50 Awesome Choir Warm-Ups Cheat Sheet

1 THE 50 Awesome CHOIRWARM-UPSCHEAT Sheet !This Cheat Sheet is for you if: You re a new teacher, and looking to create a toolboxof Choir Warm-Ups to work from You re a veteran teacher that s tired of using thesameold Warm-Ups and is looking for new ideas You re new to conducting a Choir and not quite sureabout what Warm-Ups to use or how to use them You feel good about your warm-up process, but arelooking to supplement what you already doSo much of your success depends on yourWarm-Up Process Try to do one warm-up from each category Warm-Ups should change depending on your objective Warm-Ups should have aspecific purpose Warm-Ups as your main instructional time for vocaltechnique Warm-Ups also can be (and should be) influenced byyour repertoire Have a primary learning objective with each warm-up,but don tignore secondary objectivesHere are myFive Main Warm-Up Categories: Breath Tone/Vocal Production Listening/Intonation Vocal Agility/Range Extension Physical/Full Body Warm-UpsOther points of emphasis.

2 Vowel Formation Blend Musicality and Phrasing Posture Resonance FUN!Quick Tip:When using this Cheat Sheet , make sureyoudownload it to your desktop, and then open the documentfromthere. That way, all of the audio/video links willbe live , and youcan simply click on them to see the examples!THE Warm-Ups BY SECTIONBREATH WARM-UPS1-Lip Trills2-Breathe and HissSingers breathe in for 4 counts and hiss for 16, continuingthe inspiration phase as they repeat, increasing the counts with each repetition:4/20, 4/24, 6/30, 8/36, and 4/40 (thisencourages a large, expansive breath, but in a shortertime).3-Koy-YahSingers can use the k consonant as well as the articulationto feel a connection to their CrazinessUse a combination of unvoiced consonants: P, K, Ch,T, TS, F, S, Sh. Divide your Choir up into asmany groups as you like, and give each section oneof the consonants. Have them say theirconsonant, but have each group use a different rhythm halfnotes, quarter notes, eighth notes,etc.

3 You can then have them change up their rhythm. Great for building rhythmicalindependence!Video link: SolfeggioThis is a great warm-up for sustaining air, and alsogreat for building tone. Once the singershave learned it, you can switch to a hum or a one is all about the articulation, which helpsreinforce connection to the breath. This alsois a great warm-up to work on vocal sUsed to work on sustaining air through the it at a fast enough tempo where theycan make it all the way through on one breath, butwith each repetition, slow the tempo down abit to really make them work!8-Air ElevatorStudents start with one hand across their sternum;when they breathe in, their hand goes downslowly to their waist (like an elevator). Once theirelevators are all the way down, the singersthen exhale on a hiss. Their hands slowly come up, just like an elevator. The idea is that they arecontinuing the feeling of suspension while they UpSingers start with their arms straight up with theirhands together.

4 They inhale in this position,and then exhale with a hiss. As they hiss, theirarms come down to their sides. The goal is tokeep the rib cage in this expanded, li ed position,and not let it collapse. We want our singersto do the same thing when they sing a phrase!Video BreathsSingers start with their arms together straight outin front of them. They inhale for one count,taking in as much air as possible. As they inhale,their arms move out to their sides. Then,students form an [o] with their mouth and exhale ALLof their air in one count. As they exhale,their arms come back in, and their hands press together(noiselessly!).Video AND VOCAL PRODUCTION WARM-UPS1-Tee-Eee, Tee-Ay, Tee-AhEmphasize articulation to also work on connectionto the the singers to bring the open back space of the[o] into the [i] vowel, and to carry the forwardfocus of the [i] vowel over to the [o] Sigh to SingSingers should strive for a relaxed, open feeling,like the beginning of a to VowelThis warm-up starts with an ascending lip trill (Do-Re-Mi-Fa)and then descends on a vowel(So-Fa-Mi-Re-Do).

5 I start with a brighter vowel,like [i], and then move to more open [e] and [a].5-Nordic TuneStart this warm-up on a hum, working on a balanceof chiaroscuro. Then you can change todifferent vowels to explore that Voo NeeThe n and the v help the singers to keep theirsound forward as they sing through OhThis is an Awesome warm-up for building a forwardresonance, or ring , in the di VoceSinging on an [a] or [o], singers crescendo from p to f over 8 counts, and then decrescendoback to p over 8 should focus on singing with a free, relaxedtone. It is also a good test for singing purevowels, and avoiding diphthongs. With each repetition,you can change the beginningconsonant of the syllables to a different Three Bears (to the tune of America, the Beautiful )Much like the Goldilocks story, there are three bearsin our story. The first sings with a veryforward, even nasal, sound. The third bear sings witha very dark tone (froggy sound). But thesecond sings with a healthy balance of back spaceand forward AND INTONATION WARM-UPS1-Robert Shaw Interval FunThis warm-up uses a simple series of vowels: [u-a-u-a-u]Purity of vowel is a must, and thesingers must really be accurate with the exercise is simply on one pitch, so that the singerscan focus on vowels and the kinestheticaspect.

6 Here are the actions:Mi: hand pulls straight up from the top of the head;Me: hand frames the bottom of the jaw; Ma:hand drops down, as the jaw drops; Mo: index fingerdoes a circle around rounded lips; Mu:hand pulls the vowel through an imaginary strawVideo FunGive the ensemble a chord (Do-Mi-So-Do). Singingon an [a], each singer can pick any note inthat chord (in any octave). On your cue, the ensemblesings their chord. This warm-upemphasizes accuracy with the onset of tone, balance among sections, and RoundGreat for listening and part independence; you cando it as a round, dividing the Choir up by rowor by section. For a kinesthetic aspect, throw insome Curwen hand signs!Audio Up and DownOnce the ensemble can sing the exercise accurately,you can switch to a neutral syllable, such as[nu].Audio InsanityOnce the ensemble can sing the exercise accurately,you can switch to a neutral syllable, such as[nu].Audio I KnowAudio and SteadySinging on [nu], the ensemble holds a pitch and overthe course of 8 counts, moves up a 1/2 idea is that the movement is steady and consistentover the 8 they have that, have the sopranos and tenorsmove UP a 1/2 step, and at the same timehave the altos/basses move DOWN a 1/2 HoppingFor an extra challenge, establish the tonic (Do-Mi-So-Mi-Do)and then start the warm-up on anote OTHER than Do.

7 For instance, start on Re :Re-Mi-Re-Fa-Re-So, ConundrumHave the ensemble sing a chromatic scale, up and down,in unison: Do-Di-Re-Ri-Mi-Fa-Fi, the ensemble is able to sing it in unison, dothe warm-up with Tenors and Sopranosstarting on high Do and do a descending scale, andat the same time have Basses and Altosstart on low Do and do an ascending AGILITY/RANGE EXTENSION WARM-UPS1-Octave SlidesLike a siren, but more specific with pitch. Singingon a [nu] helps keep the throat open and thesound slowly, and then slowly increase the tempo whilemaintaining accuracy and articulationwith the 8th notesAudio BoatWith each repetition you can gently accelerate thetempo--the boat is sinking, so you have torow faster! ;)Audio is Great!Don t let the singers breathe a er great --crescendoinstead, and use the momentum to singthrough to the end of the Ha Ha HaThe short version is great for connecting to the long version is more of a challengein regards to agility to range Version:Audio Version:Audio Dee DoA very versatile warm-up; keep it all on one breathand think of it as one long DipThe Whippy Dip is an ice cream shop in Decorah,Iowa (home of Luther College).

8 On the wayback down, tenors and sopranos can pop up a thirdand sing fun, change the destination with each repetition:Dairy Queen, pizza Ranch, grocery store,library, EE-AY-AHAnother very versatile warm-up: breath, vowel formation,agility, phrasing all and ForthThis is a warm-up that I created to include more changeof direction and downward motion atthe beginning of the phrase. Make them work by thinkingof it as having 4 measure and SighsOpen, free and relaxed are the goals!Video WARM-UPS1-Zinga-Zinga-ZooFor the physical part: have the singers lock armswith the person next to them. On the first zinga-zinga , they lean le ; on the second zinga-zinga ,they lean right; and on the last zinga-zinga , they do the twist!Video Bonnie Lies Over the OceanSingers start standing; every time they sing a wordthat starts with a b , they then you finish, repeat up a half step, and gentlyincrease the PullSingers stand a couple of feet apart, reaching outtheir right hand to their partner and joinhands.

9 Singing 1-2-3-4-5-4-3-2-1 , they lean awayfrom each other going up to 5, and then,using their core, pull back to upright as they singback down to 1. The resistance of the pullingsensation between the singers should mimic the feelingof singing through the , Shoulders, Knees and ToesYou know what to do. To spice it up, do itbackwards!5-Stretch and Pat DownFollowing stretching, we will sometimes do a patdown ; singers start at the top of their bodyand pat themselves down, all the way to their up with face/jaw massage to helprelease any Seconds to LooseSingers start in a tall, regal singing stance. Asyou count slowly from 1 to 20, singers shouldimagine that a drop of anesthesia has been droppedon their head, and with each count, ismaking its way down their spine. By the time theyget to 20, they should be slumped all the wayover, head and arms hanging towards the a couple moments, and then count to 20 again;this time they slowly roll back up intostanding position.

10 When you get to 20, have the singersgive a couple more backwards shoulderrolls, just to make sure they are free of for vocal agility, this energetic warm-up alsogets them going physically when you addchoreography!Video 5, 4, 3, 2, ! For this warm-up, singers simply sing 1-2-3-4-5-4-3-2-1-2 ,etc., looking for a nice round, warmtone. As they sing, conduct a basic 4 pattern andhave them mirror you. Feel free to spice it upby changing the size of the gesture, the tempo, have to follow you, and change theirsinging to match what you are showing them!Video ChoirHave the singers imagine they are holding an elasticband in front of them; they should starthands together at waist level. As they sing the phrase,they pull and stretch the band, keepingtheir hands at waist height. When they breathe forthe next repetition of the exercise, theirhands come back in, and they start the PotVideo WARM-UPSBONUS #1: THE SUPERMANS ingers strike their best Superman pose (tall posture,hands on hips).