This participation ensemble continues the Midland tradition of sacred a cappella singing. Students develop ensemble skills and have the opportunity to publicly perform representative choral music from the Renaissance to the present. Accompanying 1 credit hour Ability to accompany well is a valuable keyboard skill. This appreciation course introduces the students to basic scales, intervals, triads, key signatures, and rhythm concepts, written, performed, heard, and applied to music reading. Such knowledge leads to aesthetic sensitivity through an awareness of how music parameters work to support musical self-expression.
Students are prepared to continue their appreciation of music beyond the classroom experience.
Aural, written and keyboard study are included to demonstrate knowledge of the parameters. This participation course is for beginning singers who have had no formal private voice study. Basic vocal techniques of self-expression through breathing, support, resonance, projection, register balancing, diction and range extension are studied. Students learn the importance of vocalizing, practice techniques, how to learn a piece of music, how to take care of their voices and become acquainted with a repertoire of music from which they learn to aesthetically evaluate music. Students learn to prepare an audition, to perform publicly, and to enjoy singing as a life-long activity.