KIKUCHI VOCAL METHOD LESSON - Kikuchi Music Institute

1 KIKUCHIVOCAL METHODLESSON(Level 1)By Lee W. KikuchiThe KIKUCHI Music Institute LibraryiiThe KIKUCHI VOCAL METHOD is a wonderfully new systematic VOCAL teaching approach unlike any other methodcurrently available. The KIKUCHI VOCAL METHOD includes coordinated books in four areas of instruction: LESSON ,Vocalise, Diction, and Songs, and Level 1 is intended for students ages 12 and older. Students under the age of 12should be given KIKUCHI VOCAL METHOD Primer Level to prepare for this book. Since the student is expected to receive(or to have had) piano training with accompanying theory, this METHOD system does not address issues of theory ormusic reading except when they specifically relate to the voice.

2 The student is expected to learn the general musicconcepts through study of the piano and the VOCAL concepts through this VOCAL METHOD system. The LESSON bookintroduces each new VOCAL concept with short musical examples to practice. The Vocalise book contains vocalexercises which should be performed daily to help build the VOCAL technique, and develop the student s daily warm-uproutine. The Diction book covers issues of language, phonetics and pronunciation as they apply to singing. As thestudent advances to the other levels, the Diction book will include study of other languages, namely pronunciationrules and basic vocabulary.

3 The student then synthesizes the skills learned in these three books by learning therepertoire songs provided in the fourth book, Songs. This book is a sampling of actual VOCAL literature of all types:hymns, children s songs, folk songs, popular songs and classical literature arranged in order of difficulty. Since thesesongs will not contain any new material, the student should be assigned them to learn without any teacher preparationas a way of testing what the student has mastered to-date. This series progresses through Levels 1, 2 and 3 afterwhich the student is will be prepared to study the standard operatic and concert literature.

4 The author is currentlywriting intermediate materials to follow the Level 3 books, primarily in the areas of Italian, German, French, Spanishand Russian diction, that should be available in a few order copies or to provide feedback, contact the author at: KIKUCHI Music Institute1515 Warren StreetPittsburgh, PA 15212(412) 322-0520 LWKikuchi @ visit thanks to Randall D. Christner, Sr. and Barbara King KIKUCHI for assistingin the proofreading of these Printing 2006 KIKUCHI Music Institute , 1515 Warren St. , Pittsburgh, PA 15212 (412) 322-0520iiiTABLE OF viIntroduction .. ixWhat is Singing? ..1 Energy Source, Vibrator and Lip Trill ..5 Sliding Up and in Control Rules for Clapping and Saying ta.

5 8 Clapping and Saying TA ..9 Review 1 ..10 The Musical on the mi-fa-sol ..14 Singing Final Consonants ..16 Merrily Greet the Morn ..17 Multiple Minor do-mi-sol ..20 Skipping 2 ..22 Skipping la ..24 Alphabet Note Rhythms ..26 This Old ti ..28 Horse to Consonants on and Boys Come Out to 3 ..35 The Seven Sound VOCAL Ailments ..37 Sound Breathing ..38 Onset/Release Control Rules For Good Sound Basic Onset .. Sells Sea Consonant Clusters ..44 Unvoiced Consonant Clusters ..45 Review and Bo-Peep ..49 Singing Duets ..50Oh How Lovely is the Chord the s Go to the Zoo ..55 Review Key of F Major ..59 Movable and Fixed / Dominant in F B=.

6 62 Dotted Major to the ..74On the Banks of the 4ths and of Ages ..77 Inverted Major s Lullaby ..79 Review Key of G the World Is and Minor , Hymns and Voice Latin ..100 Final Review Review Review KIKUCHI VOCAL METHOD system teaches students how to sing from the ground up, startingwith the simplest steps and gradually progressing sequentially through the musical concepts andtechnique with incrementally increasing difficulty and complexity. This system is modeled afterseveral very successful piano METHOD books, which teach piano playing in a very progressive andsystematic way. The existing VOCAL materials assume the student already has two basic musicalskills: reading Music and singing in tune.

7 Many students seek voice training who do not have priormusical knowledge, and this METHOD system was written specifically for all such KIKUCHI VOCAL METHOD series will have three levels and four books at each level: LESSON ,Vocalise, Diction, and Song (repertoire). This system assumes that the student knows nothingabout Music , and can be used for children as well as adults. However, Level 1 of this series hasbeen written with the adult singer in mind and should be used for students ages 12 and teachers refuse to accept voice students before age 12, but since the KIKUCHI Music Instituteenrolls many voice students under age 12, a special set of Primer Level books will be published tohelp prepare those young students for the Level 1 of the series.

8 Students age 12 and over as well asstudents who have completed the first level (primer) books in piano may begin directly withLevel KIKUCHI VOCAL METHOD - Primer Level is specially designed for the younger voice and willteach many basic concepts much more slowly. There will be two Primer books: Voice andLanguage. The Primer Voice book starts with pre-staff notation, and on the black keys (withpictures to help students find notes) to coincide with many of the piano methods . It will containbasic instruction on breathing, singing, and pitch matching, with coordinated exercises and accompaniments are provided as insert boxes, so that the student is not confused bytrying to pick out their melody line in complex Music and to preserve the reading sequence of pre-staff, lettered note and big note notation.

9 The Primer Language book will give the studentimportant foundation for the Diction book at Level 1 by addressing issues of vowels, consonants,spelling, grammar and vocabulary, to ensure that the student is prepared for study of diction,regardless of his or her grade level in the traditional school. The Primer books should becompleted in about one year s time, commensurate to the student s progress on the KIKUCHI VOCAL METHOD is a play and sing approach that helps develop the student s abilityto sing and play the accompaniment at the same time. Therefore, all accompaniments arearranged according to the student s expected piano ability level.

10 As the student progresses vocally,the accompaniments will become more difficult (especially issues of coordination) assuming thatthe student s piano playing ability is progressing at the same rate. In Level 1 all songs are writtenin simple Grand Staff piano notation, but at Level 2 the student will be introduced to voice line +Grand Staff notation in order to gain competence in reading and playing from scores of thatcomplexity (3 staves).These books do not teach the fundamentals of Music theory as are necessary for any musician,and it is assumed that all voice students will always study some piano to obtain the necessarytheory and piano playing skills that all singers must have.