Choir?

[dopey]

Would you recomend joining choir if one had room in their schedule in highschool? Would it be likely to help me with various general music thigns such as ear training? as well I would think better pitch recognizition when playing in general?

I've never taken any kind of vocal music class before, nor ever tried to really sing, let alone in pitch. the only time i've ever tried to sing a pitch is ina private lesson(no clue how well i did) and sometimes when the entire band has to sing a warmup exercise we do.

I guess im just asking if I took choir, and put fort the effort would I see any kind of benefits carried over to my tuba playing? Maybe not in fingerings, or reading music but more in a sense of when im playing higher/lower or anything getting the pitch rock solid in my head before buzzing the mouthpiece? Or am i just looney? I'd most likely be a bass if that matters.

Any comments are welcomed,

Jacob

[Chuck(G)]

Do it, by all means. You'll get at least three benefits if your instructor is worth his/her sheepskin:

a) You'll learn to hear the music in your head better.

b) You'll look at your horn in a new light--as merely a different way of singing.

c) Your sense of intonation should improve remarkably particularly if your choir is singing 4 part harmony.

If you're serious about performing, you could also toss in a drama class.

[dopey]

I dont' plan on majoring in music, maybe a minor.. I plan to play in evreything i can in college and I plan to play music for fun after college, local bands, church etc.

I originally listed in agri for next year, but i think choir be a more worthwhile choice. and since one of my desires is to have better intonation and better job at hearing the pitch in my head before i play it. then it sounds worthwhile to do it.

[tjonp]

I think learning to sing is an essential aspect of musicianship. I don't think anyone can really learn to play an instrument without using their voice. It doesn't mean you have to be a fantastic singer, you just need to sing in pitch. There are too many young musicians who can't even match a pitch at the piano with their voice. (Why do you think your band director makes you sing in warm up?)

So, I think joining choir is a great idea. I think it will help your playing and give you a taste of a different kind of repertoire.

[Leland]

The converse might apply, too -- singers should try instruments to improve their reading skills.

Of course, maybe it was just my college, but in my sight singing/ear training classes, the ones who could sing well on sight were the instrumentalists. The vocalists had real problems trying to relate the dots on the page to the pitches in their head.

My guess is that they learned vocal music by reading the words & listening to the piano, especially in the early rehearsals. Instrumentalists, on the other hand, read the dots first, then trust that the instrument would make the right pitch.

At any rate, singing definitely helps playing. The use of air is different (especially compared to tuba), but everything else is useful.