Video transcript
Warm-ups for your choir (primary) - eClass 3 - Vowels and consonants - 1. Focus on vowels

RACHEL KELLY: To achieve a beautifully blended choral sound, you want all your choristers producing their vowel sounds the same way. Taking the time to practise each vowel sound should make a big difference to the blend and tone of your choir. Try to incorporate each of the 5 pure vowel sounds: ah, eh, ee, orh and ooh. Remember to emphasise a tall mouth shape and to keep the vowel sound consistent as the note is held.

For this warm-up, we're going to focus on our vowel sounds, and I'm going to start with an ooh vowel. (singing) Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh. Let's try it. Ready.

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

RACHEL KELLY: (singing) Let's do it on eh.

ALL: (singing) Eh, eh, eh, eh, eh, eh, eh, eh, eh, eh, eh, eh, eh.

RACHEL KELLY: (singing) Ee.

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

RACHEL KELLY: (singing) Ooh.

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

RACHEL KELLY: And last one, ah. (singing) Ready.

ALL: (singing) Ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah.

RACHEL KELLY: Yes, I'm looking for a really good tall shape to your mouth when you sing this, (singing) ah. (speaking) So we don't want this look, (singing nasal) arh, (speaking) but (singing) ah. Can we try that one again? Ready, and--

ALL: (singing) Ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah.

RACHEL KELLY: Excellent job. Well done.

The words we're going to sing are bee, beh, bah, boh, boo. Say that.

ALL: Bee, beh, bah, boh, boo.

RACHEL KELLY: The notes we sing are (singing) bee, beh, bah, boh, boo, oo, oo, oo, oo. (speaking) Try it.

ALL: (singing) Bee, beh, bah, boh, boo, oo, oo, oo, oo.

RACHEL KELLY: Good. Can we try this time separating each of those first ones, and then making the last ones lovely and legato and smooth? So it sounds like this: (singing) bee, beh, bah, boh, boo, oo, oo, oo, oo. (speaking) Sing.

ALL: (singing) Bee, beh, bah, boh, boo, oo, oo, oo, oo.

RACHEL KELLY: Good. We're going to go up to the next note but let's have a different consonant at the start. What will we have? Stella?

STELLA: T.

RACHEL KELLY: (singing) Tee, teh. Ready, (speaking) and--

ALL: (singing) Tee, teh, tah, toh, too, oo, oo, oo, oo.

RACHEL KELLY: (singing) Then, on the next note, we'll have another consonant. Amelia?

AMELIA: Kee .

RACHEL KELLY: (singing) Kee, ready, (speaking) and--

ALL: (singing) Kee, keh, kah, koh, koo, oo, oo, oo, oo.

RACHEL KELLY: (singing) Good, and what next? Let's have Gabby.

GABBY: M.

RACHEL KELLY: (singing) Mee. Ready, (speaking) and--

ALL: (singing) Mee, meh, mah, moh, moo, oo, oo, oo, oo.

RACHEL KELLY: (singing) And let's have one more. Zoe.

ZOE: N.

RACHEL KELLY: (singing) Nee. (speaking) Nee. Nee. (singing) Ready, (speaking) and--

ALL: (singing) Nee, neh, nah, noh, noo, oo, oo, oo, oo.

RACHEL KELLY: Good.

So everyone say mee, meh, mah, moh, moo.

STUDENTS: Mee, meh, mah, moh, moo.

RACHEL KELLY: They're the vowels we're going to use, but we're going to sing 2 notes per vowel, except for the last one. So we sing (singing) mee-ee, meh-eh, mah-ah, moh-oh, moo.

(speaking) Listen one more time. (singing) Mee-ee, meh-eh, mah-ah, moh-oh, moo. (speaking) Sing--

ALL: (singing) Mee-ee, meh-eh, mah-ah, moh-oh, moo.

RACHEL KELLY: Good. When we sing this one-- I'll explain this when we're standing up, actually. For this one, we sing 2 notes per vowel. And we want to make sure that the vowel sound stays the same for both notes.

So listen to the warm-up one more time. (singing) Mee-ee, meh-eh, mah-ah, moh-oh, moo. (speaking) So we keep the vowel in the same spot for both notes. We don't go, (singing) mee-ee, meh-eh, mah-ah, moh-oh, moo. (speaking) We keep it beautiful and smooth and the same shape. Lovely, long shape. (singing) Ready. (speaking) Sing.

ALL: (singing) Mee-ee, meh-eh, mah-ah, moh-oh, moo.

RACHEL KELLY: (singing) Let's do it starting on this note, (speaking) and--

STUDENTS: (singing) Mee-ee, meh-eh, mah-ah, moh-oh, moo.

RACHEL KELLY: I think we can even get a longer shape in our mouth.

(singing) Starting on this note, (speaking) and--

ALL: (singing) Mee-ee, meh-eh, mah-ah, moh-oh, moo.

RACHEL KELLY: (singing) Then starting on this note, (speaking) and--

ALL: (singing) Mee-ee, meh-eh, mah-ah, moh-oh, moo.

RACHEL KELLY: (singing) Da, da.

ALL: (singing) Mee-ee, meh-eh, mah-ah, moh-oh, moo.

RACHEL KELLY: (singing) Da, da.

ALL: (singing) Mee-ee, meh-eh, mah-ah, moh-oh, moo.

RACHEL KELLY: (singing) Last one.

ALL: (singing) Mee-ee, meh-eh, mah-ah, moh-oh, moo.

RACHEL KELLY: Good. Have another seat. Well done.

OK, now, so to practise our vowels, can you say yee?

STUDENTS: Yee.

RACHEL KELLY: Yoh?

STUDENTS: Yoh.

RACHEL KELLY: Yah?

STUDENTS: Yah.

RACHEL KELLY: So, we're going to sing to each of those, 5 notes going up, in a major scale this time. (singing) Yee, ee, ee, ee, ee. Yoh, oh, oh, oh, oh. Yah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah.

(speaking) So we do yee going up, yoh going up, and then yah up and down.

Can you try this one for me? (singing) Yee, ee, ee, ee, ee.

(speaking) Just that.

STUDENTS: (singing) Yee, ee, ee, ee, ee.

RACHEL KELLY: Listen. (singing) Yoh, oh, oh, oh, oh.

STUDENTS: (singing) Yoh, oh, oh, oh, oh.

RACHEL KELLY: And then-- (singing) Yah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah.

(speaking) Try it, and--

STUDENTS: (singing) Yah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah.

RACHEL KELLY: Good, and what are we focusing on when we do this warm-up? Vowels! So I want you to really think about the vowel sound that you're making, the shape of your mouth, and making sure the vowel sound doesn't change while you change notes. So it shouldn't be, (singing) yee, ee, ee, ee, ee, (speaking) like that. It's all the same sound. All the same shape, same vowel sound.

Let's try the whole exercise. So it's yee then yoh then yah. (singing) Ready, (speaking) and--

ALL: (singing) Yee, ee, ee, ee, ee. Yoh, oh, oh, oh, oh. Yah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah.

RACHEL KELLY: Much better. (singing) Let's start on this note. Remember to keep your arms by your sides. Ready.

ALL: (singing) Yee, ee, ee, ee, ee. Yoh, oh, oh, oh, oh. Yah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah.

RACHEL KELLY: (singing) Then on this note.

ALL: (singing). Yee, ee, ee, ee, ee. Yoh, oh, oh, oh, oh. Yah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah.

RACHEL KELLY: Good.