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On the Voice
On the V oice

Matthew Hoch, editor <mrh0032@auburn.edu>

Group-Voice Pedagogy in the Choral Setting

by Amelia Rollings Bigler

Imagine a room where something remarkable hap- a group-voice pedagogical approach that fosters in-
pens—an energetic and engaging experience with the creased vocal growth, artistic freedom, and overall ful-
individualized attention of a one-to-one voice lesson fillment in the choral setting.
and the collaborative spirit of a choral rehearsal. Sing-
ers engage in targeted, quick-paced, playful, and fun
repetitions of exercises and short song cuts designed Overview
to help them achieve their individual vocal goals, but Group-voice pedagogy has seen a resurgence of in-
they do so together. They learn from each other and terest in recent years with new initiatives, workshops,
grow both as soloists and as members of an encourag- and resources. In 2022, the National Association of
ing collective. Teachers of Singing (NATS) announced the Clifton
Group-voice classes uniquely focus on the individu- Ware Group-Voice Pedagogy Award to support voice
al while integrating group-pedagogical strategies that instruction in group settings. At the 2024 NATS Con-
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foster more effective learning and encourage social ference in Knoxville, Tennessee, my colleagues and
interaction and connection. This article examines the I led a premium workshop and a breakout panel on
convergence of group-voice pedagogy and choral ped- group-voice strategies for various settings and with
agogy. It offers practical strategies and resources for singers at different ages and stages. My own passion
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choral directors that aim to advance the vocal goals for group-voice teaching began after attending a work-
and development of each individual while reinforcing shop with Clayne Robison at Brigham Young Universi-
the cohesiveness and performance of the collective en- ty. This transformative experience inspired further ex-
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semble. Practitioners have emphasized the importance ploration of the topic throughout my graduate studies
of integrating science-informed voice pedagogy and as I focused on how to integrate group-voice training
singing instruction inclusive of a wide range of genres into choral methods classes and with instrumental mu-
into choral rehearsals and classrooms. This article will sic education majors. Since that time, I have incorpo-
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explore different ways to accomplish these goals using rated small and large group-voice curricula into my ac-

CHORAL JOURNAL August 2025 Volume 66 Number 1 37