The rehearsal process in the work of a choir. Rehearsal process in the junior choir
In the practice of working with a choir, it is common to divide rehearsals into two stages:
1. technical mastery of the work and its artistic interpretation;
2. disclosure of internal content, emotional and figurative essence.
In turn, depending on the form and content of the work, choral rehearsals can be divided into two groups:
1. consolidated (general), ensemble, group rehearsals for parts;
2. familiarization (introductory), working, final and corrective rehearsals.
Stages of rehearsal work:
- introductory ( obtaining the first information about a new composition, the creative, performing concept of the conductor and mastering the musical text)
-humming(working stage). The main task is to achieve performing freedom, meaningfulness and expressiveness in the singing of each member of the group. Techniques , used at this stage: singing with the mouth closed, singing per syllable, “reading”.
- performing ( the ability of choir singers to give integrity, completeness and persuasiveness to the process of sound materialization of the musical text). The main form of work at this stage is a summary rehearsal. .
Methods of working on an essay:
1. Singing in slow motion. The expediency of this technique is that a slow tempo gives singers more time to listen to a particular sound, to control and analyze it) .
2. Stopping on sounds or chords. The prerequisite for the action of this technique is the same as when singing at a slow tempo. However, due to the fact that it makes it possible to concentrate attention on a separate intonation, chord, its effectiveness is higher .
3. Rhythmic fragmentation. This is a method of conditional rhythmic fragmentation of large durations into smaller ones, which leads to the feeling of constant rhythmic pulsation among the choir artists. An effective technique for overcoming this kind of difficulty is to pronounce a literary text in one sound.
4. Use of auxiliary material. When working on technically difficult passages, it is useful to turn to exercises based both on the material of the piece being learned and not related to it.
5. The relationship between artistic and technical elements in choral performance. The most correct and effective method of work will be in which the conductor, while learning a specific choral part, gradually brings it closer to a character close to the composer’s intention.
Antimethod:
- “coaching” (multiple repetition of musical material without a specific goal) does not develop the aesthetic thinking of singers.
Conducting techniques when working on an essay:
1. work gesture(timing, showing introductions and releases, showing pitches, gestures that clearly convey the rhythmic and intonation structure of the melody);
2. figurative gestures(gestures that convey certain features of choral sound: the nature of sound design, climax, gestures that convey the musically expressive features of the melody, etc.)
Task No. 6.
Reflect on your own activities (after each of the 6 rehearsals orally to the practice leader).
Correlate your goals with your performance results; evaluate the work methods you have chosen and used and their effectiveness; name the reasons for possible failures in the work done.
Task No. 7.
Conduct this composition in a concert setting, using appropriate conducting techniques.
In the context of a concert performance, conducting skills acquire special importance - the only means of creative communication between the conductor and the performers on stage. Consequently, the conductor is required to have an appropriate level of mastery of the technique of expressive gestures that contribute to the conveyance of the figurative sphere of the composition.
Bibliography
1. Zhivov V.L. Choral performance: Theory and practice: A textbook for students. institutions of higher education. – M.: VLADOS, 2003. – 272 p.
2. Kozyreva G.G., Yakobson K.A. Dictionary of choral studies. Editor Elovskaya N.A. - Krasnoyarsk, 2009-105 p.
Send your good work in the knowledge base is simple. Use the form below
Students, graduate students, young scientists who use the knowledge base in their studies and work will be very grateful to you.
Similar documents
Principles of forming the repertoire of a children's choreographic group. Choreography in the education and development of a child’s personality. Age and individual characteristics of teaching primary school children. Methods and techniques for working on creating a repertoire.
course work, added 06/01/2015
Psychological and pedagogical foundations of the formation of a children's team, features and main stages of its development. Contents, methods of work on team building among preschool children. Principles of the experiment, analysis of the data obtained.
course work, added 01/12/2015
The concept of vocal and choral skills. Tradition of teaching choral singing in Russia. Development of vocal and choral skills when working with a junior choir group. Creation of a system of musical and singing material at school. Features of vocal education in the choir.
course work, added 11/17/2009
The problem of developing general educational skills of junior schoolchildren in psychological, pedagogical and scientific-methodological literature. Organization of the formation process, its stages. Results of an experimental study examining the impact of independent work.
thesis, added 06/10/2015
A leader as a person who is officially entrusted with the functions of managing a team and organizing its activities, the features of the functioning of a teacher in this capacity. Requirements for him in the process of managing a children's team.
test, added 01/29/2014
The problem and psychological and pedagogical foundations of the formation of the principles of environmental education among preschool children. Pedagogical conditions for the formation of ecological culture in children of middle preschool age in the process of elementary search activity.
thesis, added 06/10/2011
Philosophical-aesthetic, psychological-pedagogical foundations of vocal and choral art in Russia. Features of the formation of vocal and choral music before the 17th century. Development of choral singing in Rus'. Development of vocal and choral skills in students at the present stage.
course work, added 08/31/2011
General characteristics of teenage childhood. Psychological and pedagogical dominants of development (formation of a stereotype, one’s own uniqueness, the necessary need for love). Difficult pedagogical situations in working with teenagers and ways to resolve them.
course work, added 03/12/2014
Federal State Educational Institution
Higher and professional education
"Chelyabinsk State Academy of Culture and Arts"
Faculty of Music and Pedagogy
Department of REDO
Course work
On this topic:
Forms and methods of conducting classes in an instrumental and creative group
Completed by: student of group 421
Podshivalov A.A.
Accepted by: Associate Professor of the Department of Electronic Education
Panov D.P.
Chelyabinsk 2012
Content
Introduction
Chapter 1. Psychological characteristics and qualities of a conductor………..7
1.1 Professional qualities of a creative director (conductor)……..7
1.2 Processes of communication between the conductor and the musical ensemble………………..12
Chapter 2. Forms and methods of conducting classes…………………………….16
2.1 Rehearsal methodology………………………………………………………16
2.2 Features of rehearsal work in a musical group............17
2.3 Beginning of rehearsal of a new piece……………………………………18
2.4 Detailed study of individual batches...................................... ..................... .19
2.5 Mastering a piece in groups……………………………………………………21
Conclusion……………………………………………………………………24
References…………………………………………………………….26
Introduction
The relevance of the topic is due to the need for a more complete study of the content and specifics of the professional activity of a conductor in an instrumental creative group. What forms, methods are best to use, where, when and how to put them into practice.
Currently, conducting is increasingly becoming a profession that musicians of other profiles cannot engage in without appropriate professional training, as was often practiced in the past. Professional performers - orchestra musicians - strive to work with competent conductors. Therefore, already at the beginning of his career, a modern conductor must have deep knowledge and the ability to interpret works in an interesting and meaningful way. Also, the leader of a professional team must have a wide range of important professional qualities, which include, in addition to music, pedagogical, psychological, and organizational qualities. Equally important for a conductor is good, high-quality mastery of manual technique.
From the very beginning, the conducting profession seemed to be a mysterious area of musical performance, both for people professionally engaged in conducting activities, and for a wide range of music lovers. Despite the existing theoretical developments of the problems of conducting art, conducting still remains for many, in the words of L. Stokowski, “one of the most vague and misunderstood areas of musical art.”
Even A.N. Rimsky-Korsakov called conducting a “dark matter,” and he was not far from the truth. At that time, science was not yet able to solve the emerging theoretical and practical problems of the conducting profession; in addition, practice was significantly ahead of theory, without receiving sufficient scientific justification. Conductor Yu. Simonov notes: “It is well known that conducting is a complex psychophysical human activity. At the same time, it represents the theoretically least studied and substantiated type of musical performance.” It should be noted that the professional activities of many outstanding conductors of the past still do not have a psychological generalization.
Each conductor found his own way of managing the ensemble, relying on his own vision of the goals and objectives of conducting, on his own ideas and intuition. The study of conductors' activities mainly consisted of determining the necessary knowledge; skills: and skills, that is, it followed the path of study - subject and methodological training of future conductors.
Currently, thanks to research in the field of social psychology, labor psychology, communication psychology, as well as the psychology of creativity, musical psychology by L. Ginzburg “On the technique of conducting” activities, psychology of creativity, musical psychology, the opportunity has arisen (based on the results of scientific research) explain the structure of the functioning of the psychological mechanisms underlying the professional activity of a conductor.
The works of A.L. Bochkarev, A.L. Gotsdiner, G.L. Erzhemsky, V.I. Petrushin, V.G. Razhnikov are devoted to the psychological analysis of conducting activity and consideration of the structure of conducting abilities. The question of the professionally important qualities of a conductor in the context of his professional activities remains open today.
Thus, incomplete mastery of theoretical and practical knowledge, poor mastery of manual techniques, and inability to understand the texture of a work leads modern leaders (conductors) of musical and creative groups to psychological constriction. That is, when going to the musicians for rehearsals, the leader (conductor) most often does not know where to start, hence he becomes psychologically constrained, unbalanced (may: shout, swear, demand from the musicians what he himself cannot explain).
Goal: to identify a set of professionally important qualities of the conductor (leader) of a musical and creative group, to determine their structure and significance in the process of selecting forms and methods of conducting classes in a musical and creative group.
Object of study: the formation of professional qualities of an orchestra conductor, expressed in the selection of forms and methods of conducting classes.
Subject of research: musical qualities of the conductor.
Tasks:
1. Review and analyze works on conducting, research on musical psychology concerning the content and structure of a conductor’s activity.
2. Identify and consider the main components of the professionally important qualities of an orchestra conductor.
3. Define key concepts in the formation of professional qualities of a conductor.
4. Determine the specific features of the conducting profession.
5. Consider the forms and methods of conducting classes in musical and creative groups.
In my opinion, on this topic, we can recommend the following works for musicians to study:
Educational and methodological manual “Issues of methods of working with a pop instrumental ensemble”, authors Khabibulin R.G., Panov D.P. Chelyabinsk 2011
This work fully examines the psychological and pedagogical characteristics of the ensemble members, the pop ensemble is shown as an object of musical and pedagogical activity, and material from the history and development of instrumental ensembles is also well revealed.
Article by N.V. Buyanova “The role of the conductor in the artistic and creative process”
In this article, the author identifies special methods of communication between a musician leader and performers, and the patterns of formation of a positive microclimate in a creative team. The article also emphasizes the connection between the conductor’s ability to organize the creative process and his personal qualities. The essence of a creative team, communication, professional competence.
Chapter 1. Psychological characteristics and qualities of a conductor.
1.1Professional qualities of a creative director (conductor).
Professionally necessary qualities are the individual, personal and socio-psychological characteristics of a person, which together ensure the success of his work.
Conducting is a complex complex of various types of musical activities, including actions that occur sequentially or simultaneously and are aimed at different goals. Each of them is performed with more or less effort, caused and motivated by various motives, and accompanied by corresponding emotions. The numerous functions performed by the conductor at the time of directing the performance are interconnected, and sometimes appear in contradictory and even conflicting relationships. No other form of performing art knows such originality.
A conductor (from the French diriger - to manage, direct, lead) is the leader of the learning and performance of ensemble (orchestral, choral, opera, ballet) music, who owns the artistic interpretation of the work, carried out under his direction by the entire ensemble of performers.
The conductor ensures ensemble harmony and technical perfection of performance, and also strives to convey his artistic intentions to the musicians he leads, to reveal in the process of performance his interpretation of the composer’s creative intent, his understanding of the content and stylistic features of a given work. The basis of the conductor's performance plan is a thorough study and the most accurate, careful reproduction of the text of the author's score.
A conductor is not only a leader, organizer, interpreter, but also a teacher.
And a teacher and a conductor have a lot in common: goodwill, tact, the ability to “ignite” people and lead them. “There is no need to prove the indisputable position that the leader of a musical group is essentially his mentor and teacher. His duty is to educate the team, improve its performing culture, the ability to understand and feel the figurative and emotional content of music,” wrote the famous teacher, conductor, professor of the Leningrad Conservatory Ilya Aleksandrovich Musin.
A musician engaged in conducting must understand that conducting is not an end in itself, but a means of communication between the conductor and the orchestra musicians, a method of transmitting information, that is, the musical language with which the conductor speaks with the musical group (orchestra members).
What is “conducting”?
Conducting (from German dirigieren, French diriger - to direct, manage, lead; English conducting) is one of the most complex types of musical performing arts.
Conducting is the management of a group of musicians (orchestra, choir, ensemble, opera or ballet troupe, etc.) in the process of learning and publicly performing a musical work. Carried out by the conductor.
A conductor must have a whole range of different abilities. Psychologists call abilities those personality traits that ensure a person’s successful performance of any activity, dividing them into general and special abilities. Abilities are the result of development. They are formed and reach one or another level, subject to the active involvement of a person in strictly defined activities.
A musical director (conductor) must have such musical abilities as: musicality, ear for music, rhythm, musical memory. Performing abilities are also important - playing an instrument, manual technique. It is necessary to have three basic musical abilities in the structure of musicality: modal sense, the ability to voluntarily use auditory representations reflecting pitch movement and musical-rhythmic feeling.
These abilities form the core of musicality. Musicality is understood by most researchers as a unique combination of abilities and emotional aspects of a person, manifested in musical activity. The importance of musicality is great not only in aesthetic and moral education, but also in the development of human psychological culture.
A person who feels the beauty of music, its expressiveness, who is capable of perceiving a certain artistic content in the sounds of a work, and if he is a performer, then reproducing this content should be called musical. Musicality presupposes a subtle differentiated perception of music, but the ability to distinguish sounds well does not mean that this is a musical perception, and that the person who has it is musical.
It is known that a conductor must have an extraordinary ear for music. Musical hearing is a complex concept and includes a number of components, the most important of which are pitch, modal (melodic and harmonic), timbre and dynamic hearing. There is also absolute and relative musical ear. The presence of absolute pitch (passive or active) often indicates general musical talent. The better the conductor's hearing, the more complete his mastery of the orchestra. Having perfect pitch is useful for a conductor, but not necessary. But he needs to have good relative hearing, which makes it possible to distinguish the relationships of sounds in height, taken simultaneously and sequentially. Even an established musician must constantly continue to train his ear.
The most important working tool for a conductor is a highly developed internal ear.
Inner hearing refers to the conductor’s ability to imagine the sound of both individual tones and chords, and their entirety, during the process of reading the score. Reading a score without an instrument, like reading a book without speaking the words out loud, is a matter of practice, and every conductor must master it to perfection.
The basis of communication, which unites the activities of the conductor and the orchestra into a single system, is the interpenetrating attention of the director and the ensemble. The conductor must be able to establish and constantly maintain contact with each of the orchestra members and with the entire ensemble as a whole.
The development of musical abilities goes in parallel with the development of auditory attention.
Attention is a person’s psychological state that characterizes the intensity of his cognitive activity. The world around us constantly influences a person in many of its aspects, but only part of what is happening around ends up in consciousness. This reveals the selective nature of our cognition. At the same time, we try to focus on something important to us, we peer, listen, and pay attention.
Great scientists, musicians, figures of various types of art devoted a lot of time to the study: K. Stanislavsky, L. Kogan, I. Hoffman, B. Teplov and others.
The orchestra conductor most often uses “controlling attention” (external), which is aimed at solving organizational problems: monitoring and regulating the actions of the orchestra. At the same time, internal contacts cover the intellectual sphere associated with the creative process.
Internal contact is a way of understanding the inner world of a musician, penetrating into his creative self. It should be noted that internal contacts have a double direction of hearing: the first - to control the actions of the orchestra, and the second - to contact the conductor with his internal sound of the orchestra, that is, his idea of how the orchestra should sound.
According to many outstanding conductors, such as Walter, Weingartner, the essence of communication between the conductor and musicians lies in the mutual mental charging of each other, the emergence of a special “spiritual current” between people.
Of all the skills necessary for a conductor to perform his activities, auditory attention should be placed in first place. Auditory attention is necessary for every musician-performer. While playing an instrument, the musician listens carefully to his performance, comparing it with the ideas that have formed in his mind.
In the activities of a conductor, both types of auditory attention - performing and pedagogical - are combined in an organic unity. While listening to the orchestra, the conductor solves problems similar to those of every instrumentalist teacher working with his student; he must achieve the most perfect embodiment of the piece being performed.
No less important for the successful performance of a conductor is a developed musical memory. It is important for a conductor to develop auditory memory, which serves as the basis for successful work in any field of musical art; logical - associated with understanding the content of the work, the patterns of development of the composer’s thoughts; motor - associated with the conductor's manual technique; visual - in studying and memorizing the score.
Finally, the conductor must have a sense of imagination. Imagination is a magical gift; it gives birth to images and discoveries. Creative imagination is the ability that helps us move from idea to execution. Already in the process of studying the score, the conductor faces performance problems, problems of artistic interpretation, which means that it is no longer possible to do without artistic imagination, without fantasy. In the creative process, fantasy, artistic imagination is everything. It is necessary to develop and train creative imagination and intuition.
It all starts with talent. Talent is the ability to work (there is no genius without work), it is an amazing insight into the essence of a work. Talent needs to be treated with care.
The conductor's (genuine) talent is an absolute rarity. This talent presupposes the ability to embrace a musical phenomenon in its comprehensive meaning - historical, social, folk and national. And this is not given to many.
1.2 Processes of communication between the conductor and the musical ensemble
Many conductors note that during conducting, “spiritual currents” arise between them and the musicians, through which the necessary connection is established. They talk about the hypnotic effect of the conductor on the consciousness of the musicians, who, as if spellbound, follow all the instructions of the conductor’s gesture. Many conductors place great importance on eye contact. “The eyes are omnipotent,” said Yu. Ormandy. “Inspiring, pleading, convincing eyes are a means of constant communication between the orchestra leader and the musicians, a mirror that reflects every thought and emotion of the conductor.”
Attempts to teach conducting to blind musicians have not been successful. The lack of lively facial expressions and eye contact negatively affected the result.
A very important problem is the ability to make critical comments to your musicians regarding their performance. Many of them perceive such comments painfully, since several comments from the conductor to the same musician about how best to play this or that phrase can be perceived by him as damage to his professional prestige. The recommendations from Dale Carnegie’s book “How to Win Friends and Influence People” can be of great help to the conductor here. In the section devoted to how to influence people without offending them or causing feelings of resentment, D. Carnegie writes that for this you need:
· start with praise and sincere recognition of the merits of the interlocutor;
· point out errors not directly, but indirectly;
· first talk about your own mistakes, and then criticize your interlocutor;
· ask your interlocutor questions instead of ordering him something;
· express approval to people about their slightest success and celebrate their every success;
· Give people a good reputation that they will try to maintain.
A conductor's ability to communicate is one of the integral facets of his talent.
From the point of view of transactional theory, in order to maintain good relationships with musicians, the conductor must be able to alternately be in three positions - Parent, Adult and Child. Being in the position of the Parent and having all the powers of authority, the conductor can order certain actions to be performed or not performed, for example, to impose a fine for being late for rehearsals or to reprimand for violations of the terms of the contract. Being in the position of an Adult, he discusses the problems of interpreting a piece of music or an issue from the current life of the orchestra. Being in the Child position, he can joke with his musicians, for example: tell them a funny story or anecdote.
The ability to take the right position depending on the current situation contributes to the formation and maintenance of group unity of the team.
The main and most developed field of activity and joint communication between the conductor and the choir is the rehearsal. That's why the orchestra and conductor always need it. The orchestra needs to get to know and assimilate the conductor’s gestures, know his interpretation of the musical work, and the tempos. The conductor needs to know the performance capabilities of soloists, individual groups and the orchestra as a whole, its flexibility and speed of reaction to the conductor’s direction.
gesture. They must “work together” within two or three rehearsals. For a conductor, the choir is a “living instrument” that he cannot have at his disposal in independent preparatory work, therefore, the less experience the conductor has, the more scarce the rehearsal time for him. At the same time, establishing the number of rehearsals, organizing the rehearsal itself and its productivity is a serious test of the conductor’s maturity and his psychological qualities.
A good knowledge of the score and excellent command of conducting technique increase the productivity of rehearsals, however, this is not the only condition for establishing mutual understanding between the conductor and the choir. Here, psychological conditions of communication play a significant and sometimes decisive role.
Thus, of all performing professions, the profession of a conductor is the most difficult and responsible.
Conducting activities evoke the most contradictory judgments among listeners, and sometimes even among professional musicians. From the fact that the same work by different conductors, in the same orchestra, sounds completely differently, listeners, and sometimes musicians, conclude that the art of conducting is something mystical, inexplicable, a kind of epiphenomenon. This impression is further strengthened after meeting with an outstanding conductor who achieves exceptional creative results. But more “sober” musicians do not see anything mystical in this. In such cases, they rightly note the outstanding musical and creative merits of the conductor, his ability to rationally conduct rehearsals, great creative imagination and high culture, which help him captivate the orchestra members with his interpretation, his understanding of even overplayed works.
Chapter 2. Forms and methods of rehearsals.
2.1 Rehearsal methodology
The main form of collective activities in the educational work of musical and creative groups (ensembles) are rehearsals.
Rehearsal is a preparatory, trial performance of a piece of music.
In the practice of musical and creative groups, there are four main types of rehearsals. Each of which has its own tasks and specific features.
Types of rehearsals
Corrective rehearsal is carried out with the aim of clarifying the nature of the arrangement of the piece being learned, compliance with its content, performance intent, as well as to identify shortcomings and determine ways to eliminate them. It is carried out in groups with a fairly high level of musical training, in cases where the director has doubts about the instrumentation of a play or song.
An ordinary, or working, rehearsal is carried out to study a specific work and prepare it for concert performance. Depending on the complexity of the play, the director determines the number of ordinary rehearsals and draws up a rehearsal plan for each of them, indicating the tasks to be solved. Such rehearsals are held with the full orchestra (ensemble), in groups and individually. The purpose of this rehearsal is to practice the parts in detail.
Run-through rehearsals are carried out to solve individual problems related to improving the quality of performance of the entire work, establishing the correct ratio of tempos, dynamics, etc., as well as to maintain the proper artistic level of performance of finished works.
A dress rehearsal is carried out to determine the readiness of the piece being learned for concert performance and to eliminate minor errors. It is a kind of result of ordinary rehearsals, so it should be assigned when the piece has been worked out in detail and is ready for performance at a concert.
2.2 Features of rehearsal work in a musical group
The process of rehearsal work with a musical and creative team consists of solving many performing and educational problems. The main task is the musical, aesthetic and creative development of musicians in the process of working on a piece. Here we can highlight and emphasize the educational emphasis in organizing rehearsals in instrumental and creative groups (ensembles), since it is in these groups that there are often negative aspects and pedagogical miscalculations in the methodology of conducting classes with group members. Many managers blindly copy the activities of professional orchestras and ensembles and mechanically transfer general methodological techniques for working with a professional musical group to small ensembles, without taking into account their specifics. Of course, the nature of the activity of a circle member is close to that of a professional musician (preparing a piece for performance in front of an audience). It is built on the same principles and occurs in the same sequence as the creative work of professional musicians.
The peculiarity of organizing the rehearsal process in instrumental and creative groups (ensembles) is that:
Firstly, work on a piece of music is subject to educational tasks, takes place at different levels and covers a much longer period of time for its development.
Secondly, for a professional, the result of his activity - performance - acts as a means of aesthetic influence on the listener, and in the work of an amateur performer, both preparation and performance are important, first of all, as a means of aesthetic development and formation of the personality of the participant himself.
Therefore, blind copying of the activities of professional groups causes certain damage to the organization of the educational process in musical and creative groups (ensembles).
The manager must critically reflect on the positive that has been accumulated in the practical work of professional performers and creatively apply it, taking into account the capabilities of his team.
The peculiarities of the methodology of the rehearsal process in musical and creative groups (ensembles) are determined by the level of professional training of the participants and the specific conditions of the activity of the amateur group.
Most importantly, certain tasks facing the team.
Depending on the level of performing skills of the team members, the director establishes a number of stages of the rehearsal process. Each of them has its own characteristic features and tasks.
2.3 Start of rehearsal of a new piece
Work on a new work begins with familiarizing the participants of the musical creative team (ensemble) with the musical material. If the team is a beginner, then the leader introduces the participants to the work in his own performance or includes audio or video recording. Tells about the author, character and content of the play. Draws the attention of musicians to the features of the musical language and style of the work. And also on dynamic shades, rhythm, strokes, structure of the work, etc.If the group is sufficiently prepared, then the leader briefly outlines the necessary information about the author, the content of the work, characterizes its features and sets tasks for the participants, pointing out to the musicians the performance difficulties that they have to overcome. Then, playing the piece in its entirety with an ensemble or orchestra, without stopping, so that the members of the group get a general idea of it, he begins to solve performance problems together with them, involving everyone in the search for expressive means.
It should be noted the interesting experience of some leaders in organizing familiarization with a musical work, aimed at enhancing the musical-cognitive activity of amateur performance participants. This method can be used in groups with known performing training. The leader sets aside some time for the musicians to individually review and preliminary master their parts, after which the piece is played in full and, if possible, without stopping. Then he begins a discussion, during which the participants independently determine the content of the work, the nature of the themes, developments, features of the texture, etc. and outline an action plan for its development. The manager directs this work and corrects it if necessary.
2.4 Detailed study of individual batches
A detailed study of the work begins with each musician individually studying his part. At the rehearsal, individual learning of the part is carried out under the guidance of the conductor. More trained participants can also be involved in this work. The leader identifies difficult places, clarifies the strokes and instructs them to work out the parts with the rest of the members of the musical and creative team (ensemble).At this stage, the main attention should be paid to the correct reading of the musical text, purity of intonation, observance of strokes and dynamic shades. As a rule, learning a part is carried out at a slow pace so that the performer can note difficult places in terms of performance (complex rhythmic pattern, passage, awkward fingering, etc.). Next, work on them in detail, gradually eliminating the shortcomings of your execution.
The leader should not allow the steps to be played out mechanically
etc.................
INTRODUCTION
Choral singing as a form of musical art. The role and significance of choral singing in the life of the people
The importance of the subject “Choral studies” in the professional training of a music teacher
The determining direction in improving the general and musical culture of the people is choral singing. It also acts as the leading activity of students in music lessons at school. Teaching children to sing correctly and beautifully, while bringing joy to themselves and those around them, is one of the tasks of a future teacher-musician. From the above it follows that the subjects of the conducting and choral cycle are of great importance in the professional training of a music teacher.
The subjects of the conducting-choral cycle, studied by students at the Faculty of Music and Pedagogy, include six main educational lectures and practical courses: choral studies, conducting, choral class and practical work with the choir, methods of working with the children's choir, choral arrangement, choirmaster practice with educational and children's choral groups. This choice of the listed academic disciplines is determined by the objectives of comprehensive vocal and choral training of future music teachers and consists in the systematic and consistent study of theoretical and practical knowledge, the formation of professional communication skills and management of choral groups of various compositions and ages. In response to the general goal of professional training for a music teacher and director of a children's choir, each of the subjects occupies a strictly defined place in this system and solves very specific problems.
Thus, in the process of working in a choral class, students learn the skills of communicating with a choral group in two capacities - a singer and a conductor, acquire professional skills in singing in a choir, and comprehend the social and personal significance of choral singing as a means of cultivating spiritual culture.
In the conducting class, students acquire knowledge about the history of the formation and development of conducting art. In practical classes, students learn to master their own conducting techniques. Under the guidance of the teacher, work is carried out to study, comprehend and reproduce on the instrument techniques for performing choral scores, compiling and preparing oral and written annotations and analyzes of coursework and diploma choral works.
In the choral arrangement course, students learn techniques and methods for arranging choral works from one choir to another. In practical classes on choral arrangement, students comprehend and consolidate knowledge about the artistic capabilities and specifics of the sound of each type and type of choir.
The content of choirmaster practice is the live practical work of students with children's choirs of secondary schools and educational course choirs of the faculty. During the practice, students are given the opportunity to try themselves as a core leader, to see and feel their organizational, pedagogical and musical-performing capabilities.
During independent work with a children's or educational course choir, they will be able to evaluate all the musical and pedagogical knowledge they have accumulated during previous vocal and choral training, and predict the possibilities of its use in subsequent practical activities.
The course “Choral Studies” occupies a special place in the cycle of conducting and choral disciplines. The current state of the subject is considered in the unity of its three components: firstly, the study of the history of choral performance from the point of view of analyzing the development of choral art of various eras, genres, forms and styles; secondly, comprehension of the theoretical foundations of choral art, the psychophysiological mechanism of the singing process, the development of the vocal and choral culture of choir singers, the characteristics of the means of musical expressiveness of a choral work; thirdly, mastering the methodology and practice of working with the choir.
This course opens the cycle of conducting and choral disciplines and is studied at the Faculty of Music and Pedagogy in the first semester of the first year. The theoretical knowledge acquired by students in the “Choral Studies” course is subsequently implemented in practical classes in conducting, choral class, choral and pedagogical practice. The effectiveness of the methodology for conducting rehearsal work with the choir, manifested in the ability to communicate with the choir during classes and concert performances, is largely determined by the level of students’ knowledge in this academic discipline.
The Choral Studies course is taught through lectures, seminars and practical classes. The content of the lecture sessions includes the most complex and voluminous historical, theoretical and methodological issues that form the basis of the course. The purpose of the seminar classes is to consolidate the knowledge acquired during the lectures, demonstrating the level of their consolidation when analyzing the choral score, methods of independent work of the conductor when preparing fragments of the choral rehearsal. In practical classes, when attending rehearsals of choirs, students get acquainted with the experience of the leading choirmasters of the Republic, as well as teachers - leaders of student choirs, processing and assimilating their best methodological and pedagogical techniques.
The study of this discipline ends with an oral examination. The exam papers include theoretical questions, tasks on analyzing fragments of a choral score and demonstrating a system of vocal and choral exercises and fragments of learning works with a choir. As a rule, the first question on the ticket is devoted to the history of choral art and the evolution of its genres. In covering the second question, it is necessary to demonstrate knowledge of the theory of choral studies, the practice of working with a choir, and also to characterize the features of the choral structure and ensemble. The answer to the third question should demonstrate the volume and quality of the student’s independent work on selecting vocal and choral chants and exercises, drawing up a program for a choral concert, presenting and justifying a choir rehearsal prospectus.
Chapter 2. THEORETICAL FOUNDATIONS OF CHORAL PERFORMANCE
Topic 1. Genres of choral performance
Topic 2. Definition of the concept of “choral group”. Types and types of choir. Choral score
Topic 3. Ranges of the choir and choral parts Registers of singing voices. Choral tessitura
Topic 4. Formation and recruitment of choral parts of a mixed choir
Topic 5. Characteristics of the artistic and performing capabilities of different types of choral groups
Topic 6. The composition of the choir and its arrangement during rehearsals and concert performances
Chapter 3. FORMATION OF VOCAL TECHNIQUE AND ITS IMPORTANCE IN INCREASING THE PERFORMING CULTURE OF THE CHOIR
Topic 1. Singing breathing, its types and types. Correct singing attitude
Topic 2. Attack of sound and main types of sound management in choir
Topic 3. Diction in the choir and its role in revealing the ideological and semantic content of a choral work
Chapter 4. CHARACTERISTICS OF ELEMENTS OF VOCAL-CHORAL SOUNDS
Topic 1. Choral structure. Methods of working on formation in the choir
Topic 2. Choral ensemble. Methodology for working on an ensemble in a choir.
Chapter 5. TECHNOLOGY OF VOCAL-CHORAL WORK: FORMS, CONTENT, METHODS OF TRAINING CHOIR SINGERS
Topic 1. Amateur choir as a type of musical creativity
Topic 2. Main directions of work of the amateur choir
Topic 3. The conductor’s work on independent study of the choral score
Topic 4. Choir rehearsal, methods of organizing and conducting it.
Topic 5. Concert activity of the choir, its role and significance
Chapter 6. WRITTEN ANALYSIS OF A CHORAL WORK
General requirements for the preparation of a written analysis of a choral work
APPLICATION. Examples of the use of M. Lermontov’s poem “In the Wild North” in the choral works of Russian composers
LITERATURE
Rehearsal is a process of gradual, increasingly perfect expression of the artistic idea of a work, accompanied by an enrichment of creative experience and an increase in the performing level of singers.
In rehearsal work, the choirmaster’s activities are multifunctional. He:
A performing musician who realizes his performing intentions in live sound (performing function);
A teacher who instills in singers the vocal and choral skills necessary for successfully solving performing tasks (pedagogical function);
Organizer and leader of the rehearsal process (managerial function);
These functions are interrelated and closely intertwined. The leading one is performing. It correlates with the other two according to the “goal-means” type (performance is the goal of rehearsal work, training singers and a clear organization of the rehearsal process are the necessary means to achieve the goal).
Various components of the choirmaster’s profession are taught in classes in individual disciplines (conducting, voice staging, piano, choral studies, music theoretical subjects, etc.). However, the ability to work with a choir is something other than the simple sum of the listed knowledge and skills. You can be able to conduct well, sing, play, know the methodology, but at the same time work poorly (with little results) with the choir.
The ability to rehearse effectively to one degree or another is based on the synthesis of performing talent with pedagogical and organizational abilities and is formed mainly in the process of practical communication with a group of performers.
Planning rehearsal work
In order to avoid drift, confusion, and scatteredness, it is recommended that each rehearsal be carefully thought out and planned. The role of planning increases even more when it comes to a whole series of rehearsals to prepare a concert program. The presence of a clearly developed program of action helps in this case not to lose perspective in work, to pay due attention to the main and secondary, and to more rationally manage the available rehearsal time. There are long-term and rehearsal planning.
Long-term planning solves strategic problems. Along the way, the choirmaster must:
Determine the amount of rehearsal time required to prepare the choral program (total number of hours, concert date);
Outline the types of rehearsals depending on the stage of work (introductory, set-up, summary, run-throughs, dress rehearsal, testing the hall, etc.);
Decide how many hours will be allocated for the preparation of each of the works in the program (adequate to the level of complexity of the score);
Determine which compositions will be rehearsed at each lesson;
Outline a strategy for the technical and figurative-emotional development of singers, i.e. a plan for working on the performance skills required in preparing this program;
Rehearsal planning is carried out by the choirmaster before each rehearsal based on a long-term plan. Its main points:
Outline the episodes of the score to be worked out, the sequence of work on them and the amount of rehearsal time for each of them;
Determine the purpose of working on each episode at this rehearsal (aiming to achieve clean intonation, expressive pronunciation, ensemble in a part, etc.)
Select appropriate work methods to achieve the goal;
Try to predict the technical, figurative-emotional difficulties that the singers will encounter in the planned episodes, and find ways to overcome them;
Think through the issues of organizing rehearsal work and instrumentation of pedagogical influence on the team (showing the quality of performance in voice and on the piano, figurative and emotional characteristics of music, forms of presenting artistic, technical, disciplinary requirements for singers, assessing the quality of performance, etc.).
To effectively carry out planning, the conductor must:
By the time of planning, have clearly established performance intentions, know in detail what artistic result will be achieved in working on this work;
Imagine what means should be used to achieve the goal;
It is good to know the performing capabilities of this choir;
It is advisable to have experience in rehearsal planning.
The rehearsal plan can be detailed to varying degrees. It is enough for an experienced choirmaster to think through only the main milestones, but he will be able to improvise the details. An inexperienced leader should know that successful improvisation is not groundless; it is born, as a rule, on the foundation of long-term practice and painstaking work done in advance. The path to it lies through detailed planning of rehearsals.
The planned plan in the process of work may turn out to be more or less impracticable. However, this should not be a reason for not planning rehearsals. The value of planning is that the choirmaster carefully thinks through the upcoming work, and this directly or indirectly affects the effectiveness of the rehearsal process.
It is useful to analyze each rehearsal in order to improve rehearsal skills and planning experience. Based on the analysis of the rehearsal, the choirmaster, if necessary, can make adjustments both to the long-term plan and to the planning of the next rehearsal.