Page 54 - CJOct25

On the Voice

ups. The terminologies applied to vocal exercises are tion of vocal skills in preparation for the requirements
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not universally standardized either, with different exer- of a specific rehearsal.” On the other hand, Miller
cises adopting varying practices related to voice func- emphasized the need for a clear distinction between
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tion and/or vocal efficiency. This complexity extends vocalization for technical development purposes and
to vocal education where terms such as “warm-ups,” vocalizing before a performance. Supporting Miller’s
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“singing exercises,” “vocalises,” “functional exercises,” perspective, Matthew Hoch and Mary Sandage agree
and “exercises for vocal technique” may be used with- that the nature and purpose of a warm-up varies de-
out establishing a clear distinction. pending on whether it is used for vocal training prepa-
Choral directors often use the term vocal (or choral) ration or as a preperformance exercise.
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“warm-ups” as a comprehensive phrase encompassing During individual singing voice lessons, warm-ups
singing preparation, skill acquisition, and preparation may be used to prepare the student for exercises in the
for performance. Patrick Freer states that a vocal warm- vocal technique to follow, or beyond the lesson, and may
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up is “a sequence of activities focused on the coordina- be used for performance preparation. The singing
voice teacher can exclusively concentrate on a warm-
up tailored to individually targeted functional and vocal
technique exercises. Here, distinctions can be made be-
tween exercises that prepare the voice to sing, exercises
to render the initiation of healthy and efficient singing,
and those targeted toward technical development. The
nature, purpose, and duration of these exercises are
therefore context dependent. In contrast, choral direc-
tors may use the term vocal “warm-ups” more broadly
to encompass creating group focus, achieving a unified
blend, intonation, aural and function exercises, and for
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performance preparation. Choral directors will often
use solfège during warm-up time to assist singers in
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learning aural and music theory skills that their in-
strumentalist counterparts usually already possess.
Performance preparation is another point of de-
parture between choir rehearsals and individual voice
lessons. In a choir setting, the director plays a crucial
role in guiding the preparation process, eliminat-
ing the need for singers to independently devise their
own routine. Consequently, the choral director must
carefully choose exercises so that the vocal warm-ups
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comprehensively address both voice and function. In
contrast, the individual singer will customarily assume
responsibility for warming-up prior to a performance,
employing their own distinctive systematic warm-up
procedure. 17
Choral directors and singing voice teachers share
the common objective of addressing technical issues
and promoting skill acquisition. However, there re-
mains a notable difference between the two. Since it
is usually not practical for choral directors to predict
each singer’s individual vocal requirements, they tend

52 CHORAL JOURNAL October 2025 Volume 66 Number 3