Professional Documents
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(a) This syllabus has been introduced to provide a professional assessment of this important area of music making by examiners with extensive choral experience, to encourage young singers with differing interests to take part, and to help improve choral standards generally. (b) A special entry form should be completed for this subject. More than one choir may be entered by a teacher, choral director or school, in which case each choir should be identied by an individual name. (c) The teacher or choral director should make their own arrangements for a suitable examination venue, which is easily accessible from the local examination centre, to be available at a time agreed beforehand with the Board as being mutually convenient for both the choir and the availability of the examiner. Transport for the examiner from the local examination centre or other convenient point, if requested, must be provided without cost to the Board. (d) There are three levels of examination, all of which may include the performance of some accompanied and unaccompanied items as specied for each level, though all choirs must comprise more than one voice to a part: Initial: for choirs who have reached the standard approximately equivalent to that required for solo singing in Grades 1-3, Intermediate: for choirs who have reached the standard approximately equivalent to that required for solo singing in Grades 4-5, Advanced: for choirs who have reached the standard approximately equivalent to that required for solo singing in Grades 6-8. (e) The entry fees in the U.K. will consist of a daily attendance fee plus an examination fee for each choir examined at the same venue and on the same day. The daily attendance fee will not be payable where the examination is either (i) part of a visit consisting of 3 hours or more examining time within the main examining periods or (ii) part of a Special Visit consisting of 5 hours or more examining time outside the main examining periods. The current fees are listed on the special entry form, which may be obtained from Honorary Local Representatives, most music sellers and also direct from the Boards London ofce. (f) The examination may last up to 20 minutes for Initial level, 22 minutes for Intermediate level and 25 minutes for Advanced level. These timings include 5 minutes platform time which will be allowed for each choir for setting up, and approximately 5 minutes which will be allowed for the performance of the initial vocal exercises. (g) The preliminary vocal exercises at each level should be presented as an informal working session to help put the choir at their ease and as a preparation for the performance to follow. They should consist of typical examples of the warm-up exercises used by the choir, similar to the suggested examples given on pages 6 and 7. (h) All choirs will be expected to sing a programme of at least three contrasted items, in style and tempo and following the specications set for each level, chosen either from the suggested list of works (given as a guideline to expected standards) or from any other works, published or unpublished, of the choirs own choice, provided they are similar in standard and have serious musical aims. Wherever possible, vocal scores of all works offered should be made available for the use of the examiner. All works may be sung in any appropriate language, though a short translation should also be provided for the examiner when words other than English are used. (i) Teachers, choral directors and choir members are reminded that the Copyright, Design and Patents Act 1988 does not permit the making or use of photocopies of copyright works. (j) The examiner will award a grade, rather than a mark, for the vocal exercises and programme performed and will take into account the following elements of the performance: 1. Vocal exercises: breathing, posture, intonation, vocal range and exibility, tone and vowel sounds;
CHORAL SINGING SYLLABUS 2. Prepared performance: (i) technical competence (including unanimity, security of technique, consistency of intonation, diction, vocal quality and balance); (ii) artistic merit (including communication, interpretation, presentation and dress, choice and balance of programme). (k) The gradings will be as follows: A: an outstanding performance with little reservation, B: a very good performance, but with some reservation, C: a competent performance, but with signicant reservation, F: failure to reach the standard required to pass. (l) The examiners notes and grading will be sent to the applicant named on the entry form. For choirs obtaining a C grade or higher, a special certicate will be issued to the applicant, together with a certicate for each member of the choir present at the examination.
INITIAL
3 3 3 ( ) 3 3 3
1
No ah, No
( )
ah,
(
No
ah, No,
No
ah, No
ah,
No
ah, No.
) etc.
2
To ny,
(
To
)
ny,
(
To
) etc.
ny.
To
ny,
To
ny,
To
ny,
To
ny,
To
ny.
3
The Tip of the The Tip, etc. Tongue and the Teeth and the Lips.
To be sung to any of the 5 vowel sounds, ma (ah), mi (ee), me (ay), mo (o), mu (oo).
( )
INTERMEDIATE
3 3 3 ( ) 3 3 3
1
No ah, No ah, No ah, No, No ah, No ah, No ah, No.
2
Ma Me etc.
3
Oo Si Fa etc.
4
Ya Ya Ya Ya
ADVANCED
To be sung to all vowels
2
Oo oo oo. Oo oo oo. Oo oo oo. etc.
3
Ma Ma Ma Ma etc.
Designed by Geoffrey Wadsley Cover illustration by Marc Vyvyan-Jones Printed in England by Caligraving Ltd., Thetford, Norfolk