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Cultivating Tone with Your
Middle School Choir
choir develop a good tone can be a daunting sound, however, most directors agree. Direc-
task, but it is a challenge well worth the time tors want to avoid a breathy sound. They want
and effort needed to be successful. the pitches to be in tune, the tone to be free,
Every choral director has their own idea vital (at least to some degree), and supported,
and philosophy about what constitutes a and the words to be uniformly pronounced.”
1
“good” choral tone or sound. There is vari- This article will address several strategies for
ance among choral directors about vocal col- helping your middle school choir develop a
or, bright versus dark, and straight tone versus healthy and pleasing choral tone. While the
vibrato. Additionally, many directors will have middle school choir is the intended focus as
their choirs alter or modify their tone based on the author’s area of experience and expertise,
the performance practice or style of the song these strategies may also be useful for conduc-
being performed. In Teaching Choral Music, Don tors of elementary and high school choirs.
Collins writes, “On several aspects of choral
CHORAL JOURNAL May 2025 Volume 65 Number 8 7
