Download - CHORAL SPEAKING WORKSHOP ESU PART 1
All You Wanted to Know About Choral Speaking
But Wasn’t Sure Who to Ask Part 1
Choral Speaking
No conductor is allowed.
Movements, costumes, props and music may be used.
Harmonic Choral Speaking
A conductor is allowed.
Absolutely no body movement, gesture, mime costume or props are allowed.
Suitable grouping patterns are allowed.
Emphasis is on clarity and harmony of speech.
Words spoken in unison
Lots of practice helps.
One student, in the centre, can count to three.
The counting has to be in English!
(Not yat, yih, saam.)
Numbers, numbers, numbers
Choral Speaking:
Harmonic Choral Speaking:
30 to 50 students
25 to 50 students
SAMPLE POEMS
The Steeple by Anonymous
A Case of Murder by Vernon Scannell
1. What was the poet’s intention?
Silly? Serious?
2. Are there any shifts in mood?
The word generally signifies a
shift in mood.
but
3. Do lines carry on in meaning?
Students tend to stop at the ends of lines.
Students tend to drop their pitch and volume at the ends of lines.
Enjambment
Be aware of the lines that carry on the meaning in the poem.
Once Steeple Bumpstead
Had a steeple
Beloved by all
The village people.
4. The beginning and the end are important parts!
The beginning is generally a narrative voice.
It is neither fast nor slow, but moves along at an average pace.
The ending generally slows right down to a stop.
from The Steeple (Beginning)
Once Steeple Bumpstead
Had a steeple
Beloved by all
The village people.
It was so fine
And tall and stately,
No wonder they
Admired it greatly.
From The Steeple (Ending)
And all because
An angry wizard
Blew Steeple Bumpstead
Folk a blizzard.
VARIATION IS EVERYTHING
There are three elements that should be varied.
What do you think they are?
Pitch
Pace
Volume
Vary pitch.
Back rows - high pitch.
Front rows - low pitch.
It was so fine
And tall and stately,
No wonder they
Admired it greatly.
HIGH PITCH
LOW PITCH
from The Three Little Pigs
“Little pig, little pig, let me come in!”
“Not by the hair of my chinny, chin chin!”
“Then I’ll huff and I’ll puff and I’ll blow your house down.”
And he huffed and he puffed and he blew the house down. Narrative Voice
from The Steeple
But long ago
An angry wizard
Blew Steeple Bumpstead
Folk a blizzard;
And suddenly the
Dust went dancing,
And hayracks in the fields
Went prancing.
Which words would be spoken with
a high pitch?
From A Case of Murder
They should not have left him there alone,
Alone that is except for the cat.
He was only nine, not old enough
To be be left alone in a basement flat,
Alone, that is, except for the cat
And here?
from A Case of Murder
And he took the stick and thrust it in,
Hard and quick in the furry dark,
The black fur squealed and he felt his skin
Prickle with sparks of dry delight.
Then the cat again came into sight,
Shot for the door that wasn’t quite shut,
But the boy, quick too, slammed fast the door:
Vary pace.
There are three paces to follow.
What do you think they are?
Slow (caesural or suspensory pause)
Fast
Medium (narrative voice)
A caesural pause works!
A natural pause in the middle of a line adds a bit more drama.
It was so fine
And tall and stately,
No wonder they admired it greatly.
Where couldthe students pause?
Make use of suspensory pauses
Carry enjambed lines forward by … lengthening the last syllable increasing inflection not taking a breath!
Faai di la!
And suddenly the Dust when dancing,And hayracks in the fields Went prancing.The win set windmill Sails a-whirling,And pots and pans And dishes twirling;
Vary volume
Whispering should be ‘loud’.
There shouldn’t be any shouting.
It blew the thrifty
Mean and lazy,
Till one and all
Were nearly crazy,
And one and all,
Both dull and clever,
Cried ‘Lawksamussy!
Well, I never!’
Which words could be spoken at a higher volume?
SPECIAL EFFECTS
There are many, many, many things one can do to bring the words alive.
“You pulled everything out of your sleeve.”
Cause a Wave.
Make a wave with the voices to show walking from one place to another, or something flying across the sky, or something falling.
from A Case of Murder
Then the cat again came into sight,
Shot for the door that wasn’t quite shut,
from The Steeple
The steeple once
So tall and splendid,
A heap of rubbish
Had descended;
Drop and Raise the Shoulders
To show sadness, have all students drop their shoulders.
from The Steeple
And poked their puzzled,
Anxious faces,
From queer and un-
Expected places.
But all at once the storm departed
As quick or quicker
Than it started;
RAISE SHOULDERS
DROP SHOULDERS
More and More Voices
What’s the easiest way to create this effect?
GROUPING
1 2 3 4
front
back
TEACHER
RIGHT LEFT
Add more and more voices
Start with 2 or 3 students, and keep adding 10 more.
TEACHER
Add more and more voices
And dumped the load of heavy fur
In the spidery cupboard under the stair
Where it’s been for years, and though it died
It’s grown in that cupboard and its hot low purr
Grows slowly louder year by year;
These lines will get progressively louder.
And though it died
year by yearAnd its hot
low purrGrows slowly
louder
TEACHER
It’s grown in that cupboard
Make other sounds besides words.
Add ….
a sigh
a meow
breathy sounds
From The Steeple
It caught the farmer’s
Wife so busy,
And round she went
Till she was dizzy.
What sounds could be added?
Students can lean forward when they speak.
The beginning of A Case of Murder
They should not have left him there alone,
Alone that is except for the cat.
He was only nine, not old enough
To be left alone in a basement flat,
Alone, that is, except for the cat MOVE FORWARD
At the end of A Case of Murder
When the cupboard swells and all sides split
And the huge black cat pads out of it.
from The Steeple
And poked their puzzled,
Anxious faces,
From queer and un-
Expected places.
Where could students move forward?
Faces should be seen at all times
Sometimes props, like witches hats, signs, an umbrella, get in the way.
Robotic movements are a no-no!
The movement should start just before the students begin speaking, and should end after the students have spoken.
Students should slowly bring their bodies back to the original position.
Angle the choir
At the festival, risers are pre-arranged on stage.
Go solo.
Use solo voices sparingly.
The lone voice should be confident and loud.
A solo voice could be used to show something singular, or a pronouncement.
from The Steeple
And tales were told,
And heads were shaken,
To see a village
So forsaken;
What could be spoken
in solo?
Props vs miming
Props can get quite clumsy.
Miming is easy.
If you use props, make them bigger than actual size.
NOW YOU TRY IT!
Read The Bookshop by Judith Nicholls
Determine:
1. The poet’s intention
2. The shifts in mood
3. Which lines carry on
4. How to deal with the beginning and ending
CONSIDER VARIETY IN:
Pitch High and Low
Pace Pauses and Fast
VolumeQuiet and Loud