Performing Arts

Join the Senior Singers!

At St Raphael’s, we offer students in Grades 3-6 the opportunity to be part of the Senior Singers who meet each week on Mondays at 2:40 to 3:30.

Students who join the choir are expected to;

~attend weekly ~ arrive punctually ~ listen attentively ~ participate actively ~ sing enthusiastically!~

In our weekly meetings, we start with warm up exercises which focus on different skills required for singing.  Some examples of skills practised are;

• Articulation - how you pronounce words while creating good vocal tone (basically, how you use your lips, teeth, tongue, upper body, airways to produce sounds.
• Pitch – how high or low a note sounds (singing in tune).
• Breath control – learning to breathe correctly and learning to control your breathing so that it is used to optimum effect when singing.
• Vocal resonation – vibrations that create tone and provide a richer, deeper tone that creates a feeling of depth and drama in the voice.

We then move in to practising our song repertoire which includes

• learning songs from other countries (some with different languages
• songs with different parts (harmony)
• rounds (also called canons) which involve groups singing the same melody but with each group beginning at different times
• learning songs from different musical genres (pop, rock, blues, jazz)
• sometimes including instruments in performances

I aim to keep the sessions energetic and fun, but also have clear goals and expectations.  Performance opportunities are provided each term so the choir can showcase their skills and enjoy performing their songs to a wider audience.

Please encourage your children to come along and try it out - two week trials are usually enough to work out whether it is something they are interested in continuing.

“The neuroscience of singing is proven to make us happier, healthier, smarter and more creative.  Around the world, research is mounting that demonstrates the benefits of community singing.” Creativity Australia

TEDx Talk: How singing together changes the brain – Tania de Jong AM