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Method: Building Groove Using Rhythmic Canons
Keeping great time is primary. Percussionist Mac
1) Choose an appropriate key for your ensemble to Santiago says: “A poorly played note well placed [sung]
comfortably sing an octave. is better than a well-played [sung] note placed poorly.”
The following exercise uses a sense of groove to de-
2) Remember: You set time; they keep time. Give them velop metric cohesion.
4 prep beats at the tempo they can keep accurately
and sing on solfège. For example, at 88 bpm, have 1) Choose a one-measure pattern and write it on the
the choir sing: “do / do re do /do re mi re do…” board. See Figure 3 for some examples.
This exercise also works well as a two- or three-part
canon. 2) Have the choir groove it in time, singing on a syllable
or clapping or tapping.
3) Then start at the top of the scale and reverse it: “do
/ do ti do /do ti la ti do…” 3) Split the choir in half and start one group one mea-
sure later.
4) Now ask them to sing only the scale notes while
keeping the other notes going in their head at the set 4) Next, start one group two beats later, then three
tempo: DO / (do) RE (do) / (do re) MI (re do) / (do beats later.
re mi) FA (mi re do) / (do re mi fa) SOL (fa mi re do)
etc. (Hint: The downbeats and upbeats alternate. If 5) Divide the choir into three parts and repeat the pat-
you tap quarter notes on your knee with one hand tern of starting the groups at different points.
and hold the other above it so that you are then tap-
ping eighth notes in a down/up pattern, your first 6) Add dynamics.
Do is a downbeat; the Re is an upbeat: Mi is a down,
Fa is an up, etc.) 7) Build on the exercise by choosing multi-measure patterns and
repeat the process.
5) Finally, do not tap or give any external cues. The
choir will have to internalize time to be accurate. Make It Fun
Turning work into fun is a win-win. Turning fun into
Once the choir is fluent, set different tempos and work is a lose-lose. As you observe your ensemble in
have fun with it! It might be interesting to demonstrate rehearsal—mentally assessing progress, correction, co-
to parents or an audience the ensemble’s acquisition hesion, and skill transfer—don’t forget to include FUN
of such a challenge. Do it as a warmup in front of an in your checklist.
audience. It’s magic! Labster, a company that helps science educators
use immersive learning, online simulations, and vir-
tual labs, cites research that shows students learn more

CHORAL JOURNAL November/December 2024 Volume 65 Number 4 65