Work achieved:
o I have organised a visit to another choir on the 25.02.15. This choir is under the direction of Janet Anderson. This will enable me to observe her teaching methods and ask questions about choice and presentation of new repertoire and specifically about aspects of teaching English madrigals.
o Further reading from Wistreich R. in Potter J (Ed). 2000:178-191The Cambridge Companion to Singing. U.K. Cambridge University Press. This chapter describes the different registers of the voice (chest and head or falsetto) and the Renaissance preference for the ‘chest voice’, that is to say the more natural register of our speaking voice. Also described is the fact that 16th Century texts stressed the importance of the lyric requiring clear diction and intelligent interpretation. Wistereich tells us that in Renaissance vocal music, the range is restricted largely to that of the stave.
o Also Brinson. B 1996 Choral Music Methods and Materials, New York, Schirmer Books. Sourced from the Music Library this is proving an engaging gift of a text with lots of practical information with examples that are highly relevant to this study. For example in chapter 8 the author describes a rehearsal plan and activities around musical material that includes two madrigals by Thomas Morley, my chosen English madrigal composer. These are Fire, Fire my Heart and Sing We and Chant It, both of which I have listened to in my preliminary research. Brinson includes movement as a kinetic learning tool for the rhythm of both these works. Initially simple rhythmic swaying and adds the imagery of hitting a virtual beach ball on the first beat of each bar if the latter fails to get results.
o A text I have been able to dip into online is Murray T.,2014, Thomas Morley, Elizabethan Music Publisher, Woodbridge, Boydell and Brewer Ltd. Describes the expanding trade in music publishing due to the increased desire for ‘music-making’ in a burgeoning middle class who had the free time and money to pursue this activity.
o Re-investigating survey design in Walliman N. 2011, Your Research Project: Designing and Planning your work, 3rd Edition. London, SAGE Publications Ltd. This text requires a lot of further reading. It is proving valuable in provoking my thoughts on my chosen methodology of a survey to be issued to the participants after each of the two singing sessions. This led me to McLeod, S. A. (2008). Likert Scale. Retrieved from http://www.simplypsychology.org/likert-scale.htm and I have decided to use a form of Likert scale in my survey: named after US Psychologist Rensis Likert 1903-81. However I also plan to include one or two open questions to elicit wider comments.
o I have organised a visit to another choir on the 25.02.15. This choir is under the direction of Janet Anderson. This will enable me to observe her teaching methods and ask questions about choice and presentation of new repertoire and specifically about aspects of teaching English madrigals.
o Further reading from Wistreich R. in Potter J (Ed). 2000:178-191The Cambridge Companion to Singing. U.K. Cambridge University Press. This chapter describes the different registers of the voice (chest and head or falsetto) and the Renaissance preference for the ‘chest voice’, that is to say the more natural register of our speaking voice. Also described is the fact that 16th Century texts stressed the importance of the lyric requiring clear diction and intelligent interpretation. Wistereich tells us that in Renaissance vocal music, the range is restricted largely to that of the stave.
o Also Brinson. B 1996 Choral Music Methods and Materials, New York, Schirmer Books. Sourced from the Music Library this is proving an engaging gift of a text with lots of practical information with examples that are highly relevant to this study. For example in chapter 8 the author describes a rehearsal plan and activities around musical material that includes two madrigals by Thomas Morley, my chosen English madrigal composer. These are Fire, Fire my Heart and Sing We and Chant It, both of which I have listened to in my preliminary research. Brinson includes movement as a kinetic learning tool for the rhythm of both these works. Initially simple rhythmic swaying and adds the imagery of hitting a virtual beach ball on the first beat of each bar if the latter fails to get results.
o A text I have been able to dip into online is Murray T.,2014, Thomas Morley, Elizabethan Music Publisher, Woodbridge, Boydell and Brewer Ltd. Describes the expanding trade in music publishing due to the increased desire for ‘music-making’ in a burgeoning middle class who had the free time and money to pursue this activity.
o Re-investigating survey design in Walliman N. 2011, Your Research Project: Designing and Planning your work, 3rd Edition. London, SAGE Publications Ltd. This text requires a lot of further reading. It is proving valuable in provoking my thoughts on my chosen methodology of a survey to be issued to the participants after each of the two singing sessions. This led me to McLeod, S. A. (2008). Likert Scale. Retrieved from http://www.simplypsychology.org/likert-scale.htm and I have decided to use a form of Likert scale in my survey: named after US Psychologist Rensis Likert 1903-81. However I also plan to include one or two open questions to elicit wider comments.