Video transcript
Warm-ups for your choir (primary) - eClass 2 - The voice - 1. Preparing the voice

RACHEL KELLY: A terrific way to prepare the vocal cords for singing is by using exercises that incorporate humming, sirens or lip trills. These are a gentle way to warm up all parts of the vocal range and develop resonance.

The third warm-up we're going to do is about getting your voice ready to sing, OK? Can everybody hum the note they think is a middle C?

STUDENTS: (humming) Mm.

RACHEL KELLY: Let's check.

[plays middle C on piano]

Ah, spot on. Isn't that great to have that on video? (singing) So starting on that note, we're going to hum, we're going to slide up a fifth and back down again. So it will be like this.

(sliding) Mm-mm-mm.

(speaking) Sliding every note in between. (singing) Ready.

ALL: (sliding) Mm-mm-mm.

RACHEL KELLY: So don't slide too quickly. Make sure that you reach your top note when my hand reaches it. (singing) Let's try it again, (speaking) and--

ALL: (sliding) Mm-mm-mm.

RACHEL KELLY: (singing) Da, da.

ALL: (sliding) Mm-mm-mm.

RACHEL KELLY: (singing) Da, da.

ALL: (sliding) Mm-mm-mm.

RACHEL KELLY: (singing) Da, da.

ALL: (sliding) Mm-mm-mm.

RACHEL KELLY: (singing) Da, da.

ALL: (sliding) Mm-mm-mm.

RACHEL KELLY: (singing) Now we're going to change it to an nn, N. With your lips open, nn. Ready, (speaking) and--

ALL: (sliding) Nn-nn-nn.

RACHEL KELLY: (singing) Da, da.

ALL: (sliding) Nn-nn-nn.

RACHEL KELLY: (singing) Da, da.

ALL: (sliding) Nn-nn-nn.

RACHEL KELLY: (singing) Da, da.

ALL: (sliding) Nn-nn-nn.

RACHEL KELLY: (singing) Da, da.

ALL: (sliding) Nn-nn-nn.

RACHEL KELLY: Good. (singing) Now we're going to stay on that note again (speaking) but we're going to change it to an ng sound, like an N-G at the end of a word. (singing) Ng, everyone make that sound.

ALL: (singing) Ng.

RACHEL KELLY: Good. Let's focus on me. Keep your face nice and bright as you're singing. All eyes this way. (singing) Ready.

ALL: (sliding) Ng-ng-ng.

RACHEL KELLY: (singing) Da, da.

ALL: (sliding) Ng-ng-ng.

RACHEL KELLY: (singing) Two more.

ALL: (sliding) Ng-ng-ng.

RACHEL KELLY: (singing) Da, da.

ALL: (sliding) Ng-ng-ng.

RACHEL KELLY: Great job.

Next one, we're going to make our N-G sound. Everyone go ng.

ALL: Ng.

RACHEL KELLY: And we're going to make a siren with our N-G sound that starts up high in our voice and goes down low, like this-- (sliding) Nggg. (speaking) Try that with me.

ALL: (sliding) Nggg.

RACHEL KELLY: Good. You don't need to do the hand action. Keep your arms nice and relaxed. I'll show you with my hand. Try it again, and--

ALL: (sliding) Nggg.

RACHEL KELLY: Good. See if you can start even higher this time.

ALL: (sliding) Nggg.

RACHEL KELLY: Try and keep your head nice and still when you do it. So your actual head and face shouldn't be moving to match the pitch. That stays nice and relaxed, chin tucked in a bit. It's only the voice that's moving. Let's start-- and your facial expression can move, too. Your eyebrows can lift. Your cheeks can lift. But we don't need to move the head up and down. Let's try it even higher. Ready.

ALL: (sliding) Nggg.

RACHEL KELLY: Good. This time, when we get to the bottom, we're going to come back up to the top. Ready, and--

STUDENTS: (sliding) Nggg.

RACHEL KELLY: Great. This time, follow my hand and see if you can go in the right direction. Here we go.

STUDENTS: (sliding) Nggg.

RACHEL KELLY: Great.

This warm-up is one to help prepare the voice for singing, and it's just a nice, gentle way to start warming up the voice. It's using a hum. And we're just going to hum on these notes. (humming) mm, mm, mm. (singing) So those nights are do, re, do. (speaking) So it goes like this. Listen. (humming) Mm, mm, mm. Mm, mm, mm. (speaking) Try it with me, and--

ALL: (humming) Mm, mm, mm. Mm, mm, mm.

RACHEL KELLY: Good. (singing) And then we go to the next one, (speaking) and--

ALL: (humming) Mm, mm, mm. Mm, mm, mm.

RACHEL KELLY: (singing) Da, da.

ALL: (humming) Mm, mm, mm. Mm, mm, mm.

RACHEL KELLY: (singing) Da, da, and--

ALL: (humming) Mm, mm, mm. Mm, mm, mm.

RACHEL KELLY: (singing) Da, da, and--

ALL: (humming) Mm, mm, mm. Mm, mm, mm.

RACHEL KELLY: (singing) This time, we're going to change to an nn, instead of a mm, so your lips will be open. Ready, (speaking) and--

ALL: (humming) Nn, nn, nn. Nn, nn, nn.

RACHEL KELLY: (singing) Da da, and--

ALL: (humming) Nn, nn, nn. Nn, nn, nn.

RACHEL KELLY: (singing) Da, da. (speaking) Bright faces.

ALL: (humming) Nn, nn, nn. Nn, nn, nn.

RACHEL KELLY: (singing) Da, da, and--

ALL: (humming) Nn, nn, nn. Nn, nn, nn.

RACHEL KELLY: (singing) Two more.

ALL: (humming) Nn, nn, nn. Nn, nn, nn.

RACHEL KELLY: (singing) Last one.

ALL: (humming) Nn, nn, nn. Nn, nn, nn.

RACHEL KELLY: Good.

The next one is a singing exercise. We're going to sing on an ooh vowel. And we're going to start on the tonic (singing) ooh. (speaking) And then we're going to sing 3 different intervals. We're going to sing a third, then a fifth, then an octave. So it goes like this. (singing) Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh. Try it with me.

ALL: (singing) Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh.

RACHEL KELLY: Good. Let's think about how we're standing, arms by sides, feet apart, relaxed but nice and straight. That's it. (singing) Good, let's try it again, (speaking) and--

ALL: (singing) Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh.

RACHEL KELLY: Good. Nice and gentle. This isn't an exercise that needs to be strong. It's just warming up different parts of our voice. And I'd like you to try and do it all in one breath I saw a few people breathing in the middle of it. (singing) Let's try it. Try it without my help. Ready.

STUDENTS: (singing) Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh.

RACHEL KELLY: (singing) Now, let's start on this note. Ready.

STUDENTS: (singing) Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh.

RACHEL KELLY: Good. The first interval is a third. (singing) ooh, ooh. Sing that.

ALL: (singing) Ooh, ooh.

RACHEL KELLY: Next one's a fifth. (singing) Ooh, ooh. (speaking) Sing that one.

STUDENTS: (singing) Ooh, ooh.

RACHEL KELLY: And the last one, the octave. (singing) Ooh, ooh. (speaking) That one.

STUDENTS: (singing) Ooh, ooh.

RACHEL KELLY: So when we put them all together-- (singing) ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh. (speaking) Always back to our tonic. Try it again, and

STUDENTS: (singing) Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh.

RACHEL KELLY: (singing) Let's do one more, starting on this note.

STUDENTS: (singing) Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh.

RACHEL KELLY: Much better. Well done.