Choral Sight Reading Workshops (ACDA/OMEA)

October 2, 3 and 4, 2012

Kick off the school year by energizing your groups! Play the sight reading game!

Register online by September 28

A note from the Workshop Director

What are my workshop options?

1. Director's Only – Tuesday, October 2, 9 a.m.–1 p.m.
   Directors will participate in a hands-on workshop about how to teach choral sight reading using handsigns and solfege. Many ideas, drills, and principles are presented. Directors will be able to share about their own experiences.

2. Advanced Workshop - Wednesday, October 3, 9 a.m.–2 p.m.
   Advanced sight reading for students already skilled in solfege and rhythm. Minor keys will start on "la".  Major, minor, homophonic and polyphonic  literature will be intensely studied.

3. Intermediate Workshop - Thursday, October 4, 9 a.m.–2 p.m.
   Students will sight read with solfege and hand signs. Students must already know note names, key signatures and basic rhythms. Major diatonic and some minor homophonic literature will be studied.
   

Each day is a completely different workshop (it is not a three-day sequence). Students who complete the intermediate workshop will need a year or more of diligent study and practice with you in your choir room before they are ready for the advanced workshop. For the greatest benefit it is important that your students are prepared for the workshop.

What should my students know to be ready for the workshops?
(download detailed outline here)

Intermediate Workshop

• Know bass and treble clef note names.
• Diatonic solfege.
• Be able to find 'do'.
• Be able to solfege simple melodies - scalar intervals only - no skips.
• Be able to count and intone basic rhythms.

Advanced Workshop

• Same as intermediate workshop plus:
• Be able to solfege any diatonic melody, including skips.
• Have some experience with chromatic syllables - especially relating to the melodic and harmonic minor.
• Be able to count and intone any normal choral rhythm.

ti
la
so
fa
mi
re
do

There are several variations on the hand signs.

Send me your favorite chromatic hand signs and we can discuss them at lunch. They should be simple, painless and logical (e.g. 'fi' should point to 'so').

What are the chromatic syllables?

"se" is pronounced like "re".  The vowel should be a monophthong.

Thus:
the chromatic scale ascending is: do di re ri mi fa fi so si la li ti do
the chromatic scale descending is: do ti te la le so se fa mi me re ra do

Chromatic C Major Scale

Those who are troubled by the enharmonic syllables must remember that solfege is a purely functional system and does not sufficiently handle all of the "music theory" issues.

Click here to register for the workshop online.

A note from Workshop Director, Dr. Matt Strauser:

Welcome to the High School Choral Sight Reading Workshop! We'd like to begin promptly at 9 a.m. Directors will have a complimentary lunch with me and would be a great time to share ideas, challenges, and solutions.

We will meet in the Psalm Performing Arts Center (PC), building 28.

Your bus can drive up "Western Way" to the Psalm Center to unload. This is the best way if you need handicap access. You could also unload in one of the parking lots below the Psalm Center. If your bus stays it will probably need to take "Warrior Drive" up the hill and park in the gym parking lot.

Campus maps

What to bring:

1. Student lunches if you are packing lunches
2. A notebook or peachie folder for hand-outs
3. A pencil with each participant

Let me know if you have questions:
Dr. Matt Strauser
mstrauser@corban.edu
503-589-8167