtful warm-up sequence
Warm-up time provides an opportunity for teaching vocal technique through a careful selection of exercises that will dramatically improve the sound of developing soloists and choral singers. Some of the benefits of a thoughtful, consistent warm-up are as follows:
A suggested warm-up sequence
The sequence of exercises is almost as important as the exercises themselves. Think of preparing for a game of tennis—you would not start by hitting serves as hard as you can. Start with basic exercises and move to the more complicated.
Vocal Technique elaborates on this sequence and provides many specific exercises for each step in the sequence. In addition, Vocal Technique offers information about cooling down the voice after singing and provides a suggested cool-down sequence.
A thoughtful warm-up process that addresses important aspects of vocal technique is essential for the vocal development of singers. In addition, ensemble conductors can establish rehearsal expectations (e.g., vowel colors) during the warm-up.
Benefits of a thoughtful warm-up sequence
Warm-up time provides an opportunity for teaching vocal technique through a careful selection of exercises that will dramatically improve the sound of developing soloists and choral singers. Some of the benefits of a thoughtful, consistent warm-up are as follows:
- Warming up the vocal apparatus is essential for reducing tension and creating free production of higher pitches. Warm-ups help with production of higher pitches because the warm-up process makes muscles more extensible. This is particularly important for developing and aging voices.
- Warm-ups increase blood flow, which improves oxygenation of muscle tissue. Oxygenation is critically important for proper muscle function.
- Warm-ups are essential for good vocal health. Mindful singing with a focus on tension-free production will allow singers to sing more challenging repertoire for longer periods and recover more quickly.
- Warm-ups improve tone quality. Research has shown that warm-ups reduce unwanted noise in the voice as well as disturbances in frequency and sound level. The sound level of the singer’s formant can also be increased.
- Warm-ups enhance vibrato rate regularity and help to create a more stable rate from one note to the next, as shown by research. They also help to reduce vibrato rates that are too fast and increase vibrato rates that are too slow.
- Warm-ups help singers to sing more efficiently. Semi-occluded vocal tract (SOVT) exercises, in particular, can significantly improve the ease with which singers produce their sound.
- Warm-ups with the proper exercises improve resonance and vowel formation. In the choral setting vowel exercises will help to ensure that all singers produce their vowels in the same way, which enhances choral tuning and blending.
- Warm-ups can provide an opportunity to prepare for more difficult repertoire passages such as those requiring smooth onset of phrases beginning with vowels, staccato passages, and passages with melismas.
- A combination of physical and vocal warm-up procedures improves the sound level of SATB choral groups across the entire frequency spectrum, as shown by recent research.
A suggested warm-up sequence
The sequence of exercises is almost as important as the exercises themselves. Think of preparing for a game of tennis—you would not start by hitting serves as hard as you can. Start with basic exercises and move to the more complicated.
- Physical stretches to relieve tension
- Breathing awareness
- Semi-occluded vocal tract exercises (can also be incorporated in steps 4, 6, 7, and 8 as desired)
- Connect breath with sound (address onset throughout or in detail here)
- Vowels and resonance
- Range reinforcement and extension
- Linking and mixing of registers
- Articulation, repertoire-specific exercises (address consonants here or throughout)
Vocal Technique elaborates on this sequence and provides many specific exercises for each step in the sequence. In addition, Vocal Technique offers information about cooling down the voice after singing and provides a suggested cool-down sequence.