I’ve sung in choirs that spent a solid 10% of rehearsal with warmups, and in choirs where I was told to come warmed up and ready to rehearse.
Here is why we vocalize in my rehearsals.
- Vocalizing brings all the singers into the same musical space.
- Vocalizing offers a passage from the bustle of their life into the focus of rehearsal.
- Vocalizing encourages listening and mindfulness to the ensemble sound. (Especially in unison.)
- Vocalizing provides the opportunity to teach theoretical concepts to apply later. (Without the distractions of text, melody, breath, etc.)
- Vocalizing us address issues of technique. (Without the distractions of text, melody, breath, etc.)
Why do you vocalize your choir?