Choral Conducting Rehearsal Lesson Plan

Date: May 19th, 2015

Warm-ups:

Ensemble/Class: High School Choir

Physical: Stretch arms up, roll shoulders into good posture

Phonation (vowels, sol feg): do mi sol mi do on e focusing on

diction (fingers at corner of mouth) through chromatic ascending keys
In Flanders Fields
A. Macro run-through section: mm. 35-44
B. Micro-rehearsal
1. Measures: mm. 41-44
Section (S, A, T, B, pairings): Alto and tenor
Objectives (tuning points, text, rhythm, etc.): Address choir as a whole about
diction regarding word fields; need to avoid spread e sound. Focus in on alto and
tenor line in the last 2 measures, specifically the melisma on the word fields.
Demonstrate the alto line at this part and have students focus on your vowel placement.
Have them sing last 2 measures on vowel e with fingers at the corner of their mouths.
Next have them sing this on the word fields and draw everyones attention to where the
consonants lds at the end of the word should be placed (on beat 4 of the last measure).
Put this in context by having full choir sing from measure 41 (following the fermata) up
until the end, on loo with the exception of alto/tenor who will switch to e at fields.
Address diction/consonant placement where necessary.
2. Measures: mm. 39-41
Section(s): Soprano and Alto, Tenor and Bass
Objectives: Address choir as a whole about diction regarding words like
sleep and poppies; avoidance of the spread e sound needs to carry through. Focus in
on the soprano and alto line first do a quick run through (mm. 39-41) to see where they
are at and then address diction, intonation and rhythmic issues. Then move to tenor and
bass and do the same thing. Have full choir sing, addressing the crescendos on the
ascending lines and the descrescendos on the descending lines. If time remains, do a full
run through of these sections (mm 39-44).