Video transcript
Warm-ups for your choir (secondary) - eClass 4 - Choral skills and songs for teaching choirs - 02. Listening and blending

LIZ SCOTT: Close your eyes. I can see you. So I can see when your eyes are open. Close your eyes. Everyone, close your eyes. Keep your eyes closed. Benny is going to give us a beautiful, inspiring 'Happy Birthday' chord, that will inspire us to play 'Happy Birthday'-- sing 'Happy Birthday'. Eyes are closed, but you're facing the front-- with your eyes closed. Great.

And we're going to sing 'Happy Birthday' to Tana. But I'm not going to conduct you because you can't see me. So there's no point. Close your eyes. Eyes closed. Everyone's eyes are closed. You're going to start together. So listen to each other. And start together. Here's your chord--

[chord played on piano]

[students laughing]

Haven't heard 'Happy Birthday' yet. Here we go. Shh, shh, shh. Think about it. Start together.

STUDENTS: (singing) Ha--

[students laughing]

STUDENTS: Happy birthday--

LIZ SCOTT: Let us do it again. Let's do it again. Here's your chord.

[chord played on piano]

Close your eyes.

STUDENTS: (singing) Happy birthday to you.

LIZ SCOTT: Keep going.

STUDENTS: (singing) Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday dear Tana. Happy birthday to you.

LIZ SCOTT: Very nice. How did you make it start together? Or how did it start together?

[students chattering]

STUDENT: We breathed together.

LIZ SCOTT: You breathed together. If you breathe together, you will start. When I conduct you-- let's all sing 'Happy Birthday'.

[chord played on piano]

Just watch me. [inhales]

STUDENTS: (singing) Happy bir--

LIZ SCOTT: What happened?

STUDENT: We all breathed.

LIZ SCOTT: You all-- Right? So I indicated-- I'll show you how I can start a choir-- anyone can start a choir. You're all watching me. We're going to do 'Happy Birthday'. You ready? [inhales]

ALL: (singing) Happy birth--

LIZ SCOTT: Right? Super easy. I don't need my arms. As long as I breathe, you will breathe with me. But you can also do that without me. As long as you breathe together, then you will sing. But you have to listen to each other. What we don't want is this-- [deep inhale]-- (singing) happy-- (speaking) because that's going to create-- [coughs] cause me to cough and create tension.

So that's not the point. The point is listening so much to each other that you want to just automatically breathe together. While I'm on 'Happy Birthday,' can we make sure that it is (singing) happy birthday to you. Happy birthday to you. Happy bir-- (speaking) what's that interval?

It should be an octave. It's just that most people go, 'Happy bir--' never quite make it. So when you're singing 'Happy Birthday' with your friends and family, can you make sure that they all do, (singing) happy birthday-- (speaking) and they go, 'Oh, it sounds so nice.'

But because you're in a choir, it would be great if you could sing it correctly. Here's our magic chord. Close your eyes. Close your eyes. You're going to sing it to me this time. It's not my birthday. But we'll just pretend. Everyone's eyes closed. Yes, my name is Liz. It's good that you know that.

[chord played on piano]

Shh, shh, don't talk.

STUDENTS: (singing) Happy birthday to you.

LIZ SCOTT: If that was really my 'Happy Birthday,' I would be so depressed.

[students laughing]