My Process for Teaching A Round

(also applicable for teaching barbershop tags, song segments or other vocal exercizes)

Recently I started working with a new student who wanted tips on running small vocal groups. I had just recorded a segment of a Strange Weather Choir rehearsal in which I taught a round, and decided to share this and explain my teaching process. So, here ‘tis. Adapt to your group as necessary.

Here I Can See The Wide Blue Sky round - sheet music here

Announce what we’re about to do (“we’re going to learn a round”). I’ve been in situations where a teacher will launch into an exercize without explaining what the exercize is, and it can be disorienting.

Recite the words first (for clarity)

Do a full demonstration so the singers have an idea of what the whole thing sounds like

Supply sheet music or just the lyrics (many singers appreciate having a memory aid). I’ll often write the words on my whiteboard, or email out the sheet music ahead of time.

Teach the round line by line, correcting errors as you go. (I like to give feedback e.g. “very good, 90% success!”)

Be clear about when you are doing a demonstration and when the singers are copying you back (I like to point to myself for the demo, then conduct for the singers)

Sprinkle in singing tips (correct alignment, breathing, pronunciation). Do avoid getting bogged down in technique explanations though; flow is key.

Praise the singers when they do well! People like to know they’ve done the right thing. It irks me when a director doesn’t let me know if I correctly did what they asked a second ago.

I like to use sol fa/solfege as an additional learning tool (singers can “see” the changes in pitch on your hands). You could also just move your hand up and down with the pitches. Very helpful to those who like a visual aid when learning.

Break difficult phrases into chunks to make the learning easier (in this round, the third line “if I had wings, then I would try” has some tricky pitch changes, so I split it into 2 chunks)

Give alignment reminders if needed (keep an eye on the singers – are they staying aligned?) I often give non-verbal alignment reminders.

Do recaps if necessary! By the time you teach the last phrase, they may have forgotten the first phrase.

Give the singers many reps (they will enjoy more singing, and repetition is needed to lock in what they’ve learned)

Sing the round in 2 parts, then 3 or 4! If it’s a barbershop tag, do duets, then put it all together.