koko' the Choir Trainer

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taken from englisharts.org

This afternoon I had the privilege of joining a meeting of the Culture, Music & Choir Society of SMK Puteri Titiwangsa as my exposure to the world of managing co-curricular activities in Malayisan secondary schools.

Little did I know that I would be given the task of producing a choir performance for the retirement ceremony of the assistant principal that will be held in September!
I got less than 11 weeks to search for a qualified group of students, select the songs, train the students to sing the songs, train a conductor & perfect the singing of my group of angels.
YEAH!!! So challenging! But with God's power, I know I can do it more than okay!

At the first session, I would usually choose to do an audition.
But I did not have the instrument nor the musician to facilitate this...
but I did have a small group of students who were enthusiastic & eager to learn!
It was a small group, so if I could make this first session an entertaining success, many more would come for the next session.
Then there will be more students for me to choose from...
Then again, perhaps I should also have an announcement made during next week's assembly to have people who are interested in joining the choir to come for that audition.

Since I had no instruments...
I did the only singing that a choir can do without music...
The realisation & exercise of the most important organ in the body when it comes to singing...

Is it the vocal cords?
Is it the lungs?
Is it the brain?
NO, it's the diaphragm.

The diaphragm controls the quality, amplitude & projection of your voice.
It also controls air retention & force.
Choir members sing from their diaphragms instead of their throats.
This is mainly to gives their voices a neutral full body quality that causes the whole choir of dozens of people to sound like only one person.
Many voices combine as one...

Besides exercises of identifying, controlling & using the diaphragm...
My students enjoyed my teaching them how to:
- drop their jaws when singing to give their voices maximum resonance that allows for a less noisy sound
- yawn to practise using their diaphragms instead of their throats for the pushing of air
- hiss to control air retention
- throw their voice to test how far they can project their voice

I have lots to do in the coming weeks...
cracking my head until late at night planning lessons...
entertaining students in the every day relief classes...
helping out with the photography needs of the school...
help out with the school magazine...
Now, add the production & training of a choir...
Do pray that I do more than fine in all!

I'm thinking of using "Think of Me" from the Phantom of the Opera as my English song.
But I need suggestions for the BM song...
Do help me out here...
I need a song that is suitable for the retirement ceremony of an assistant principal.
~~~

For my abilities as a choir trainer...
I just have to give tribute to my SMK Batu Lintang Choir teacher, Pn Luk.
Her drilling and training for the awarding winning choir I was in really taught me a lot of things!
I didn't realise it until I actually started teaching it to my own group of kids!
Thank you so much!!!

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