JOSHUA PALKKI and

STUART CHAPMAN HILL

MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY
NAfME NATIONAL
IN-SERVICE CONFERENCE
OCTOBER 25, 2015

A form of group vocal

improvisation

What is
circle
singing?
Built on layered
ostinati

Pioneered by Bobby McFerrin and

his Voicestra ensemble

Can be teacher or student led

(more later!)

but in
my classroom?

Paparo, S. A. (in press). Circle singing: Composing

improvisation and improvising composition. In J.
Kerchner and K. Strand (Eds.), Musicianship:
Composing in choir. Chicago, IL: G.I.A.
Use circle singing as a way of embedding music
literacy/aural skills concepts youre working on
in class
Use to get inside compositional process and
think about composers intentions
Gradually hand leader role over to students
Use circle singing as a springboard for
composition

Paparo, S. A. (2015). Circle singing: New research

on participatory music making. Poster
presented at the 2015 Symposium on Music
Teacher Education, Greensboro, NC.
Circle singing is an open, generous,
welcoming form of participatory music
making
Circle singing leads participants to feel a
kind of musical high or intense enjoyment
Circle singing helped participants utilize and
hone a variety of musical skills


TURN TO A NEIGHBOR
How could you incorporate this in your own setting?
What role could circle singing play in performances?
How could you involve students as leaders?
What other ideas do you have?

Thank you!
CONTACT US FOR RESOURCES AND MORE:
www.joshpalkki.com
www.stuartchapmanhill.com