A course for choral musicians working with unchanged voices
in school and community

Tuesday 18 August – Tuesday 25 August, 2015

Faculty:
Fiona Blackburn, Sandra Meister, Sarona Mynhardt
with vocal faculty members
Fabiana Katz & Catherine Laub

Venue: St Mary’s Kerrisdale Church
(37th/Larch, Vancouver)

For the fourteenth year running, the BCCF is offering this foundational course for conductors.

The Choral Directorship Course has been offered since 2002. Since 2008, we have alternated a focus on teachers working with unchanged voices, to those working mostly with mixed voice choirs. It is our pleasure to offer this program again in 2015. The course offers an introduction to the basics of conducting, vocal pedagogy, choral and personal skills. It will also be found to be a useful opportunity to review fundamentals for slightly more experienced conductors whose batteries need recharging.
The upcoming course is open to conductors of children’s community choirs, but it is specifically focused on those offering music within the school system. We hope particularly to reach those specialists who have music training, but do not necessarily have specific knowledge of dealing with children’s voices. Specific topics covered are likely to include:

• basic vocal physiology
• appropriate ranges for different age groups
• breath support and techniques for developing that support
• development of the head voice
• choosing appropriate repertoire
• what defines ‘good/excellent’ repertoire…what do I look for?
• singing in parts – canons, partner songs, two-part repertoire
• the role of the accompanist
• organizing for the choir (short-term and long-term)
• what to do in the first rehearsal
• making rehearsals “fun”, productive and musically successful
• getting the whole body involved
• ideas for involving and engaging boys
• what to do when elementary aged boys’ voices begin to change
• sitting or standing – when to do what
• useful (but simple) conducting gestures
• age appropriate exemplars of individual and group performance

Participants taking the course for credit will be expected to take an assessment of their conducting skills with a faculty member.
Registrants will receive daily group voice instruction, specific topic sessions with a variety of experienced faculty members, and a day spent at a reading clinic (elementary music focus), as well as other sessions on repertoire.

 

For a copy of the brochure, CLICK HERE

For an application form CLICK HERE 

Thanks to a very generous sponsor, scholarships and bursaries may be available to BC registrants needing travel and accommodation assistance, or other financial aid.

Please contact the BCCF Project Manager – projectmanager@BCChoralFed.com for information. We also recommend that you apply SOON to your school, choir or other potential source of funding for help.

For a application for a scholarship or other financial assistance, CLICK HERE