A Cappella A unique guide to teaching unaccompanied singing! =X) Meing Pop Cappella Book One Chasing Cars 4 Help! 12 | Say A Little Prayer 20 Nobody's Fault But Mine 30 Somethin’ Stupid 34 Introduction Some people find it hard to understand how anyone can be a ‘musician without being able to sight-read music. Even so, | know many gifted and talented musicians who cannot read a note. ‘There is no reason for anyone to feel insecure because they ‘cannot read music; sight-reading is undoubtedly a skill useful at all levels of music-making, but not possessing that skill should never exclude anyone from the music-making experience. In an age when digital recorders are often available on phones, PDAS ‘and iPods, there are always other ways of setting down music, Some people even devise their own notation system. When it comes to transmitting music to other people who may rot sight-read well or at all, the traditional practice of ‘note bashing’ on a piano is something with which many will be familiar. It does the job but arguably it emphasises the ‘note value’ of the music at the expense of conveying any feeling for, Cor understanding of the piece; usually these issues are intended to be addressed later. Personally | found it @ revelation when people began to teach me songs not by bashing piano notes, but by singing a line to me ‘and getting me to sing it back several times: no notation but lots of repetition, This method makes teaching songs an option for ‘anyone who can sing and communicate well. That in turn means many singers who do not possess the traditional qualifications fof accompaniment and sight-reading skills can still take on the role of choral director. They do not even need a great voice, just an ability to sing in tune and convey the feel of the music. ‘As | am teaching a song, | indicate the pitch and rhythm with ‘gestures, 50 adding visual information to the sound, This approach lends itself particularly well to the kinaesthetic learner ‘who usually responds positively to being involved in’some form of physical activity and is happy to join in all aspects of this callrand-response’ process. By contrast those who struggle most with learning songs by ear are those who have been exposed to sight-reading much too early and have consequently almost lost their auditory skills. Fortunately they too can re-learn and in my experience they often discover that itis very satistying to be reconnected with learning by ear. ‘One consequence of the growth of teaching/learning by ear has been a rise in popularity of the youth choir and a cappella communities. With many singers feeling more confident about attempting to teach and lead others, the only caveat is that they must be prepared to learn all of the parts of each song themselves before attempting to teach them. One compromise is to appoint a leader per part, which can lighten the load for less experienced leaders. ‘Almost all my groups work on the ‘Comprehensive Schoo!’ ideal ‘that by mixing very experienced singers with beginners, everyone benefits and we create a true community of singers. There is ‘no audition policy and no requirement to be able to read music. People who have not sung for decades are sandwiched between self-assured and practised singers, and within a matter of weeks their singing and confidence improves beyond measure. Organising singing sessions requires litte in the way of premises and equipment. | like to have enough chairs for the entire group and a wall where | can Blu-Tack sheets of paper or project images from my laptop so everyone can see the words without clutching sheets, The first time | teach an arrangement, | have some form ‘of notation with me, but in general | prefer to memorise it and teach without it as | tend to use my arms and whole body to indicate pitch rhythm and intonation. 9 Novello Publishing Limited att of The Music Sales GroupChasing Cars Words & Music by Paul Wilson, Gary Lightbody, Jonathan Quinn, Nathan Connolly & Tom Simpson Arranged by Gitika Partington Moderato 4 100 SOPRANO. 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