Transforming Your Choral Classroom through Social-Emotional Learning

Tone Transformation: Connecting Vocal Warmups & Literature

Conducting Techniques: The Power of Gesture

Before we connect our singers to the music, we have to first connect our classrooms to the singer! Join Blake in exploring interactive ideas to create and cultivate connection in the choral classroom with creative strategies that will keep your singers coming back for more!

Middle School Tenor/Bass Voices can be quite the challenge to navigate, but you don't have to navigate it alone! Join Blake in this high-energy, hands-on session exploring innovative strategies on voicing your tenor/bass singers, getting them to sing on the first day of school, choosing exciting repertoire, and so much more.

We will discuss why score study is one of the most important tasks we have, develop a checklist for score preparation, and explore ways to bring a deeper musicality to our interpretation, beyond what is printed in the music.

How is our gesture connected to the sound we ask for and receive? This session will examine traditional conducting technique from the singers’ perspective and give us tools to use that stimulate supported, free and expressive singing.

Developing Rehearsal Techniques Through Active Listening

One of the biggest struggles teachers have is developing an efficient rehearsal technique that is both productive and positive. What we do in the rehearsal every day should be the main focus of what we do as directors.We will look at scores and identify potential problems (in a hierarchy order), before the rehearsal begins. Listening to recordings of live performances, we will assess the main issues to be addressed and finally, comparing our comments with nationally recognized directors.