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Teaching Strategies for the Out-of-Balance Ensemble

Step 2: matching pitch. The student can then be encouraged to
choose another pitch and the process begins anew. Once
Sing the melody again but now in the key of G major.
As before, listen closely to the students who are matching the director is convinced that the student can recognize the
unison pitch, the director may feel free to proceed.
pitch. The males matching pitch and singing in the upper
octave are likely unchanged treble voices, and like before, Step 2: The director sings a pitch, which the student then matches.
you’ll seat these singers together as a section.

Obviously, the initial pitch must be one that is within
Step 3:
the singable range of the student. This step can be more
Once more, have the group sing the melody but now challenging than the first for the student, but the director
in the key of A major. The males with changing voices should stay positive and choose pitches that have the high-
and matching pitch will likely be the ones undergoing vo- est probability for success for the student. This is not the
cal change and should be seated together in a section. The time to challenge the student’s ability. As before, keep this
males whom you’ve indicated as unable to match pitch in step positive and enjoyable. Praise the student when they
any of these keys would be the students you’ll want to work are able to match the director’s pitch.
with either in small groups or individually. Directors should
note that this three-step process may need to be repeated Step 3: Pitch sliding to the desired pitch.
throughout the school year so that the director can be well
informed as to the male’s developing singing ability. Demonstrate this by having the student sustain a pitch.
While they sustain, the teacher will vocally slide in pitch,
Now that the males in various stages of vocal change from above or below, and stop and sustain when they match
have been identified along with those who are struggling the student. Try this a few times with different pitch targets
with matching pitch, the next step is to equip them with and then reverse the roles. The director then provides a
strategies to be successful in matching pitch. How often pitch that the student should attempt to slide into until the
and for how long you meet with individuals or small groups two pitches are matching.
will vary greatly between programs, but it is recommended
that you try to meet with them at least once a week for Step 4: Repeated pitch on “Hey, hey, hey, hey.”
five minutes of focused coaching. As you meet with them,
keep in mind that their self-efficacy may already be on the McClung approaches this step from a neurological basis.
lower side, as sometimes the individual could be embar- He explains that a specific pitch synapse is responsible for
rassed about their current level of pitch-matching ability. inconsistent pitch singing and in order to correct this, mul-
Do your best to keep these coaching sessions affirming and tiple successful firings are required. For this step, choose a
enjoyable by employing positive feedback, both verbally comfortable pitch that the student can sing successfully, and
and non-verbally. Alan McClung, of the Cambiata Insti- march around the piano singing the same pitch repeatedly
tute, has a very useful and practical four-step guide to help- on each marching step. After a couple of laps, reverse di-
ing learn to match pitch. rection and choose another pitch.

Strategies to Develop Pitch Matching Skills Choosing Repertoire
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in the Singer with Inconsistent Pitch : The task of choosing repertoire can be exhilarating and
excruciating. Despite those feelings, how the director han-
Step 1: Have the student sing a pitch, which the director then matches. dles the selection of repertoire for a choir that is largely out
of balance becomes exponentially important to the musical
This is an affirming exercise because whatever pitch the experience of the singers, the final performance, as well as
students chooses to sing will be the correct one. For a stu- the interest and enthusiasm for the choral program once
dent whose self-efficacy is low, in terms of matching pitch, the concert is completed. When considering repertoire for
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this type of exercise provides a launching point for the an unbalanced ensemble, two foundational criteria are oc-
teacher and student to have discussions about recognizing casionally at odds with one another, and the director must

ChorTeach Volume 15 • Issue 2 12 Winter 2023