[music playing]

IAN JEFFERSON: Good afternoon, everyone, and welcome to the 2021 Festival of Choral Music, also known as Choral Stage 3 Teachers' Workshop. My name's Ian Jefferson. I'm the Student Music Programs Officer K-8 here at The Arts Unit. I'm sitting here in Lewisham along with my pals Peter Copeland, David Todd, who's behind the camera, and Peter Haywood, who is monitoring the chat and helping any of you experiencing technical issues.

Before I start, I'd like to recognise the Gadigal people of the Eora nation, the land from which I am speaking to you this afternoon. These lands were never ceded and remain important to the Gadigal people to this day. We respect the living culture, spirit, and country of all Aboriginal people, including the elders past, present, and emerging.

Let us know who you are and from where you're tuning in by using the chat function at the bottom or right-hand side of your screen. Make sure that 'To' is to all panellists and attendees. Otherwise, only Peter Haywood will be able to read your comment.

I'd also quickly like to give a shout out to the concerts team here at The Arts Unit - Jenny Birrell, Sue Hill, and Susan Sukkar. Now, please rest assured that this online webinar is in no way attempting to replace the in-person teachers' workshops we normally hold at the Conservatorium, which obviously, due to COVID, couldn't happen this year.

But hopefully, some of the pre-recorded resources we're about to show you may prove useful, particularly for beginner choir teachers. These resources will become available and remain accessible on the new Arts Unit's website, which is almost ready to be launched. In the meantime, the same resources are available via my own Google Drive, to which you should have received the link I sent earlier today.

I'm sure there are some of you out there wondering if there's any likelihood the state music festivals will be held later on in the year at the Sydney Town Hall. Now, I'm afraid I have no answer to that question at this stage. Regardless of this, there's always room for us as educators to improve our conducting skills. So, I'd advise you to dive headlong into this repertoire, some of which is easy unison stuff and other reasonably complicated 2-part songs.

I'm getting a lot of the talk out of the way now, five minutes' worth, to allow latecomers to log on. So, now I'll briefly explain the structure of this afternoon's workshop. We will present the 11 songs that appear in the 2021 Festival of Choral Music repertoire book, this red book that I very much hope you have a copy of with you right now.

We won't be going through the songs in book order. But we'll announce each song when we get to it. For each piece, we'll sing through the song once using a prerecorded clip of me or Rachel Kelly or Peter Haywood conducting. The vocals will be provided by Rachel, but feel free to sing along if you can.

This will be followed by a six to eight minute video of Rachel going over some of the finer points of each song and giving little teaching tips. You'll be seeing a lot of Rachel this afternoon. For the sing-through, it's probably best you follow along using your copy of the music and listen to the audio rather than watching the video of the conductor because the vision might appear ever so slightly out of time with the sound due to internet latency. 1, 2, 3, 4.

But for the teaching tips component, you should definitely watch Rachel. The sheet music examples will pop up on the screen as she refers to them. Rachel barrels along quite quickly. But these clips will be available afterwards for you to download and to rewatch so, you can rewind, fast forward, or pause to take notes.

A little note if you're wearing headphones or have some fancy audio setup. The left, right orientation of these clips is as if you are in the middle of the choir with sopranos to your right and altos to your left. Unison vocals are usually in the centre. This will match the vision of the clips we play today.

We'll be presenting the songs in brackets of 3 followed by a 4 minute interlude where we will endeavour to answer the most common questions live. Please use the chat feature to raise any musical or logistical questions you may have, no matter how basic. Me and Pete are here to help.

So, without further ado, grab your red repertoire book. And over to pre-recorded Ian to introduce the first song. See you in half an hour.

All right, so let's get started. Open your book to page 68. The first song we're looking at is 'Some Days' by Australian composer Ben van Tienen. This piece is in unison. It's got a sort of pop feel. So, watch out for those syncopations. Also, some of the phrasing is quite long. So, lots of deep breaths. Take it away, pre-recorded Ian.

[music - Ben van Tienen, 'Some days']

RACHEL KELLY: (SINGING) Some days I feel happy. Some days make me sad. Some days I see magic. Some days I am longing. Some days seem to shine. Every day, a train comes down the line.

And I catch the train the same time every day. And I know that it will send me on my way. And no matter how the day has been, the things they've done, the things I've seen, the train can take the bad times far away.

Some days seem so perfect. Some days need a change. Some days I hear sadness. Some days life is dancing. Some days hurt my heart. Every day begins a brand-new start.

And I catch the train the same time every day. And I know that it will send me on my way. And no matter how the day has been, the things they've done, the things I've seen, the train can take the bad times far away, far away, far away.

This beautiful song is by the Australian composer Ben van Tienen. It's all in unison, so the sopranos and the altos always sing the same thing. This could be a great song to do early in the year with your choir to get them making a beautiful, pure unison sound together and getting into good habits watching you as the conductor.

The time signature is a C with a line through it, which means cut common time. It's exactly the same as 2/2, which means we conduct 2 beats in every bar. And each of those beats is a minim. So, we go like this - down, up, down, up. 1, 2, 1, 2. (SINGING) Some days I feel happy. Some days make me sad.

And the reason we don't conduct the full crotchets in each bar is because it would just give us the wrong feel for the song as well as being too fast with our arm movements. So, we'd be going like this. (SINGING) Some days I feel happy. Some days make me sad.

You'll notice those first couple of phrases cut off on the fourth beat of the bar, where that crotchet rest is. This can be difficult to show when you're conducting in 2 because that cutoff comes in between your conducting beats - 1, 2, off.

So, it only needs a tiny gesture. You could go, (SINGING) some days I feel happy. Some days make me sad. Like that. Or you could just stop the 2 conducting for that moment. So you could go, (SINGING) Some days make me happy. Some days make me sad.

The cutoff on the word 'magic' in bar 16 is a lot easier to show because it comes right with your second conducting beat. So, you'd go, (SINGING) Some days I see magic.

And make sure that 'kuh' does come all together. It's so satisfying when everyone in the choir does it at exactly the right time. So, really insist on that.

At bar 21, we have a long crescendo sign over this phrase. This means we gradually get louder. And we can show this with our conducting by starting off small and then getting bigger. So, we could go, (SINGING) Every day a train comes down the line.

This song has a real pop feel and uses a lot of syncopation in the rhythm. Syncopation is when the notes are accented off the beats instead of on the beat. So for example, at bar 25 in this phrase - (SINGING) and I catch the train the same time every day - the words 'train' and 'same' and 'time' are all syncopated because they're coming in between the beats. (SINGING) And I catch the train the same time every day.

Be very careful with these syncopated rhythms because your singers can easily sing the wrong thing, and you may not even notice. So, it could help to write the four crotchet beats above the notes in the bars to see where everything slots in. But really, it's about the feel of it and being in the right groove of the song.

And then you have to be really careful of the notes that aren't syncopated, like 'every day' in that phrase. So, (SINGING) every day all comes with beats. And then in the next phrase - (SINGING) and I know that it will send me on my way - cutting off there on the next bar.

So, the 'on my way' was all on the beat. It could be really tempting to syncopate that, as well, and to go, (SINGING) and I know that it will send me on my way, or something like that. So, just look for when it's on the beat and when it's off the beat.

And then we've got this long phrase, which is quite fun to sing because it's got lots of syncopation in it. And it starts off soft and gets louder. And we have to keep going until we see that quaver rest. But we snatch a deep breath because then we've got to get through the next phrase, as well.

So, from bar 32, it would go like this. (SINGING) And no matter how the day has been, the things they've done, the things I've seen, [inhales] the train can take the bad times far away.

And then at bar 47, we have a new verse. Look out for the change of dynamics at bar 51, where it's marked P, which means piano, which means soft. So, we do small hands here. (SINGING) Some days I hear sadness. And we want a nice, soft S but all together there so it doesn't sound messy.

And then when we get to the end of this verse, for the last phrase from bar 59, we sing a slightly different melody to what we did earlier in the song. So, it goes higher this time. We sing, (SINGING) Every day begins a brand-new start, hitting that 't' all together on that beat.

And to sing this high note really beautifully, it will really help if we do a lovely, pure 'oo' vowel on the word 'new.' (SINGING) Brand-new start, 'oo,' rather than 'ew,' which they might be tempted to do. (SINGING) Brand-new start. Very hard to get a nice sound up there like that.

So, the final chorus is the same as before except for the ending. So, earlier at bar 36, we sang it like this. (SINGING) The train can take the bad times far away.

But in this last chorus, the final phrase goes up high instead of going down. And it also holds for a little bit longer. So, from bar 74, we sing, (SINGING) the train can take the bad times far away.

Then we add on 2 extra 'far aways,' first at bar 80, which is softer - (SINGING) far away. Then at bar 83, we slow down, indicated by the word rit. Then meno mosso means we're in a new slower speed for this last phrase. So, we go, (SINGING) far away.

Now, that last note has a pause on it. There's no need to conduct the beats through that bar. You can just hold it. Then we cut everything off together. And we can hold our hands in the air just for that magic moment before we lower them and the audience bursts into rapturous applause.

IAN JEFFERSON: Thanks, Rachel. Rapturous applause. Now, the next song we are looking at is the song prior to 'Some Days' in the repertoire book. It's 'Homeward bound,' and it's on page 60. This piece is by Marta Keen. It's in 2 parts.

So, if you're wearing headphones, make sure your headphones are on the right way around, left and your right ears, so that the corresponding parts when it's in 2 parts are on the correct side. You'll see. Here we go.

[music - Marta Keen, 'Homeward bound']

RACHEL KELLY: (SINGING) In the quiet, misty morning, when the moon has gone to bed, when the sparrows stop their singing and the sky is clear and red, when the summer ceased its gleaming, when the corn is past its prime, when adventure's lost its meaning, I'll be homeward bound in time.

Bind me not to the pasture. Chain me not to the plough. Set me free to find my calling. And I'll return to you somehow.

If you find it's me you're missing -

You'll find it's me you're missing.

If you're hoping I'll return -

You're hoping I'll return.

To your thoughts, I'll soon be listening. In the road, I'll stop and turn.

Then the wind will set me racing -

The wind will set me racing.

As my journey meets its end -

My journey meets its end.

By the path I'll be retracing when I'm homeward bound again. Bind me not to the pasture. Chain me not to the plough. Set me free to find my calling. And I'll return to you somehow.

Bind me not to the pasture. Chain me not to the plough. Set me free to find my calling. And I'll return to you somehow. In the quiet, misty morning, when the moon has gone to bed, when the sparrows stop their singing, I'll be homeward bound again.

This song is in 2 parts, soprano and alto. The first section is for sopranos only. But you may want to have a soloist or a small group sing this for your performances. The time signature is 3/4, which means we conduct 3 beats in every bar like this - down, out, up, down, out, up. 1, 2, 3. 1, 2. (SINGING) In the quiet, misty morning, when the moon has gone to bed.

I would start by teaching the first verse to everyone, even though it's just meant to be sopranos. It's good for the altos to learn the melody, as well. You can teach it by singing a phrase at a time for them to copy. Or you could use the teaching track a phrase at a time. Just make sure that you're only breathing where there's a breath mark or a rest.

The singing begins on the third beat of the bar, which is why you're conducting the up beat. (SINGING) In the quiet. So, you can give the first 2 beats of bar 2 and then use your left hand to help cue that entry, like this. 1, 2. (SINGING) In the quiet.

Listen to how your choir is singing. Are they singing lovely, smooth phrases? Or are they breaking up the notes like this? (SINGING) When the sparrows stop their singing and the sky is clear and red.

Sometimes it can help to visualise the phrases as a rainbow. And you can show this in your conducting. (SINGING) When the sparrows stop their singing and the sky is clear and red. You could even get them to show that shape in rehearsals while they sing.

At the end of bar 10, the altos enter. And it's all in unison for a while. It should sound warmer and fuller here with the extra voices added in.

At the end of bar 18, the chorus starts and parts divide. The sopranos sing the melody, and the altos sing a lower harmony. I'd start by teaching the soprano part first and make sure they're singing in a lovely, high head voice and keeping those phrases going until the breath. So, it would go, (SINGING) bind me not to the pasture. Chain me not to the plough.

And of course, watch out for the vowel sounds on 'plough' and 'how.' Make sure they're not 'plau' and 'hau.' So it would be, (SINGING) Set me free to find my calling. And I'll return to you somehow.

Next, teach the altos their part in the chorus. The hardest thing will be for them to find their starting note. Once they've got that, they should be fine. You could practise going from the end of the verse into the start of the chorus and holding the first note to see if they've got it. So you'd go, (SINGING) I'll be homeward bound in time. Bind.

You could also point out that it's the same note they just sang on 'home.' (SINGING) Home. Bind.

For the next verse, at bar 29, the sopranos sing the melody while the altos have a harmony part. Now, the alto part starts low and then ends up going above the soprano part. (SINGING) You'll find it's me you're missing. So, when you do finally put it together, just make sure the sopranos are staying low on 'missing' - (SINGING) find it's me you're missing - and not straying up onto those alto notes. And the same thing happens again at bar 37 - (SINGING) the wind will set me racing - with a crossover of the parts.

The next 2 choruses are like before, although there are some changes in dynamics. At bar 53, it's marked ff, which means fortissimo, which means very loud but not yelling, of course. The final verse has just the sopranos singing by themselves to start with then joined by the altos in unison for the last phrase.

Now, there are a few things you can show in your conducting here. So, at bar 68, the piano pauses on the second beat before the singers come in on the third beat like this. (SINGING) Piano, piano. I'll be. I'll show you again - (SINGING) piano, piano. I'll be.

And the next bar, bar 69, is in 4/4, not 3/4. So, for this bar, we conduct 4 beats like this - down, across, out, up. I'll show you that again. Down, across, out, up. There's a pause on the word 'bound,' which comes on beat 3, the out beat. So, it would go, (SINGING) homeward bound. Homeward bound.

This is followed by a complete break shown by the caesura mark. So, you need to cut them off after the pause like this. (SINGING) Homeward bound. Homeward bound.

Then there's a pause on 'a.' (SINGING) A. Then cue them for 'gain.' (SINGING) gain. Then you show the closing of the mouth to the 'un' sound. (SINGING) 'Un.' And then a final cut off.

So, I'll show you how you conduct all of that from bar 65. So, it goes, (SINGING) When the sparrows stop their singing, piano, piano, I'll be homeward bound again.

If you're using a live accompanist, you as the conductor are in complete control over those pauses and entries. Everyone has to watch you, and you might do it differently every time. But if you're using the backing track, you'll have to really listen and get to know when the piano comes in so you're bringing the choir in at precisely the right time.

IAN JEFFERSON: Thanks, Rachel. And now the song prior to that in the repertoire book on page 53, 'Over the Sea to Skye,' the traditional Scottish song. 2 parts. Here we go.

[music - 'Over the sea to Skye']

RACHEL KELLY: (SINGING) Speed, bonnie boat, like a bird on the wing. Onward, the sailors cry. Carry the lad that's born to be king over the sea to Skye.

Ooh.

Loud the winds howl, loud the waves roar. Thunderclaps rend the air.

Thunderclaps rend the air. Ooh.

Baffled, our foes stand on the shore. Follow, they will not dare.

Follow, they will not dare.

Speed, speed bonnie boat.

Speed, bonnie boat, like a bird on the wing.

Bird on the wing.

Onward, the sailors cry.

Onward, the sailors cry. Carry the lad born to be king.

Carry, carry the lad that's born to be king over the sea to Skye.

Over the sea to Skye.

Though the waves leap

Though the waves leap

Soft shall ye sleep.

Soft shall ye sleep. Ocean's a royal bed.

Rocked in the deep.

Rocked in the deep.

Flora will keep

Flora will keep

Watch by your weary head.

Speed, bonnie boat.

Speed, bonnie boat, like a bird on the wing.

Bird on the wing.

Onward, the sailors cry.

Onward, the sailors cry. Carry the lad born to be king

Carry the lad that's born to be king over the sea to Skye.

Over the sea to Skye.

Over the sea to Skye, to Skye.

To Skye.

To Skye.

This arrangement of 'Over the sea to Skye' is in 2 parts, soprano and alto. There is some unison singing, but it's mostly in harmony. The time signature is 6/8, means we conduct 2 beats in every bar, like this - down, up, down, up. 1, 2, 1, 2. (SINGING) Speed, bonnie boat, like a bird on the wing. Onward, the sailors cry.

Each beat is worth a dotted crotchet, which means there are 3 quaver pulses per beat, like this. 1 and-a 2 and-a 1 and-a 2 and-a.

After the piano introduction, the song begins with the chorus sung in unison. Now, make sure they're singing beautiful, smooth legato phrases through here. And don't take a breath until you see a little rest in the music.

So, the first phrase should be like this. (SINGING) Speed, bonnie boat, like a bird on the wing. Not taking a breath or a break after the word 'boat,' like this. (SINGING) Speed, bonnie boat, like a bird on the wing.

The next section is verse 1 at bar 15. Now, here, the altos sing the melody while the sopranos sing a descant harmony over the top. So, make sure the altos are really confident with the melody before you add the harmony to it.

Even though it's marked f, which means forte, which means loud, just make sure they're not making a rough and raucous sound. Again, only breathe when there's a rest marked in the music. So, instead of breaking the sound after the word 'howl,' like this - (SINGING) Loud, the winds howl. Loud, the waves roar. It should be like this. (SINGING) Loud, the winds howl. Loud, the waves roar.

The soprano part shouldn't dominate the alto part here. And the 'oohs' should be very pure and haunting, like the howling wind. And again, watch the breathing. Make sure you're only breathing between those long phrases. So, it should sound like this. (SINGING) Ooh. Thunderclaps rend the air.

As this verse leads back into the chorus at bar 22, the music's marked poco rit. e dim., which means to get a little slower and softer. And it can be helpful in order to control the slowing down to actually conduct in 6 instead of 2 just in this bar.

So, let me show you the difference. This is doing it all in 2. (SINGING) Follow, they will not dare. And this is in 6. (SINGING) Follow, they will not dare.

So, this is how you conduct a 6 pattern. You go down, across, across, out, out, up. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. (SINGING) Dare. And notice we cut off on the sixth one. (SINGING) Dare.

At bar 23, we have a chorus again. But this time, the sopranos are doing the melody, and the altos are singing a lower harmony. So, make sure the altos are really confident with their part before you try putting it together.

Again, here, it needs to be lovely and smooth and joined. Make sure the altos aren't forcing the notes too much on those low ones. You can show the joined phrases by the way you conduct. So, for example, with the alto part there, (SINGING) speed, speed, bonnie boat, bird on the wing. So, this hand can show those connections so we don't get, (SINGING) speed, speed, bonnie boat, bird on the wing.

The second verse at bar 33 has some echoes between the sopranos and the altos. So, you can show those cues with your conducting. The sopranos should always be on your left and the altos on your right. So, in this bit, they come in one at a time. And then they cut off together, which is nice and helpful. So, it goes like this. (SINGING) Though the waves, though the waves leap, soft shall ye, soft shall ye sleep.

We also have some contrasting dynamics here that we can show with our conducting. So, the first phrase is loud. And we can have stronger arms for that one. And then the second phrase is suddenly mezzo piano or suddenly moderately soft. So, we can bring our hands in smaller. So, the whole thing would look like this. (SINGING) Though the waves, though the waves leap, soft shall ye, soft shall ye sleep.

At bar 45, we're back to the normal speed for the chorus. And here, the altos sing the melody, and the sopranos have a descant harmony over the top. So, make sure they're really confident with that before you put it together.

Make sure, too, the sopranos are singing in a lovely, high head voice and they're joining those phrases just like we have all through the song. So, their first phrase goes like this. (SINGING) Sleep, bonnie boat, bird on the wing.

The final chorus slows down at bar 52 and leads into the ending. So, for this ending, teach the alto and soprano parts separately until they're really confident with their parts. There are some tricky things to conduct here. So, let's look at what we can show.

So, we bring them in together at bar 53. And then there's a pause on the word 'sea,' like this. (SINGING) Over the sea. Cut off. Quick break for the altos and cute them. (SINGING) To Skye, to Skye, sopranos together. Skye. Hold. Cut off.

And that cutoff is also the last piano chord. If you're performing this song with the piano backing track, you'll need to listen to it carefully and get really used to the rits and the pauses and how long they go for.

If you're performing it with a live accompanist, then you can have total control over those elements of the piece. This piece will be really great to do for a concert or an Eisteddford. It will be sure to impress with its beautiful harmonies and its contrasting dynamics.

IAN JEFFERSON: Welcome back to the live component. Now is your chance for a quick toilet break or a top-up of your refreshment. Before I start talking about the 3 pieces we just looked at, I'd like to say a big thank you to Rachel Kelly, who spent a good part of the Christmas holidays writing and filming the teaching tips videos.

I think you'll agree she's very clear. And she actually is online at the moment. So, hello Rachel. She wanted me to mention to you that although it's fantastic that you model the singing to your choir, it is a bad habit as a conductor to constantly sing along with your choir at rehearsals. You need to shut up every now and then and listen to them sing.

Apparently, there's been no questions regarding the music coming in. Maybe you've just been taking notes as we've been going. So, something I will mention, we'll skip over 'Some Days' by Ben van Tienen. And I'll talk about 'Homeward Bound' at the end of it.

The conductors here have the luxury of not having to worry about conducting with the backing track usually because we have accompanists at our rehearsals and at our concerts and so forth. And it's not until you saw me trying to conduct the end of 'Homeward Bound' and getting into a little bit of a tangle - it's always the end of songs where you become unstuck because it tends to be where the song slows down. And there are caesuras, those double lines where everything stops, and pauses and all that kind of jazz.

So, if you get the opportunity to practise conducting the songs, you really should get to the end and practise the last sections. Unfortunately, when we recorded me conducting some of these songs, you do a fine job most of the way through. And then you get tangled up in the last 10 seconds of the song. And then we can't be bothered going back and refilming it. So, that's just a comment.

So, the end of 'Homeward Bound,' where it goes to a rit, to a pause - (SINGING) I'll be homeward bound - off - again. And all that. It's quite difficult to lock in with the prerecorded piano accompaniment. So, practise it.

Similarly, with 'Over the Sea to Skye,' I'm looking at page 58 in my book. I've got the non-red cover draft copy. All that stuff from bar 52 where it slows down, rit. e dim. all through there, it's very hard to lock together with the backing track. So, practise, practise, practise.

And I find 'Over the Sea to Skye,' Peter and I were just discussing this. It's very hard to do a slow 2 - down and up and down and up. You feel like you have very little control when you're conducting that slowly. So, I don't know whether you saw this at the very beginning when I was pretending to bring in a piano player. I looked at the side. I went - like that.

And what I was giving was 4, 5, 6. So, I was thinking in my head the quaver breakdown. And out of sheer control freakness, I thought a 4, 5, 6, 1 and a 2. So, that's something else you might want to do if you have a live accompanist and you want to have some control.

So, let's move on to the next thing. But before I move on to the next 3 groups of songs, I want to let you know that the conducting videos, the ones where you saw me conducting the songs, are also available for download. Now, I wouldn't use these clips at a choir rehearsal to replace you as the conductor.

But if your students need some sort of visual stimulus to practise the pieces at home in addition to the MP3 teaching tracks of their part, you could share these videos with them if you thought it would help. You never know. There may be some really nerdy kids out there. Plus there are bar numbers on the side to help you find where you're up to.

There are 3 versions of our conducting video for each song. Now I'm just going to stop Peter with the autocue there for a second because Rachel did mention that some of her - with 'Over the Sea to Skye,' some of these videos may be slightly at the wrong speed. It's something to do with frame rate. And she noticed that 'Over the Sea the Skye' was down a semitone.

So, just be aware. There could be technical issues where suddenly the song feels ever so slightly lower than you thought. That's just by the by.

Anyway, the conducting videos we're showing tonight are labelled 'vocals with accompaniment.' The other versions of the same video clip are labelled 'accompaniment only,' where the vocals are removed. And a final version, 'reverse,' where the vision is reversed in case you as a conductor want to practise mirror conducting to your computer screen.

In this version of the video, the stereo balance is swapped to give you the conductor's audio orientation, which is how the MP3 teaching tracks are panned. So, it's as if you were facing the choir with sopranos to your left and altos to your right.

So, download the videos if you want and save them into your Google Drive and share them with your students from there. Please don't share the link to my Google Drive with your students, as there may be departmentally sensitive material on my drive. Teachers only.

On with the next set. I'm going on to the chat, and see you in half an hour.

Thank you, other self. Now, the next song, the 4th song we'll be looking at in the book, is 'Shooting Star' on page 35. This song's in 2 parts by American composer Andy Beck. And this time, you get to watch Rachel conduct it. Take it away.

[music - Andy Beck, 'Shooting Star']

RACHEL KELLY: (SINGING) Star shining bright in the middle of the night. Oh, star in the midnight sky. Star shining bright in the middle of the night, how did you learn to fly? How did you learn to fly?

Star.

Star shining bright in the middle of the night.

Oh, star with a tail of white.

Star, oh.

Star shining bright in the middle of the night.

Grant me a wish tonight. Grant me a wish tonight, wish tonight. Star so bright. Shooting star.

Shooting star.

Why must you fade away?

Shooting star.

Shooting star.

Don't you want to stay?

Star.

Star shining bright in the middle of the night.

Oh, star with a tail of white.

Star, oh.

Star shining bright in the middle of the night.

Grant me a wish tonight. Grant me a wish tonight.

Shooting star.

Shooting star.

Why must you fade away?

Shooting star.

Shooting star.

Don't you want to stay?

Star.

Oh, shooting star.

Oh, star.

Oh, shooting star. I'll see you again someday.

This beautiful song by Andy Beck is in 2 parts with some unison singing, as well. The time signature is a C with a line through it. Now, this means exactly the same thing as 2/2, which means we conduct 2 beats in each bar. And each of those beats represents a minim.

So, we do a down beat and an up beat, like this. Down, up, down, up. 1, 2, 1, 2. (SINGING) Star shining bright in the middle of the night. Oh, star in the midnight sky.

The sopranos and altos are in unison for the first verse. So, we can work on getting a lovely blended sound with pure open vowels and long, smooth legato phrases and cutoffs all together. Now, make sure that you're not breathing until you see a rest.

So, that first phrase is quite long and needs to be all joined. So, (SINGING) Star shining bright in the middle of the night. Oh, star in the midnight sky.

And the last word of that phrase, 'sky,' cuts off exactly on the start of beat 4. Now, because this comes in between your conducting beats, it can be a little bit tricky to show. And we do want everyone to cut off exactly together.

So, you could do a quick little cutoff with your other hand in between these beats. But if you find that a bit tricky to coordinate, and I often do, you could stop conducting the beat for that bar and just show the held note and the cutoff and then get back in.

So you'd go, (SINGING) Star in the midnight sky. Star shining bright. And so on.

Now, the words 'sky' and 'night' and 'fly' all contain diphthongs. Diphthongs are where we sing 2 vowel sounds in the one syllable. And these 3 words all have the same combination of vowels. It's an 'ah' vowel that flips to an 'ih' vowel as we finish the word.

So we sing, (SINGING) star in the midnight sky. And then for our next phrase, (SINGING) star shining bright in the middle of the night. Night. And then, (SINGING) how did you learn to fly? How did you learn to fly?

Make sure that final 'fly' in bar 14 gets held for the full 2 bars and then cuts off on the first beat of bar 16. So, insist that your choir watches your hands and keeps holding to the end of the note. It also gets softer as we hold it, indicated by the term decresc., which stands for decrescendo, which means gradually getting softer. So we go, (SINGING) fly.

At bar 18, the altos sing the same melody but with different words. Now, this time, the phrases all end with words that have a 'tuh' sound at the end, like 'white,' 'night,' 'tonight.' It's even more crucial that the cutoff is precisely together. It will sound amazing if the whole choir gets this perfect.

Now, the sopranos here at bar 18 have a beautiful higher harmony part. It should sound lovely and pure without overpowering the altos. And we can put some beautiful phrasing in, like some swelling before and after the word 'oh.' let me show you what I mean. (SINGING) Star, oh, star with a tail of white. Star, oh, grant me a wish tonight. Grant me a wish tonight.

And the last word of that phrase for both the sopranos and the altos only holds for one bar, which, again, is different to verse one, where we held the last night for 2 bars. So, in the section from bar 29, we've got 2 crescendos that we can show in our conducting. Crescendo means gradually getting louder.

Now, in the first phrase, it's indicated by the abbreviation cresc. And in the second phrase, we've got a crescendo sign. But they mean exactly the same thing.

Now, there's various ways we can show a crescendo in our conducting. We could make our conducting pattern itself go from smaller to larger, like this. (SINGING) Wish tonight.

Or we could keep our conducting pattern fairly standard but do something bigger with our other hand. So, we could go like this. (SINGING) Star so bright.

And then we have a new section at bar 37, which is kind of like a chorus. The sopranos sing first. And then they're almost echoed by the altos. It just doesn't quite go up as high.

So, we cue the sopranos first. They should always be on our left. And then in the next bar, we cue the altos, who should always be on our right. So, the cues go, (SINGING) shooting star, shooting star.

Now, as soon as you turn your attention away from the sopranos, they may stop holding their note. It needs to keep holding, though, because it actually joins onto their next phrase. They go, (SINGING) shooting star, why must you fade away? So, you may need to tell them. Just because I'm not looking at you doesn't mean you don't keep singing.

And the altos here on the words 'why must you fade away' actually have a lower part. They sing, (SINGING) why must you fade away? So, make sure you work on this separately to the soprano part. Otherwise, the altos may just join in with the sopranos there. And you want that beautiful harmony. Both parts actually end the phrase on the same note. They both finish on an A.

Now, the second half of this section at bar 41 starts with the same little echoes. But this time, the sopranos do get to take a breath halfway through before they sing the word 'don't.' So, the sopranos sing, (SINGING) shooting star. Don't you want to stay?

For the altos, though, it's all in one breath. So they sing, (SINGING) shooting star, don't you want to stay?

And as for holding that word, it also gets softer and slower. So, in bar 44, it says decresc., which stands for decrescendo, which means gradually getting softer. And then in bar 45, it says poco rit., which means we slow down a little. And we can show both of these things in our conducting.

At bar 45 for the poco rit., I would go into conducting 4 beats just for that bar rather than 2. So, instead of going 1, 2, and slowing down that way, I would go 1, 2, 3, 4 just to give you a bit more control over that slowing down.

Now, it does seem like there's a lot going on just for this one note. But once you get the hang of it, you'll be fine. Give it a try. So, I'm going to show you how I do it from bar 43. So we go, (SINGING) don't you want to stay? And then back into 2 at the normal speed.

Now, the next couple of sections are just like parts they've already learned. So, the only new material left to learn is from bar 76 for the ending. In this section at bar 78, you'll see it says molto rit. e decresc. This means to slow down a lot and gradually get softer as we head towards the end.

So, I would start conducting in 4 at this bar instead of 2. And I would stay in 4 to the very end. So, I'll show you how I would conduct this last section. I'm going to sing the soprano part, but you'll still see me cue the altos a couple of times.

So it goes, (SINGING) star, oh, star. Off for the pause. Then we come back in on beat 2. (SINGING) I'll see you again some day.

IAN JEFFERSON: Beautiful. Thank you, Rachel. The next song is on page 15. And this is 'Bandyrowe.' It's one of my favourites. It's a traditional Irish folk song arranged quite wittily by Susan Brumfield.

And with not much permission, I simplified the version that she did because I thought it was going to be a little bit too complicated for our kids to learn. So, apologies to Susan about that. And once again, Rachel will be conducting. So, take it away.

[music - Susan Brumfield, 'Bandyrowe']

RACHEL KELLY: (SINGING) As I was going to Bandyrowe, kitty alone, kitty alone. As I was going to Bandyrowe, kitty alone and I, kitty alone.

Dun, dun. Dun, dun, dun.

Saw a crow a-flying low and a cat a-spinning tow, kitty alone and I.

Rock-ama-rye-ree.

As I was going to Bandyrowe -

As I was going to Bandyrowe -

Kitty alone, kitty alone.

As I was going to Bandyrowe -

As I was going to Bandyrowe -

Kitty alone and I, kitty alone.

Way up yonder above the moon, a bluebird sits in a silver spoon. Kitty alone and I. Rock-ama-rye-ree.

[vocalising]

Rock-ama-rye, rock-ama-rye. Rock-ama-rye, rock-ama-rye.

[vocalising]

Kitty and I.

As I was going to Bandyrowe -

As I was going to Bandyrowe -

Kitty alone, kitty alone.

As I was going to Bandyrowe -

As I was going Bandyrowe -

Kitty alone and I, kitty alone.

Dun, dun. Dun, dun, dun.

Saw a crow a-flying low and a cat a-spinning tow. Kitty alone and I.

Rock-ama-rye.

Way up yonder above the moon, a bluebird sits in a silver spoon. Kitty alone and I.

Rock-ama-rye-ree.

To me cat, me crow, me bird in the spoon, kitty alone and I.

This is a great arrangement of a traditional Irish folk song. And your singers should really love the rhythms and the words in this song. The time signature is 6/8, which means there are 2 dotted crotchet beats in each bar. Each one of these is divided into 3 quaver pulses.

So, we conduct 2 beats, a down beat and an up beat, in each bar, like this. 1, 2, 1, 2. (SINGING) As I was going to Bandyrowe.

The first section of the song is all in unison except for the last phrase, which is just the sopranos by themselves. At the beginning of this section, we have what's called a pickup or an anacrusis. And it's when we have a little note just before the down beat.

Now, rather than conduct this note or this word like this - (SINGING) as I - if you emphasise the beat just before it and breathe with the choir at that point, it will actually help them come in better. So, you go like this. (SINGING) As I was going. So 1. (SINGING) As I was going.

The first 3 phrases in this section all finish with long notes. So, while your right hand is keeping the beats going, your left hand can be holding that last note and then showing when to cut off. Now, notes always cut off on the start of the beat after the note finishes.

So, the end of the first phrase, that note finishes in bar 12 on the second beat. So, we conduct it like this. (SINGING) As I was going to Bandyrowe.

So, let's do that whole opening section with the holding on and the cutoffs at the end of each phrase. So, here we go. (SINGING) As I was going to Bandyrowe, kitty alone, kitty alone. As I was going to Bandyrowe, kitty alone and I, kitty alone.

So, the next section at bar 25 is in 2 parts. And you need to make sure the sopranos do exactly the right rhythm right from the outset here and make sure that the phrase keeps on going until you see a rest. So, the sopranos go like this. (SINGING) Saw a crow flying low and a cat spinning tow. Not (SINGING) Saw a crow flying low and a cat spinning tow.

In the alto part here, the word 'dun' is sung by going straight to the 'un' sound instead of holding onto the vowels. So, instead of (SINGING) dun, it's (SINGING) dun, dun. Dun, dun, dun. Rock-ama-rye-ree.

And there's a decrescendo sign on the 'ree' there. So, we get softer as we hold that last note. In the next section at bar 41, the altos sing exactly what they sang at the beginning of the song while the sopranos do some echoes and some higher harmony. (SINGING) Kitty alone, kitty alone.

You can use your left hand to bring the parts in at different times. Just remember the sopranos should always be on your left and the altos on your right. So, you bring the altos in first. (SINGING) As I was going to Bandyrowe, as I was going to Bandyrowe.

And the first time you do that, the altos might stop singing as soon as you point to the sopranos. But they need to keep holding their last note, the 'rowe.' So, remind them to do that.

And if you're super coordinated, you could also cut off their 'rowe' at the right spot, which is on the second beat of bar 44. So, you go like this. (SINGING) As I was going to Bandyrowe, as I was going to Bandyrowe. While they're singing 'rowe' is when that cuts off.

The section at bar 57 is in parallel harmony, which can be tricky, especially for the altos, whose ears are drawn up to the higher part. The sopranos have sung this tune already. They just have to fit the different words in. So it's, (SINGING) Way up yonder above the moon, a bluebird sits on a silver spoon.

Now, if the altos can find their starting note, the rest of this section should be fine. So it goes, (SINGING) way up yonder above the moon, a bluebird sits in a silver spoon. Doesn't swap backwards and forwards as much as the soprano part, so watch out for that.

The starting note is one note higher than where the sopranos just finished. So they sang, (SINGING) kitty alone. Then it's, (SINGING) way. So, you could get the sopranos to sing that line and then the altos to hold their 'way' to see if they've found it. So, (SINGING) kitty alone, 'way.'

There's a new section at bar 65 where you'll need to teach each part separately. The soprano part gets up to a high F at bar 74 -

[vocalising]

which they shouldn't have any trouble getting to if they're in their head voice.

You could try singing it with just the vowel sounds and then adding the consonants back in. That way, they can get used to where to place it in their voice better. So you could go -

[vocalising]

And then add back in -

[vocalising]

The altos have quite a fun part in this section. So, from bar 67, they go, (SINGING) rock-ama-rye, rock-ama-rye, do. Rock-ama-rye, rock-ama-rye, [vocalising].

Kitty and I.

From bar 91, the next 3 sections are all just repeats of parts they've done earlier in the song. Just watch out for the alto part at bar 114. They will want to sing, (SINGING) rock-ama-rye-ree. But instead it goes, (SINGING) rock-ama-rye. Way up yonder above the moon. No 'ree.' So, you might want to give them some kind of signal at that moment to remind them.

The last 2 phrases at bar 127 are new material. But they are in unison. The notes go, (SINGING) to me cat, me crow, me bird in the spoon, kitty alone and I. The first note is a bit hard to find. (SINGING) To me cat.

The piano part does help you out here. But you might want to do a bit of slow practise of this phrase just to get the intervals correct.

IAN JEFFERSON: Thanks, Rachel. What 'Bandyrowe' is about is anybody's guess. Make it up.

The next song is by me, 'Go for Broke' on page 44. I wrote this song many years ago. And in my mind, I thought it would be a great song for Year 6's to sing as a graduation celebration. And here is me conducting it.

[music - Ian Jefferson, 'Go for broke']

RACHEL KELLY: (SINGING) The time for talk is over. We've heard it all before. You've given us the key to fly up and out the door. What more to do? Check out the view.

Remember when we started another life away? So, many hills before us, but here we are today. What more to do? Give you a clue.

Stand back. Look out below. Hit the road, Jack. Get on with the show. We'll hit the ground running. And soon we'll be stunning the crowd. Let's go for broke. We'll make you proud.

I'll shoulder my bag and run away.

The time for talk is over. We've heard it all before. You've given us the key to fly up and out the door.

I'll see you again some other day.

Remember when we started another life away? So, many hills before us, but here we are today.

What more to do? Give you a clue. Stand back. Look out below. Hit the road, Jack. Get on with the show. We'll hit the ground running. And soon we'll be stunning the crowd. Let's go for broke. We'll make you proud.

Stand back. Look out below. Hit the road, Jack. Get on with the show. We'll hit the ground running. And soon we'll be stunning the crowd. Let's go for broke. We'll make you proud. Let's go for broke. We'll make you proud.

This song by Australian composer Ian Jefferson is written for 2 parts, soprano and alto. But most of the song is actually in unison. The time signature is 6/8, which means there are 6 quaver pulses in each bar.

But we group them into 2 dotted crotchet beats. So, we conduct 2 beats in each bar like this. Down, up, down, up. 1, 2, 1, 2. (SINGING) The time for talk is over. We've heard it all before.

Now, the rhythms in this song give it a driving pop feel. When we notate these rhythms, they can look a bit complicated. So, if you're not used to reading these sorts of rhythms, then you might want to listen to the teaching track a lot and just get the feel of it that way. Also, if you're using an accompanist rather than the backing track, just be aware that some accompanists may also find these rhythms a little bit tricky to read.

So, the singers come in just before bar 5, with what's called an anacrusis or a pickup. Now, we want a real feeling of forward energy here through these opening phrases even though it's marked moderately soft. So, from bar 4, it goes like this.

[vocalising]

(SINGING) The time for talk is over. We've heard it all before. You've given us the key to fly up and out the door.

And then our next phrase at bar 9 feels more expansive. (SINGING) What more to do? And that 'do' gets a full bar and cuts off on the first beat of the next bar. It feels like a long time, but then the word 'view' is only one beat. So, watch that whole bit. (SINGING) What more to do? Check out the view.

Then at bar 13, we've got new words. Same melody as the opening, but we're building the momentum here. So, (SINGING) remember when we started another life away? So, many hills before us, but here we are today. Like before, (SINGING) What more to do? Different words. (SINGING) Give you a clue.

And then we're into the chorus at bar 21. Now, the word 'back' here is short. But make sure it's not overemphasised. So, we're loud here, but we don't want it to sound ugly. So, rather than singing, (SINGING) stand back, we want it to be, (SINGING) stand back. Look out below.

And watch that rhythm there at 'look out below.' It's all over and done with in that first beat. (SINGING) Look out below. Look out below.

And then the word 'Jack' needs to be like 'back.' So, (SINGING) hit the road, Jack. Get on with the show.

Now, in the next phrase, there's place where your choir may sing the wrong note if you don't teach it really carefully. And I wonder if you can figure out which note I'm talking about. Let me sing that phrase for you. So it goes, (SINGING) we'll hit the ground running. And soon we'll be stunning the crowd.

Do you think you know what it is? It's actually the word 'and.' It's just a little one, but it's really important. So it goes, (SINGING) we'll hit the ground running. And. And soon. Running and soon. It's an F.

Now, I suspect they might be tempted to sing an E there. (SINGING) We'll hit the ground running. And soon. And soon instead of and soon. So, maybe teach that little part of the melody nice and slowly and deliberately so, that you're not fixing that up once it's wrong.

And the word 'crowd' at the end of that phrase goes for the whole bar and cuts off on the first beat of the next bar. So it's, (SINGING) stunning the crowd.

And make sure you sing that vowel as a lovely, open 'ah' vowel in 'crowd' so, it doesn't sound like 'craud.' And the same thing for 'proud' at the end of the next part. So it goes, (SINGING) let's go for broke. We'll make you proud. And that's just off after one beat.

And then the piano leads us into a key change, and we split into our 2 parts at bar 35. So, the altos sing the same words they did at the beginning, but we're now in the new key of D flat major. So they sing, (SINGING) the time for talk is over. We've heard it all before. You've given us the key to fly up and out the door.

And then they instantly go up another key to D major and sing the verse 2 words. (SINGING) Remember when we started another life away? So, many hills before us, but here we are today.

And while the altos are doing this, the sopranos have a completely new part, which is like this soaring descant over the top. And they need to sing it in a beautiful, high head voice. So they sing, (SINGING) I'll shoulder my bag and run away. I'll see you again some other day.

And notice how connected those notes are. There's only one spot where the sopranos breathe, and that's just before bar 39. Everything else has to join on and be connected.

And then at bar 43, they're going to unison again for 'what more to do, give you a clue.' And then they sing the chorus, which is just like before. But we're in the new key.

Then at bar 57, we have this dramatic instrumental section. Now, through here, the choir should just stand tall and proud, arms by sides. Stay nice and still as we go into another key change for our new chorus at bar 65.

So, this is the final chorus of the song. And it has what we sometimes refer to as a turnaround chord, which is when it goes to an unfinished sounding chord before we then go on and do the real ending of the song.

So, this happens at bar 75, where we sing, (SINGING) we'll make you proud. Let's go for broke. We'll make you proud.

So, we hold that last note with a lovely 'ah' vowel. And we're holding it for 2 full bars, cutting off on the down beat of the next bar, which is also when the piano does the final chord. So we go, (SINGING) proud.

IAN JEFFERSON: Quick, get the kettle boiling and the tea brewing. You've got a couple of minutes before we hit you with the third bracket. The songs in the 2021 repertoire are largely repeats. In fact, I think there are only 3 songs we haven't done before. If you have taught any of these songs before, just be aware that I do tend to make small alterations - improvements - to my arrangements so, that the songs could be slightly different.

I'd like to acknowledge the 14 members of the repertoire selection committee who chose these songs back in October 2019. Oh. It seems so long ago. So, thanks to Tess Doyle, Charissa Ferguson, Peter Haywood - who's just here - Robyn Herbert, Jenny Lanyon, Sonia Milgate, Kurt Olofsson, Heidi Piper, Marianne Powles, Jacqui Shaw, Kiralee Strahle - 'Strahle?' How do I say her name? Anyway, sorry to Kirralee. Lisa van den Dolder and, of course, Rachel Kelly.

So, there's no specific questions coming in for our pieces. But I will answer some questions that have come through. Jennifer Downey, I believe, asked what the words for 'Bandyrowe' meant. And as I mentioned straight after that, I've got no idea. It's a folk song that I could not locate anywhere. Every time I typed in 'Bandyrowe,' all I got was the Susan Brumfield arrangement. You can make it up. It's evocative regardless of what it means.

Sonia Millgate, who was on that committee whose name I just mentioned, down in Wollongong, she was asking about socially-distanced part teaching. And I would just say that if you're socially distanced outside, it is difficult. And we just hope that that situation doesn't continue.

It's good in the short term, but really, to have nice choir blend, we need to be indoors. And if you are - Kirralee says, pronounced 'Straley.' If you are inside, you just have to listen extra hard. That's what Peter Haywood said. Children, use your ears. And just listen out for those parts.

And it's a good idea to put the strongest singers at the back regardless of how tall they are so that the sound - and I guess their COVID germs - surrounds the slightly more shy, insecure singers in front of them.

Another question from a drummer was talking about vowel sound hand gestures. There's no videos on that. I often use my left hand for this. So, 'ah,' 'oo.' The 'ah' sound, 'ah' and 'eh' and 'ee,' it's like an open sound. It's only 'oo' where the lips come in where I might change it to that.

And Vicki Armour from up the north coast was asking about lyrics. And in that link that I sent this afternoon, if you go to where it says Our Repertoire Sheet Music, you'll see in there each song has a PDF of the lyrics as well as a Word document where all the lyrics are there. So, if you need to move the lyrics around or - because I think I've only put the sort of basic lyrics there rather than having every single thing that's sung there because sometimes people are singing over the top of another part.

Just remember that the lyrics are just as copyright as the sheet music. So, photocopying endless amounts of lyrics doesn't mean you're avoiding a copyright situation. That's all covered by copyright. So, you need to be careful about that.

I have a question here about any teachers who is a pretty shocking singer, how they might they be able to improve so they can teach more effectively. Well, you could get singing lessons.

What I would imagine the teachers who often use their policeman's voice - (DEEPLY) hey, you, kids, come in here - (HIGH-PITCHED) need to use their, ah, their kindergarten tones and get used to using their, ah, head voice like that. So do that. And sing quietly and try and get your voice up.

So, Peter will just scroll ahead now. Let's move onto the next bracket because we'll make up some time. We're one minute behind. So, all the video and audio clips are available for download song by song. Video clips can take a while to download due to their size, but the quality of playback at your end will improve. Maybe just focus on downloading a few songs at a time rather than trying to download the lot in one session because it could take hours.

This webinar will also be available on The Arts Unit's Vimeo channel. I'll send you a link as soon as it is ready. That's your job, David.

DAVID TODD: Yeah.

IAN JEFFERSON: And then you can relive this afternoon, evening all over. So, onto the next bracket of songs. And I'll get back to the chat and see you in just a bit.

OK. To begin our third bracket of songs, we're going to page 26 in the repertoire book. And the song is 'Adiemus' by Karl Jenkins, written in a made-up language purely on random vowel sounds. Might be a bit hard to get your head around at first, but it is actually quite simple. And to conduct this piece for us today, here's Peter Haywood.

[music - Karl Jenkins, 'Adiemus']

RACHEL KELLY: (SINGING) Ariadiamus late ariadiamus da, aria natus late adua. aravare tue vate aravare tue vate aravare tue vate latea. aravare tue vate latea.

Ariadiamus late ariadiamus da, aria natus late adua. aravare tue vate aravare tue vate aravare tue vate latea.

anamana coole rawe anamana coole ra anamana coole rawe akala. anamana coole rawe akala.

(aya doo aye)

anamana coole rawe akala.

(aya doo aye)

aya doo aye, aya doo aye.

ariadiamus late ariadiamus da, aria natus late adua. aravare tue vate aravare tue vate aravare tue vate latea.

ariadiamus late ariadiamus da aria natus late adua. aravare tue vate aravare tue vate aravare tue vate latea.

anamana coole rawe anamana coole ra anamana coole rawe akala. anamana coole rawe akala

(aya doo aye)

anamana coole rawe akala

(aya doo aye)

aya doo aye aya doo aye

Ya-ka-ma-ya-ka-ma-ya-ka-me-ma.

Ah-ya-doo-way-ye.

Ya-ka-ma-ya-ka-ma-ya-ka-me-ma.

Ah-ya-doo-way-ye.

Ya-ka-ma-ya-ka-ma-ya-ka-me-ma.

Ah-ya-doo-way-ye.

Ya-ka-ma-me-ma.

Ah-ya-doo-way-ye, ah-ya-doo-way-ye.

Ya-ka-ma-me-ma.

Ah-ya-doo-way-ye.

This song by Karl Jenkins was first used for an airline ad back in the '90s. And it's not in any real language. Jenkins just created the words so he could use the voice purely as an instrument. So, we just sing the syllables with pure, open vowels, like ariadiamus late ariadiamus da, et cetera.

The time signature is 3/4. That means we conduct 3 beats in every bar like this. Down, out, up, down, out, up. 1, 2, 3, 1, 2, 3. (SINGING) Ariadiamus late ariadiamus da, aria natus late adua.

In general, the phrases in this song are quite long. So, your singers will need to take a deep enough breath and use those supportive muscles to help control the release of the air through the phrase. You can help them with your conducting at those moments where they might be tempted to take a breath by reminding them to hold it through. So, for example, (SINGING) ariadiamus late ariadiamus da, aria natus. Like that.

The first section from bar 5 to bar 12 is all in unison. So, this is a good part to work on to practise their breathing. There's only one place to breathe here, and that's at that rest halfway through the section. So, we go, (SINGING) ariadiamus late ariadiamus da, aria natus late adua. aravare tue vate aravare tue vate aravare tue vate latea.

This opening section is then repeated exactly from bar 13 to bar 20. So, at bar 21, it's marked mp, which stands for mezzo piano, which means moderately soft. So, your conducting can be a little bit smaller there.

And then in bar 22, there's a crescendo sign, which means we gradually get louder over the next 2 bars. And your conducting can increase in size.

And then at bar 24, it's mezzo forte, mf, which means moderately loud. So, that could all look like this. (SINGING) A-na-ma-na-coo-le-ra-we, a-na-ma-na-coo-le-ra, A-na-ma-na-coo-le-ra-we-ah-ka-la. And I'll do it again while I sing the alto part this time. So it's, (SINGING) A-na-ma-na-coo-le-ra-we, a-na-ma-na-coo-le-ra, a-na-ma-na-coo-le-ra-we-ah-ka-la.

Then at bar 26, the solo part enters for the first time. (SINGING) Ah-ya-doo-way-ye. This should be in contrast to the rest of the choir. It can be a bit more biting and individual in tone. (SINGING) Ah-ya-doo-way-ye.

Then at bar 28, we've got still more harmony. That little comma at bar 30 is a breath mark. And also watch out for the decrescendo at bar 32, where we gradually get softer as we hold that long note.

So, I'll sing you just the alto part there from bar 28. We start loud. So it's, (SINGING) A-na-ma-na-coo-le-ra-we-ah-ka-la. Ah-ya-doo-way-ye, ah-ya-doo-way-ye.

From bar 34, we repeat sections that we've already done all the way through to bar 63, where we have another new section. At bar 63, the solo part says ad lib. This means they can have a bit of freedom with how they sing this part. They can add in some embellishments. But it's also perfectly fine for them to sing it exactly how it's written.

If you're performing this song, your soloist may need to use a microphone. But I would check this balance carefully. Depending on the space that you're performing in, they may not need to be amplified too much to be heard above the choir.

In the second last part of the song, we have the word rit., which stands for ritardando, which means to gradually slow down. And the very last note is a dotted minim with a pause. You can hold this for as long as you want. You don't need to conduct the 3 beats in that bar. There's no reason to. Just hold the pause and then cut everybody off together.

So, overall in this song, some things to focus on would be singing with those pure, open vowels and controlling our breathing through the long phrases and giving some beautifully contrasting dynamics.

IAN JEFFERSON: Thanks, Rachel. Next up, on page 9 in our repertoire of books, is 'The Captain's Tale' by Australian composer Paul Jarman. This piece is written kind of in unison to make it easier for the kids to remember all the words because it's got quite a few lyrics in it.

Often, the kids are singing together. And then the sopranos will sing on their own. And then the altos will sing on their own. So, make sure your headphones are on the right way around so you know who's singing which bits. Take it away.

[music - Paul Jarman, 'The Captain's Tale']

RACHEL KELLY: (SINGING) Hear ye, boys, what'll it be? Come gather 'round. Have a drink on me. Tales to tell and tales to hear at the bottom of the sea. All above, down below. Hear the captain's tale.

Hear ye, boys, join our song. Sink your ship, and it won't be long. Plenty of room for a sailor done wrong at the bottom of the sea. All above, come down below. Hear the captain's tale.

Hear ye, boys, a little advice. If you fight the swell, it will take your life. 'Died like a man,' they'll tell your wife, at the bottom of the sea. All above, come down below. Hear the captain's tale.

Hear ye, boys, the years pass by. So, we stay where the sea dogs lie, drinking all the oceans dry at the bottom of the sea. All above, come down below. Hear the captain's tale.

Hear ye, boys, what'll it be? Come gather 'round. Have a drink on me. Tales to tell and tales to hear and, you guessed it, plenty of beer. All of you are welcome here at the bottom of the sea. All above, come down below. Hear the captain's tale. Hear now the captain's tale. Listen to the captain's wail. All above, come down below. Hear the captain's tale.

This song is mostly in unison. And the vocal parts are written all on one line. But sometimes only the sopranos or only the altos sing. So, when everyone sings in unison, it's marked tutti. Otherwise, it says altos or sopranos.

For the very last phrase, the 2 parts sing in parallel harmony one octave apart. The time signature is 2/4. So, we conduct 2 beats in every bar like this. Down, up, down, up. 1, 2, 1, 2. (SINGING) Hear ye, boys, what'll it be? Come gather 'round. Have a drink on me.

The rhythms in this piece will be easier to understand if you remember that a crotchet is divided into four semiquaver like this. 1, 2, 3, 4. 1, 2, 3, 4. Ticka-ticka, ticka-ticka, ticka-ticka, ticka-ticka.

Sometimes we see this rhythm with 2 semiquavers and a quaver like this. Ticka-tee. Like in bar 11, on 'what'll it.' (SINGING) What'll it. Hear ye, boys, what'll it be?

Sometimes we have this rhythm, a dotted quaver with a semiquaver. Think of this as the first and the fourth of the group of 4 semiquavers. Dah-dah. Dah-dah dah-dah ticka-ticka.

We get this in bar 14 on 'tales to tell.' (SINGING) Tales to tell. Tales to tell. Tales to tell.

Sometimes we have this rhythm, a quaver and 2 semiquavers like this. Tee-ticka. When we see it in bar 12, it happens twice in a row. (SINGING) Come gather round, have a. Tee-ticka-tee, ticka.

At bar 15, it's got a more syncopated feel because we hold the last one. (SINGING) Tales to give. And finally, there's one with a semiquaver followed by a dotted quaver, like in bar 16 on the word 'bottom.' (SINGING) Bottom of the. Bottom of the. You could practise clapping these rhythms with your choir and even have your singers find more examples of them throughout the song.

Every time we sing 'hear ye, boys,' the word 'boys' joins onto the next word, like this. (SINGING) Hear ye, boys, what'll it be? Or, hear ye, boys, join our song. Or maybe, hear ye, boys, the years pass by.

So, there's not a gap after 'boys' like this. (SINGING) Hear ye, boys. What'll it be?

And we only take a breath when we come to a rest in the music. So, I'm going to sing you the first section. And I want you to notice how some of the phrases might be a bit longer than you would expect. (SINGING) Hear ye, boys, what'll it be? Come gather 'round. Have a drink on me. Tales to tell and tales to hear at the bottom of the sea. All above, come down below. Hear the captain's tale.

That last word, 'tale,' cuts off exactly on beat 2 like this. (SINGING) Hear the captain's tale. Off.

So, you probably heard singing teachers and choir conductors talking about diphthongs. This is when we have a word where we make 2 vowel sounds on one syllable. So, the word 'cat' doesn't have a diphthong because 'ah' is just one vowel sound. But 'boys,' for example, has 2 sounds in the vowel, 'oh' and 'ee,' 'oi.' So, this is a diphthong.

Now remember, it's about the sound of the word when we say it and not necessarily about the spelling of it. So, diphthongs can be problematic when you're singing because they can sound really awful. For example, if you went, (SINGING) hear ye, 'boh-ees.'

So, the trick is to hang onto the first part of those 2 vowel sounds for longer and then just change to the second one as you're finishing the word. So, (SINGING) boys. So you'd sing, (SINGING) hear ye, boys, what'll it be?

I know that might all sound a bit technical. But if you model it the right way for your singers, I know they'll easily get the hang of it. There are a lot of diphthongs in this song - for example, 'hear,' 'tale,' 'down,' 'join.' You could go on a diphthong hunt.

In general, this song shouldn't take too long to learn because the melodies repeat quite a lot. Just watch out for the different melody at bar 86 near the end, which goes, (SINGING) hear now the captain's tale. Listen to the captain's wail.

There's a breath mark at the end of bar 91 just before the last phrase. This is so we can have a clean attack there, especially for the sopranos, who have that high F. (SINGING) Hear the captain's tale. We want that note to sound effortless, like they're looking down on it from above rather than reaching up to it. So instead of, (SINGING) hear the captain's tale, we want, (SINGING) hear the captain's tale.

IAN JEFFERSON: Yes, I look forward to that note. Now, to finish off this bracket, at the beginning of your books on page 2 is 'Rocketing Through Stars' by me. I actually wrote this song back in 1994 before some of you watching were even born.

And this song was part of our bracket of songs for a group of songs I called Thunderbolt's Candle. So take it away.

[music - Ian Jefferson, 'Rocketing Through Stars']

RACHEL KELLY: (SINGING) Just past 9:00. Form a line. We hate school assembly. Must walk. Don't talk. Rule after rule. Pay attention or stay back after school. But now my mind is drifting away. I just can't concentrate today.

What a thrill, standing still. We hate school assembly. No running, talking.

Must walk. Don't talk.

Rule after rule. Pay attention or stay back after school. But now my mind is drifting away. I just can't concentrate today. Suddenly I'm travelling to Mars. Suddenly I'm rocketing through bright stars and planets. Pretty soon, the moon will shine. See it shine. The universe is mine, all mine.

Just past 9:00. Form a line. We hate school assembly.

Must walk. Don't talk.

Suddenly I'm travelling to Mars.

Rule after rule. Pay attention or stay back after school.

Suddenly I'm rocketing through bright stars and planets.

But now my mind is drifting away.

Pretty soon, the moon will shine. See it shine.

I just can't concentrate today.

The universe is mine, all mine, all mine.

Today, today.

All mine, all mine.

Today, today.

All mine.

Today.

This song is in 2 parts, soprano and alto. The time signature is 4/4, which means we conduct 4 beats in every bar like this. Down, across, out, up, down, across, out, up. 1, 2, 3, 4, 1, 2, 3, 4. (SINGING) Just past 9:00. Form a line. We hate school assembly.

The first section of this song up to bar 13 is mostly in unison. But it has the occasional harmony at bar 7 and bar 10. So, one way to rehearse it could be to have everyone sing the unison parts together, and then just the sopranos sing at bar 7 and 10. So, (SINGING) just past 9:00. Form a line. We hate school assembly. And so on.

And then do it again with everyone singing the unison parts but the altos singing in bar 7 and 10. (SINGING) Just past 9:00. Form a line. We hate school assembly. And then when they're really confident with that, you can try putting it together.

The dots that are sometimes above or below the note heads are called staccato. This means short and detached. And we need to sing these notes nice and short and crisp without overaccenting them. So you'd sing, (SINGING) just past 9:00. Form a line. We hate school assembly.

The word legato at bar 13 is telling us to sing smoothly. So, this is in contrast to the sparky first section of the song. And you can show this difference in your conducting. So, (SINGING) but now my mind is drifting away. I just can't concentrate today.

And the word 'day' cuts off on the fourth beat of bar 17. (SINGING) Concentrate today.

The next section at bar 21 is very similar to the opening. The altos have a new little harmony part that you'll have to teach them at bar 24 which goes, (SINGING) no running, talking, rule after rule.

The next section at bar 34 is all in unison. Now, even though it's marked p, which means piano, which means soft, it still needs to have lots of energy like this. (SINGING) Suddenly I'm travelling to Mars. Suddenly I'm rocketing through bright stars and planets.

To help them come in after the quaver rest at bar 34, you can give them a strong down beat to kick off against like this, (SINGING) suddenly, rather than suddenly giving them the word 'suddenly,' like this. (SINGING) Suddenly. We give them the beat before. (SINGING) Suddenly.

The word 'Mars' cuts off exactly on beat 3 like this. (SINGING) Suddenly I'm travelling to Mars. And the word 'stars' needs to join onto the word 'and' like this. (SINGING) Bright stars and planets. Bright stars and planets. Not, bright stars and planets.

The next phase is quite long. And it needs to be all smooth and connected. So, it goes like this. (SINGING) Pretty soon, the moon will shine. See it shine. Or the alto part. (SINGING) Pretty soon, the moon will shine. See it shine. So, they might want to have a break after the first 'shine.' But it has to join on and keep going.

At bar 42, the word 'mine' is held on. And it cuts off on the first beat of bar 43. It also gets quieter as we hold it. So, from just before that, it goes, (SINGING) the universe is mine, all mine.

At bar 46, we had a combo of different parts of the song that we've already learned. So, it starts like the beginning. And then the sopranos sing the, (SINGING) must walk, don't talk, section while the altos sing, (SINGING) suddenly I'm travelling to Mars, et cetera.

Now, it's virtually impossible to conduct everything here because there's so much going on. But it would be great if you could cue just a few things to help your singers out. So, first of all, the altos' cutoff on 'Mars' would be great because it's that S sound. So, (SINGING) to Mars in the alto direction.

Another spot which would be helpful is at bar 52 to cue the 2 entries there. So, the first one is for the altos on 'suddenly' and then for the sopranos on 'pay attention.' So, the altos need a strong beat 1 cue and the sopranos, beat 2.

So, I'll show it to you in slow motion. So, we've got, (SINGING) Sudden, pay. Sudden, pay. Or sudden, pay. Sudden, pay. Just practise doing that.

And then one more at bar 54, where we've got the altos coming in on 'pretty' and the sopranos coming on 'but now.' So, we give a strong beat 1. And then the soprano part's coming in just before beat 3, so it's (SINGING) pretty, but now. Pretty, but now.

So, the final section starts at the end of bar 57. The 2 parts here are quite different, and they're breathing in different places. So, you'll want to practise them separately so they know when to breathe.

And then when you put them together, listen carefully to the altos. Make sure they're not breathing after every 'all mine.' (SINGING) All mine, [inhales] all mine. [inhales] Because there's only one spot they're allowed to breathe, which is halfway through that section.

In the very last bar, they cut off on beat 3, which comes at the same time as the piano chord. So it goes, (SINGING) today.

IAN JEFFERSON: All right. You might need to get the dinner started soon, so get the oven on and the potatoes boiling. I have a couple of questions here. A lot of people were answering Adrian Quick's question about how to pick sopranos and altos. And what was going on in the chat is exactly right. So, you can scroll back and have a look at that, Adrian, if you haven't noticed that.

One thing I might add is that for altos, as people were saying, getting confident singers there. But also, you might find out that some of your kids there learn an instrument in the band and might play trumpet or trombone or cello or something. And often, kids who are used to playing their own part, not just the tune, who are good people to stick in the altos because if there's any complications, it tends to be in the alto part.

Back at the beginning of this little thread, Joe Penn was asking about song teaching order. I would suggest that you have about 3 songs on the go. So, for even a short rehearsal, just pick 8 bars. Teach 8 bars of one song, then move to a different song because kids will get bogged down if you're just trying to get through one entire song in one session.

So, maybe something like 'Some Days' or 'Homeward Bound,' a nice gentle song where you're working on tone and blend, would be a good song to start with. Unison singing is great for that, too. A soft song.

There's some other unison songs that are yet to come in this repertoire tonight that don't exactly lend themselves for looking for fabulous blending, like 'Naughty' and 'When I see an elephant fly.' But it's good to have other songs that are quite simple 2 parts, like 'Go for broke' or 'Rocketing through stars' or 'Adiemus,' where the parts are fairly simple. But you get singing 2 parts.

And I've just noticed Rachel has said to mix up the easy and hard songs throughout the year. You don't want to leave all the hard stuff to the end. And that's right. It's easy to leave things like 'Over the sea to Skye' or 'Bandyrowe' or 'Shooting star.' But just introduce 8 bars of it at a time, and you'll suddenly realise that, OK, if you look at it in short amounts, it's actually fine.

So, we're on the homestretch now. Thanks for staying with me. This last bracket covers the last 2 pieces in the book. And they both have a swing feel. You may find that Rachel is repeating herself in regard to her explanation of the swing component in these 2 songs. But hopefully, this will help her words sink in. So, I'll be back in 20 minutes.

All right. 2 songs to go. The first song we'll do now is on page 75, the song 'Naughty' from the musical Matilda by Tim Minchin. And we got a guy called Muz to do this arrangement. And although the original version is swung, we asked him to do more of a laid-back swing version that would feel appropriate if accompanied by a stage band. This will be conducted by Peter Haywood again. Take it away, Pete.

[music - Tim Minchin, 'Naughty']

RACHEL KELLY: (SINGING) Jack and Jill went up the hill to fetch a pail of water. So, they say their subsequent fall was inevitable. They never stood a chance. They were written that way. Innocent victims of their story.

Like Romeo and Juliet, 'twas written in the stars before they even met that love and fate and a touch of stupidity would rob them of their hope of living happily. The endings are often a little bit gory. I wonder why they didn't just change their story. We're told we have to do we're told, but surely. Sometimes you have to be a little bit naughty.

Even if you're little, you can do a lot. You mustn't let a little thing like 'little' stop you. If you sit around and let them get on top, you won't change a thing. Just because you find that life's not fair, it doesn't mean that you just have to grin and bear it. If you always take it on the chin and wear it, you might as well be saying you think that it's OK.

And that's not right. And if it's not right, you have to put it right.

In the slip of a bolt, there's a tiny revolt, the seed of a war in a creak of a floorboard. The storm can begin with a flap of a wing. The tiniest mite packs the mightiest sting. Every day starts with the tick of a clock. All escapes start with the click of a lock. If you're stuck in your story and want to get out, you don't have to cry. You don't have to shout.

'Cause if you're little, you can do a lot. You mustn't let a little thing like 'little' stop you. If you sit around and let them get on top, you won't change a thing. Just because you find that life's not fair, it doesn't mean that you just have to grin and bear it. If you always take it on the chin and wear it, you might as well be saying you think that it's OK. And that's not right. And if it's not right, you have to put it right.

But nobody else is gonna put it right for me. Nobody but me is going to to change my story. Sometimes you have to be a little bit naughty.

This version of 'Naughty' has been arranged to be accompanied by a stage band. So, the feel and the rhythms might be a bit different to the version that you already know. The singing is all in unison. That means the sopranos and the altos always sing the same thing.

The time signature is 4/4. That means we conduct 4 crotchet beats in every bar like this. Down, across, out, up, down, across, out, up. 1, 2, 3, 4, 1, 2, 3, 4. (SINGING) Jack and Jill went up the hill to fetch a pail of water.

The quavers are all swung. So, instead of dividing the crotchet beats into even quavers like this - 1 and 2 and 3 and 4 and - we swing them like this - 1 and 2 and 3 and 4 and.

It's written as though the quavers are all straight. But the instructions at the beginning tell us to swing them all in the accompaniment and in the singing parts.

I would learn these rhythms by listening really carefully to the teaching track and then teaching them to your choir a phrase at a time. So, you could sing a phrase for them to echo. Or you could play a little bit of the teaching track for them to copy a phrase at a time.

Listen to the way they're singing it and make sure it's accurate before you go onto the next phrase. For example, even in the first bar, there's a rhythm to watch out for. So, the original version of the song went, (SINGING) Jack and Jill. But this version goes, (SINGING) Jack and Jill. So, the end comes on the second beat like this. (SINGING) Jack and Jill.

Sometimes the differences in rhythm in this song from the original version are only small. But it's really important to get them right and have everyone singing them the same way. And if your choir are singing incorrect rhythm for a while, it can be really hard to fix it up.

Look out for all the rests in the vocal line in this song. There could be a quaver rest or a crotchet rest or a minim rest or even a whole bar rest. When you see one of these rests, the sound has to completely stop.

You don't always take a breath on a rest. But a lot of the time, you do. So, the first section goes like this. (SINGING) Jack and Jill went up the hill to fetch a pail of water, so they say. The subsequent fall was inevitable.

And then when there's a phrase that doesn't have a rest, make sure the sound keeps going. (SINGING) They never stood a chance. They were written that way.

Your choir will sound really unified if all the rests happen exactly together and if all those phrases that stay connected are together, as well. And it's much more satisfying for them to sing that way.

There's a few tricky spots melodically, as well, in this song that you may want to do some slower practise on. So at bar 17, we sing, (SINGING) like Romeo and Juliet. 'Twas written in the stars before they even met.

So, it really jumps around quite a bit. And it can be helpful just to practise those jumps a bit more slowly - (SINGING) Written in the stars before they even met - just to get the pitch nice and accurate.

At bar 25, we've got another example of little rests where we don't necessarily take a breath, but the sound stops. (SINGING) The endings are often a little bit gory. And watch the rhythm of 'gory.' (SINGING) Gory.

The rhythm of 'gory' there is what's called syncopation, which is a really big feature of this song. Syncopation is when the notes are accented off the beat instead of on the beats. So, instead of (SINGING) gory, it's gory.

Usually, the best way to conduct syncopation isn't to conduct the syncopated notes themselves but to emphasise the beat just before the syncopated note. Let's look at a few examples. Back in bar 9, the word 'was' is accented in between beat 3 and beat 4. So, we're going to help with this syncopation by giving a stronger gesture on beat 3 like this.

(SINGING) The subsequent fall was inevitable. I'll show you again. (SINGING) The subsequent fall was inevitable. Rather than giving a gesture right on the word 'was' like this. (SINGING) The subsequent fall was inevitable.

At bar 14, the word 'story' is syncopated like 'gory' that I mentioned before. So, the syncopation comes right at the end of the bar. And you can do a gesture on this note to help your singers like this. (SINGING) Innocent victims of their story.

This little rhythmic pattern is repeated in a lot of other places, like 'gory' at bar 26, 'story' at bar 29, 'surely' at bar 32, and 'naughty' at bar 36. Another syncopated rhythm that's used a lot is first found at bar 40. (SINGING) Even if you're little, you can do a lot, you.

So, except for the word 'do,' all the rest of those words come in between the beats. (SINGING) Do a lot, you. So, you can be a bit sharper or bouncier with your conducting in this bar just to help with that feel. (SINGING) Even if you're little, you can do a lot, you.

The same rhythm happens at bar 42, (SINGING) 'little' stop you; at bar 44, (SINGING) get on top, you; at bar 48, (SINGING) life's not fair, it; at bar 50, (SINGING) grin and bear it; and at bar 52, (SINGING) chin and wear it.

Just watch out for the one at 44. It's the only one that doesn't have a little rest after it. So, it joins onto the next part. (SINGING) Get on top, you won't change a thing.

I'll just point out one more syncopation for you at bar 57. (SINGING) And if it's not right. So, the word 'not' is coming in early there. It feels like a bit of a surprise. And you can give a sharper beat just before that word to help with the feel of it. So, for bar 55, you'd go, 1, 2, (SINGING) and that's not right. And if it's not right.

At bar 70, we have a contrasting middle section. And although it's softer, it still needs to be full of energy. (SINGING) In the slip of a boat, there's a tiny revolt. And give a strong down beat on that quaver rest to help kick off their rhythm. (SINGING) In the slip of a boat. You can use both hands for it. (SINGING) In the slip. In the slip.

Look at the phrase that starts at bar 76 and see how long it is before you get to take a breath. (SINGING) The tiniest mite packs the mightiest sting, every day. So, they have to join 'sting' to 'every.' And you can use your left hand to show that connection. (SINGING) Mightiest sting, every day.

Most of the rest of the song is just repeating parts they already know. When they get to the end, the last note is a long one. So, we hold it for almost 2 bars. It cuts off right at the end of bar 116 with that syncopated piano note. And then we keep conducting the final 2 bars while the piano plays. And we remind the choir to stay nice and focused to the very end.

So, I'll show you from bar 113. We'll go, (SINGING) sometimes you have to be a little bit naughty. Bum, bum, ba-da-da. Bum, bum, bum.

IAN JEFFERSON: Thanks, Rachel. Now, the last song for this evening is at the end of the book on page 85, 'When I see an elephant fly' from the movie 'Dumbo.' I just want to let you know I did the arrangement for this. But I made a bit of a typo in bar 59 at the bottom of page 89 on the word 'die.' (SINGING) Laughed till I thought I'd die.

So, I'll send out a little errata about that note on the word 'die.' It's supposed to only be a crotchet in that bar, not a minim. Anyway, let's have a scene. Take it away, Ian.

[music - 'When i see an elephant fly']

RACHEL KELLY: (SINGING) I saw a peanut stand. I heard a rubber band. I saw a needle that winked its eye. But I been done seen about everything when I see an elephant fly.

I saw a front porch swing. I heard a diamond ring. I saw a polka dot railroad tie. But I been done seen about everything when I see an elephant fly.

I even heard a chocolate drop. I went into a store and saw a bicycle shop. You can't deny the things that you see. But I know there's certain things that just can't be.

The other day, by chance, I saw an old barn dance. And I just laughed till I thought I'd die. But I been done seen about everything when I see an elephant fly.

[snapping]

I even heard a chocolate drop. I went into a store and saw a bicycle shop. You can't deny the things that you see. But I know there's certain things that just can't be.

The other day, by chance, I saw an old barn dance. And I just laughed till I thought I'd die. But I been done seen about everything when I see an elephant fly, when I see an elephant fly, when I see an elephant fly. Yeah.

This song is from the Disney movie 'Dumbo.' It's all in unison, so the sopranos and the altos always sing the same thing. And it's also been arranged to be accompanied by a stage band.

The time signature is 4/4. That means we conduct 4 beats in every bar like this. Down, across, out, up, down, across, out, up. 1, 2, 3, 4, 1, 2, 3. (SINGING) I saw a peanut stand. I heard a rubber band. I saw a needle that winked its eye.

Now, the quavers in this song are all swung. That means instead of dividing the crotchets into even quavers like this - 1 and 2 and 3 and 4 and - we swing them like this - 1 and 2 and 3 and 4 and 1 and 2 and 3 and 4 and. Now, it's written as though they're just played straight. But the instruction at the beginning, light swing, tells us to swing them all.

This song also has a lot of syncopation. Syncopation is when the notes are accented off the beats instead of on the beat. So, in this first section, listen out for these words. They're all syncopated. Stand, band, eye, thing, and fly. (SINGING) I saw a peanut stand. I heard a rubber band. I saw a needle that winked its eye. But I been done seen about everything when I see an elephant fly.

So, usually, we don't conduct the syncopated notes. But in this situation, in rehearsals, if you're wanting to help them get the punchiness of when those words come in, you could just forget about the rest of your conducting for a minute and just do some gestures on those words, so something like this.

(SINGING) I saw a peanut stand. I heard a rubber band. I saw a needle that winked its eye. But I been done seen about everything when I see an elephant fly. Or something way cooler.

Also, in this song, really enjoy the words that land right on the beat. So, for example, (SINGING) been don't seen about or needle that winked, not (SINGING) needle that winked.

And it's best to keep your conducting small and sharp in this song, and that will really also help with the syncopation. So, from bar 13, we could go, (SINGING) I saw a front porch swing. I heard a diamond ring. I saw a polka dot railroad tie. But I been done seen about everything when I see an elephant fly.

So, then we get to the middle section at bar 21. Now, this melody has some tricky intervals that you might want to practise at a bit of a slower tempo just so they're not approximating the melody here. Now, I'll show you what I mean. So, at a faster speed, we'd be going -

[playing melody]

But if we slow it down, we can sing, (SINGING) I went into a store and saw a bicycle shop. And then we can practise it a bit faster. (SINGING) I went into a store and saw a bicycle shop. And then work our way up to full tempo.

Then we get to a new verse at bar 30. Same tune, different words. Now, we've got the words 'chance' and 'dance' here. And I know some people like to pronounce them 'chonce' and 'donce.' I tend to avoid that. I find that it sticks out a bit and can sound a bit unnatural in a choir. Your decision.

But we also don't want 'chence' and 'dence.' So, I like to try and find a happy medium. So, I would sing it more like this. (SINGING) The other day, by chance, I saw an old man dance.

And then at bar 38, we do some snaps during the piano break. Now, snaps is just a fancy term for clicking your fingers. We do this on the off beats on 2 and 4 because we're way too cool to do it on 1 and 3. And just make sure that you're really clear with some sort of signal as to when those snaps stop so everybody does it at the same time.

At bar 45, which is the bar before where the singing comes back in, the piano part is marked subito p, which means suddenly soft. And then when the singing comes in, likewise, it's marked soft. So, you can remind them of this in your conducting. (SINGING) I even heard a chocolate drop.

And then through this section, the dynamics alternate between soft and moderately loud. So, we can show this with our conducting by going from smaller to bigger, smaller to bigger. So, we could go, (SINGING) I even heard a chocolate drop. I went into a store and saw a bicycle shop. You can't deny the things that you see. But I know there's certain things that just can't be.

And then at bar 54, the piano plays for 2 bars to take us into the key change like this.

[playing melody]

(SINGING) The other day, by chance. So, we sing the last verse which leads into our big finish at bar 66. (SINGING) When I see an elephant fly. Now, this last note, 'fly,' we hold for quite a long time.

Now, the word 'fly' is what we call a diphthong. And this is when we sing or say two vowel sounds on one syllable. So, if we sang the word 'fly' in slow motion, we would hear (SINGING) 'flah-ee.' We'd hear that vowel sound change.

Now, we don't want that vowel sound to change while we're holding it. So, we want to hold the first vowel sound, which is an 'ah,' for as long as possible. Then right near the end, we flip to an 'ee' sound. So, we go (SINGING) 'flah-ee' rather than going 'flah-ee' the whole way through.

And for the final 'yeah,' we want a nice, punchy shout in the upper register of our speaking voice, which will have more impact. So, instead of (DEEPLY) 'yeah,' we want, 'yeah!'

IAN JEFFERSON: Well, there's all the songs. I can hear people clicking off as I speak. There was a question about copyright and sharing files. The department and copyright in general is fairly relaxed during COVID times in particular. But sharing teaching tracks and teaching videos, go for your life.

The issue comes when you start photocopying music and lyrics. Now, a lot of people will turn a blind eye to the photocopying of lyrics. But technically speaking, they're copywritten, and you're not supposed to do it. Use your discretion there and common sense.

Now, Rachel has put through a suggested teaching order - well, not teaching order, a suggested easiest to hardest list of the repertoire. So, if you turn in your repertoire book back to the very beginning on the inside cover, there's a list of the songs and which page they're on. So, I'll read you the order from easiest to hardest.

Number one, 'Captain's tale.' Number 2, 'Go for broke.' Number 3, 'Some days.' Number 4, 'Naughty.'

[coughing]

That was Peter Haywood coughing then. Number 5, 'Elephant fly.' Number 6, 'Adiemus.' Number 7, 'Homeward bound.' What did I say, number 6? Number 7. No. Yes, I've been distracted. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7.

Number 8, 'Shooting star.' Number 9, 'Over the sea to Skye.' Number 10, 'Bandyrowe.' And for some reason, she thinks the hardest one is 'Rocketing through stars.' I tend to disagree with her on that. I think it's reasonably simple.

For those people who are coming back on Wednesday for the Primary Proms Workshop, I've scheduled the 2 crossover songs - that's 'Captain's tale' and 'Go for broke' - at the end of the session so you can leave early if you want.

Remember to speak to your principal if you're hoping to order further copies of the repertoire books. The deadline for online orders is Friday the 12th of March. After that point, you can contact Jenny Birrell and see what books we have left, and you'll use a paper-based order form.

The Arts Unit will be sending out an evaluation in the next couple of weeks. And I know many of you are probably still struggling to get a choir formed at your school this year. Regardless of the logistical issues such as drumming up choir membership or negotiating rehearsal spaces, this repertoire and the support resources are available for you to access and use to improve your conducting leadership and conducting skills.

My 4 top tips are, one, get to know the songs really well before you start to teach them. 2, only teach short sections of the song at a time. Have a plan and be realistic how much time you have in a rehearsal.

3, use your conducting and hand gestures to help your choir be confident and accurate. And stay energetic and enthusiastic. Don't worry about the patterns so much. It's communicating with the kids.

And number 4, the last one, listen to the sound of your choir. A song needs to be alive and be accurate and also needs to sound nice, not just in tune and in time but also have a beautiful, uniform, energised tone.

Thanks for tuning in this evening. Time now to relax with a glass of vino. Thanks again to my team, to Rachel, and to the fellows here with me, David and Pete. And good night.