MUSIC WORKSHOP
How to create a music workshop? Here you will find step-by-step instructions
1
Intro Game
You can start from little introduction game:
- Hey! Welcome to our workshop! In order to get to know each other we will make an introduction game in which we make a circle so everyone can see each other and each person will say his name while making a sound and a movement and everyone will impersonate the person who did it saying his name and the same sound/movement.
- Hey! Welcome to our workshop! In order to get to know each other we will make an introduction game in which we make a circle so everyone can see each other and each person will say his name while making a sound and a movement and everyone will impersonate the person who did it saying his name and the same sound/movement.
2
Stretching
- It may sound strange, but singing is the last thing in singing process. Before doing that it is necessary to warm up your body and do some stretching exercises which will help to relax muscles which are the most involved in singing process. Also exercises will help to prepare body for being in tense condition while singing. Stretching before singing takes 5 simple steps.
1. First part is neck.
For reaching higher quality of voice neck needs to be relaxed and for that you make rounds with your head and then stretch neck to all the sides (right, left, forward, back) and help with your hands if there is some part in the neck which needs to be more stretched.
2. Second part is shoulders.
In singing process it is very often that shoulders become tense and hard to relax and it influences proper breathing and again quality of voice ( if the upper part of body is not enough free and able to relax, breathing becomes too shallow ). For relaxing shoulders make big and slow rounds with them forward and back.
3. Third part is for opening the whole upper body.
Lungs need free space for deep breathing while singing so it is important to open chest with wide and slow movements. For that you imitate swimming (big and slow rounds forward with hands)
4. Next part back and hips.
As whole body is included in singing process it is important to feel that all parts are warmed up. For that you make big and slow circles with hips one side and other.
5. The last part is for whole body relaxation.
Take a deep breath and rise your hands above your head, continue this for few times till you are able to breath slow and deep.
Those 5 steps help to prepare body also for next part in singing process which is breathing exercises.
1. First part is neck.
For reaching higher quality of voice neck needs to be relaxed and for that you make rounds with your head and then stretch neck to all the sides (right, left, forward, back) and help with your hands if there is some part in the neck which needs to be more stretched.
2. Second part is shoulders.
In singing process it is very often that shoulders become tense and hard to relax and it influences proper breathing and again quality of voice ( if the upper part of body is not enough free and able to relax, breathing becomes too shallow ). For relaxing shoulders make big and slow rounds with them forward and back.
3. Third part is for opening the whole upper body.
Lungs need free space for deep breathing while singing so it is important to open chest with wide and slow movements. For that you imitate swimming (big and slow rounds forward with hands)
4. Next part back and hips.
As whole body is included in singing process it is important to feel that all parts are warmed up. For that you make big and slow circles with hips one side and other.
5. The last part is for whole body relaxation.
Take a deep breath and rise your hands above your head, continue this for few times till you are able to breath slow and deep.
Those 5 steps help to prepare body also for next part in singing process which is breathing exercises.
For even more specific preparation for singing it is valuable to add some exercises for mouth. There are 3 easy exercises that will help to open, relax and stretch mouth and lips– to prepare them for singing.
1. Move your lips in ''AAA'' and ''OOO'' and ''EEE'' position. Do it till you feel tiredness and warmth in mouth muscles.
2. Move your lips in kissing (duck face) position forward and back. Do it till you feel tiredness in your lips.
3. Make circles with your jaw. Do it carefully.
1. Move your lips in ''AAA'' and ''OOO'' and ''EEE'' position. Do it till you feel tiredness and warmth in mouth muscles.
2. Move your lips in kissing (duck face) position forward and back. Do it till you feel tiredness in your lips.
3. Make circles with your jaw. Do it carefully.
3
Breathing exercises
1. Firstly, we must learn to breathe properly. There are several types of breathing - clavicular, thoracic and diaphragmatic. For singing, it is important for us to learn to use the diaphragmatic type of breathing.
*Here we suggest people repeating the exercise and checking the correctness of doing exercise*
*Here we suggest people repeating the exercise and checking the correctness of doing exercise*
2. Next exercise is called "Snake" - breath in once again and do 'SSSSSSSSS' until u run out of breath.
3. "Candle exercises" - we pretend we have a candle in front of us and we blow it slowly in order to shake the flame, after we pretend we want to delete the flame as fast as possible.
4
Voice exercises
- Before start singing, we need to warm up the ligaments. To do this, we will do some vocal exercises:
1. The first exercise is that we will make the sound "m-m-m" with your mouth closed for as long as possible. The exercise is performed 3 times: the first time as quietly as possible, the second time louder, and the third one as loud as you can.
* When performing this and subsequent exercises, it is necessary to monitor the position of the jaw*
1. The first exercise is that we will make the sound "m-m-m" with your mouth closed for as long as possible. The exercise is performed 3 times: the first time as quietly as possible, the second time louder, and the third one as loud as you can.
* When performing this and subsequent exercises, it is necessary to monitor the position of the jaw*
2. We pronounce the sound "i-i-i", starting from quiet, and slowly revealing the sound loud. Hold it as long as possible. Repeat with the sounds "e-e-e", "a-a-a", "o-o-o", "u-u-u".
For the next few exercises, we will need a piano.
3. We sing the sound "m-m-m". Raise for a halftone. Repeat. After reaching the 2nd octave, we go down.
4. We sing "me-e-zo-o-zo-o-me". Raise by a halftone. Repeat. After reaching the 2nd octave, we go down.
5. We sing the sound "a-a-a". Raise by a halftone. Repeat. After reaching the 2nd octave, we go down.
5
Performance
At this point in the workshop, perhaps people will need a short break. You can arrange a coffee break for them, and so that they don't get bored you can make a small concert, demonstrating your skills - singing, playing musical instruments, etc.
6
Singing together
After a short break with your performances or time for coffee, it is important in this workshop to let participants make a real impact with an outcome. For that, make a possibility to sing all together - including everyone (ability of voice does not matter). Choose some popular and easy song that everyone will know , for example J. Buckley ''Hallelujah'' . Make sure that some of the workshop leaders can play this song on piano, guitar or other instrument and can teach to sing it as well. Before teaching, show participants how it should sound in the end (sing it by yourself or your team). If everyone is familiar with concrete song it will be easy and people will catch the melody and words by themselves and you all will repeat till song will be in good quality. If not everyone is familiar with song teach it step by step (sentence by sentence) at first letting them know melody and then lyrics.
In situation when in group is someone who is unfamiliar with lyrics or even language of the song lyrics, you can teach the whole group just melody and sing it with sounds – AAA, OOO or others.
When teaching process is complete and after repetitions song sounds good enough, make a whole group performance – do the final and best performance and record it.
In situation when in group is someone who is unfamiliar with lyrics or even language of the song lyrics, you can teach the whole group just melody and sing it with sounds – AAA, OOO or others.
When teaching process is complete and after repetitions song sounds good enough, make a whole group performance – do the final and best performance and record it.
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