Articulation and diction
- Demonstrate secure awareness of how to use the tongue, teeth, lips and palate in the clear and correct articulation and ‘colouring’ of words
Remind learners how to use the tongue, teeth, lips and palate to articulate and colour the words.
Encourage them to understand that vowels need to be modified at the top of the range, e.g. an ‘ee’ (as in ‘cheese’) will require as much space as an ‘ar’ (as in ‘car’).
Consonants need to be fitted in before the beat. This particularly applies to clusters of consonants, e.g. ‘Rex tremendae’, and is particularly relevant when singing German, e.g. ‘Klage’.
Ask learners to practise using the tongue to voice compound consonants, e.g. ‘fl’.
Encourage learners to use voiced consonants to colour words as appropriate.
In order to differentiate between various articulations, encourage learners to sing a phrase legato, then repeat it staccato immediately. Ask them to describe the musical effect.
Ask learners to practise musical accents, as these will involve the use of the diaphragm.
Introduce songs in other languages. Begin by showing learners how to sing in Italian or Latin, as these languages create bright, open vowel sounds with no diphthongs
Ensure that learners fully understand the words and the correct pronunciation.
When singing in other languages, learners need to understand every word of the text and the correct pronunciation. It is suggested that they work with a language specialist, if possible.
Explore the progression of this Learning Objective
Continue exploring the current Programme of Study
