Session 1 · CREATE: Transform
Balance and blend
- 7 minWarm-up: breath control (hold a note for eight counts, then twelve).
- 10 minMini-lesson: balance means every part can be heard; blend means voices and instruments sound like one group. Ensemble listening: if you can't hear the other parts, you are too loud.
- 15 minRecord and listen (see activities): record a full run on a device. Listen back as a class. Which part disappears? Which is too loud? Where do we drift out of time or tune?
- 15 minCritique circle: small groups give feedback on the recording with 'I notice… I wonder… What if…'. Choose two changes for the next run.
- 3 minWrite your own part's change on your part map.
Session 2 · CREATE: Transform
Phrasing, dynamics and a sound from te ao Māori
- 7 minWarm-up with sirens and a round.
- 10 minPhrasing: mark where to breathe so no one gasps mid-word. Practise one verse with shaped phrases that grow and fade like waves.
- 15 minWith the guidance of the school's kapa haka tutor or iwi partner, explore how percussive body sound (such as stamps and slaps in time) is used in haka waiata, and whether and how a respectful rhythmic element could be part of the set.
- 15 minFull run with dynamics, breathing marks and the new ending. Record it and compare with the week 4 first recording.
- 3 minName one thing that improved.
Getting started
Fix one thing only: the loudest part turns down until you can hear the part next to you.
Stretch
Lead a rehearsal section yourself: count in, give the entry signal, and cut off the ending cleanly.
Checkpoint
The ensemble has made at least two changes from feedback, parts are balanced on the recording, and dynamics and breathing points are marked and used.
Activities for this week
- Record, listen, adjust: What does our ensemble really sound like from the audience?
Useful this week
- Events ↗ Choir festivals and workshops across Aotearoa: see what young singers work towards.