Video transcript
Warm-ups for your choir (primary) - eClass 3 - Flexibility and blend - 1. Focus on flexibility

RACHEL KELLY: Warm-ups that extend the range of your singers into their lower and higher registers will help them be able to successfully perform a wider variety of repertoire. Flexibility is about moving the voice smoothly and accurately around the range. Exercises that focus on flexibility are often based on scales and arpeggios and practise achieving a smooth transition, even if the voice is leaping.

So, this warm-up helps to make your voice more flexible. We're going to stretch the range. (singing) So we're going to start on this note and sing zinga-zinga, za, za, za, za. (speaking) And then we're going to go up by semitones. (singing) Ready-- (speaking) Ah, and it starts, it starts with a rest. So it goes, 1, (singing) Zinga-zinga, za, za, za, za. (speaking) Let's try it. Ready, and 1.

ALL: (singing) Zinga-zinga, za, za, za, za.

RACHEL KELLY: Very good. Then, to get to the next semitone, I'll sing the starting note, and then I'll give you that first beat again. OK. (singing) So, let's start again. Ready--

STUDENTS: (singing) Zinga-zinga, za, za, za, za.

RACHEL KELLY: (singing) Da, da.

ALL: Zinga-zinga, za, za, za, za.

RACHEL KELLY: (singing) Da, da.

STUDENTS: (singing) Zinga-zinga, za, za, za, za.

RACHEL KELLY: (humming) Mm, mm.

STUDENTS: (singing) Zinga-zinga, za, za, za, za.

RACHEL KELLY: (humming) Mm, mm.

STUDENTS: (singing) Zinga-zinga, za, za, za, za.

RACHEL KELLY: (humming) Mm, mm.

STUDENTS: (singing) Zinga-zinga, za, za, za, za.

RACHEL KELLY: (humming) Mm, mm.

STUDENTS: (singing) Zinga-zinga, za, za, za, za.

RACHEL KELLY: (humming) Mm, mm.

STUDENTS: (singing) Zinga-zinga, za, za, za, za.

RACHEL KELLY: (humming) Mm, mm.

STUDENTS: (singing) Zinga-zinga, za, za, za, za.

RACHEL KELLY: (humming) Mm, mm.

STUDENTS: (singing) Zinga-zinga, za, za, za, za.

RACHEL KELLY: Good, and as we get to those much higher ones, we've got to make sure that we're not just reaching up to those notes from underneath, but we're still placing them from above. So it's-- (singing) Zinga-zinga, za, za, za, za. Try that one. (speaking) And 1.

ALL: (singing) Zinga-zinga, za, za, za, za.

RACHEL KELLY: That was better.

This one I like to think of as a bit of a different kind of a siren, a siren that you might hear on a fire engine or something like that. So it goes,

(singing) Ee-aw, ee-aw, ee-aw, ee-aw, ee. Sing that.

ALL: (singing) Ee-aw, ee-aw, ee-aw, ee-aw, ee.

RACHEL KELLY: Good. When I do this warm-up with my vowels ee and aw, I try and sing them without changing the shape of my mouth too much. OK, so I'm trying not to do this--

(singing) Ee-aw, ee-aw, ee-aw, ee-aw, ee.

(speaking) That sounds pretty disgusting, doesn't it? OK, so we want a lovely transition between the 2 vowels. So you need to keep a long shape.

(singing) Ee-aw, ee-aw, ee-aw, ee-aw, ee. Try it.

STUDENTS: (singing) Ee-aw, ee-aw, ee-aw, ee-aw, ee.

RACHEL KELLY: (singing) Da, da.

STUDENTS: (singing) Ee-aw, ee-aw, ee-aw, ee-aw, ee.

RACHEL KELLY: (singing) Da, da.

STUDENTS: (singing) Ee-aw, ee-aw, ee-aw, ee-aw, ee.

RACHEL KELLY: (singing) Let's keep our faces bright, (speaking) and--

STUDENTS: (singing) Ee-aw, ee-aw, ee-aw, ee-aw, ee.

RACHEL KELLY: (singing) Da, da.

STUDENTS: (singing) Ee-aw, ee-aw, ee-aw, ee-aw, ee.

RACHEL KELLY: (singing) One more.

STUDENTS: (singing) Ee-aw, ee-aw, ee-aw, ee-aw, ee.

RACHEL KELLY: Lovely.

I really love this one because we get to sing the same little exercise, but we do it in 2 different ways. It's very easy. But it's a really good way to practise singing fast, tricky notes. So the little exercise goes like this: (singing) Nee, ee, ee, ee, ee, ee, ee, ee, ee.

(speaking) That's the pattern. Sing it for me. Ready, and--

ALL: (singing) Nee, ee, ee, ee, ee, ee, ee, ee, ee.

RACHEL KELLY: So the first time we sing it, Zoe, we sing it beautifully and smoothly, like we just did. Then we sing it again. And we make every note staccato. What do I mean by staccato? Matthew.

MATTHEW: Short and detached.

RACHEL KELLY: Oh, I love that. Perfect definition, short and detached. So we don't join any of the notes. So the second time we sing it,

(staccato) Nee, ee, ee, ee, ee, ee, ee, ee, ee.

(speaking) Like that. Try it that way. Ready, and--

STUDENTS: (staccato) Nee, ee, ee, ee, ee, ee, ee, ee, ee.

RACHEL KELLY: Good. So the first time, nice and smooth. The second time, staccato.

(singing) Nee, ee, ee, ee, ee, ee, ee, ee, ee.

(staccato) Nee, ee, ee, ee, ee, ee, ee, ee, ee.

(speaking) Try it for me. Ready, and--

ALL: (singing) Nee, ee, ee, ee, ee, ee, ee, ee, ee.

(staccato) Nee, ee, ee, ee, ee, ee, ee, ee, ee.

RACHEL KELLY: Good. This time, we're going to do both those versions but without stopping in the middle. One turns into the other. So it goes--

(singing) Nee, ee, ee, ee, ee, ee, ee, ee, ee.

(staccato) Nee, ee, ee, ee, ee, ee, ee, ee, ee.

(singing) Give it a try, (speaking) and--

ALL: (singing) Nee, ee, ee, ee, ee, ee, ee, ee, ee.

(staccato) Nee, ee, ee, ee, ee, ee, ee, ee, ee.

RACHEL KELLY: Good. When we do the short one, you can actually put a little h in front-- not the first one, because it's nee. But the other ones, it's a bit like nee-hee-hee-hee-hee-hee. So, you're having a little laugh at someone's knees, maybe. I don't know. That wouldn't be very nice, would it? Let's stand up and give it a try. So--

(singing) We'll start on that note. So there's nee, ee, ee, ee, ee, ee, ee, ee, ee.

(staccato) Nee, ee, ee, ee, ee, ee, ee, ee, ee.

(singing) Then we'll go to the next note. Here we go. All eyes this way. Arms by your sides. (speaking) Ready, and--

ALL: Nee, ee, ee, ee, ee, ee, ee, ee, ee.

(staccato) Nee, ee, ee, ee, ee, ee, ee, ee, ee.

RACHEL KELLY: (singing) Da, da.

ALL: Nee, ee, ee, ee, ee, ee, ee, ee, ee.

(staccato) Nee, ee, ee, ee, ee, ee, ee, ee, ee.

RACHEL KELLY: (singing) Da, da.

ALL: Nee, ee, ee, ee, ee, ee, ee, ee, ee.

(staccato) Nee, ee, ee, ee, ee, ee, ee, ee, ee.

RACHEL KELLY: (singing) Da, da.

ALL: Nee, ee, ee, ee, ee, ee, ee, ee, ee.

(staccato) Nee, ee, ee, ee, ee, ee, ee, ee, ee.

RACHEL KELLY: (singing) Da, da.

ALL: Nee, ee, ee, ee, ee, ee, ee, ee, ee.

(staccato) Nee, ee, ee, ee, ee, ee, ee, ee, ee.

RACHEL KELLY: (singing) One more.

ALL: Nee, ee, ee, ee, ee, ee, ee, ee, ee.

(staccato) Nee, ee, ee, ee, ee, ee, ee, ee, ee.

RACHEL KELLY: Great job. That one makes me happy. It's because it's sort of making yourself laugh.

This is a warm-up that helps just get our voice nice and flexible and practises our range from low to high. So the words are zee, aw. Say that.

STUDENTS: Zee, aw.

RACHEL KELLY: And it goes like this.

(singing) Zee, ee, ee, aw. Aw, aw, aw, aw, aw, aw, aw, aw, aw, aw, aw.

(speaking) So we start with a little arpeggio.

(singing) Zee, ee, ee, aw. (speaking) Sing that.

STUDENTS: (singing) Zee, ee, ee, aw.

RACHEL KELLY: And then we go just below it and past the tonic. And then we come down the scale. So when we've got to--

(singing) Aw. Aw, aw, aw, aw, aw, aw, aw, aw, aw, aw, aw. So go from there-- (speaking) I'm sorry go from (singing) Zee, ee, ee, aw. Go from there.

ALL: (singing) Aw. Aw, aw, aw, aw, aw, aw, aw, aw, aw, aw, aw.

RACHEL KELLY: Good. Let's try it from the start. Ready, and--

ALL: (singing) Zee, ee, ee, aw. Aw, aw, aw, aw, aw, aw, aw, aw, aw, aw, aw.

RACHEL KELLY: (singing) And then we go to the next note. Let's stand up and try it. Ready, (speaking) and--

ALL: (singing) Zee, ee, ee, aw. Aw, aw, aw, aw, aw, aw, aw, aw, aw, aw, aw.

RACHEL KELLY: Oh, and I'm loving seeing some nice, tall shapes on the aw. But some mouths, I think, need to open a bit more. (singing) So, starting on this note (speaking) and--

ALL: (singing) Zee, ee, ee, aw. Aw, aw, aw, aw, aw, aw, aw, aw, aw, aw, aw.

RACHEL KELLY: (singing) Da, da.

ALL: (singing) Zee, ee, ee, aw. Aw, aw, aw, aw, aw, aw, aw, aw, aw, aw, aw.

RACHEL KELLY: Excellent mouth shape, Caroline. Well done. (singing) Then starting on this note (speaking) and--

ALL: (singing) Zee, ee, ee, aw. Aw, aw, aw, aw, aw, aw, aw, aw, aw, aw, aw.

RACHEL KELLY: (singing) One more.

ALL: (singing) Zee, ee, ee, aw. Aw, aw, aw, aw, aw, aw, aw, aw, aw, aw, aw.

RACHEL KELLY: Very nice.