Last week I wrote about Why a warm up shouldn’t be just vocal exercises.
This week I’m going to revisit five old posts which look at warm ups in more detail. This is one of a series of summary posts around a specific topic, bringing together five relevant posts from the past.
Warm ups are often a bone of contention: some singers love them and would happily have a whole session of warm ups, whereas others just want to get on with the singing.
I believe that warm ups are vital. If you keep them fun and light-hearted, you should keep all your singers on board.
There are some suggestions here for choir leaders who are looking for new warm up ideas. Also, a way for singers to warm up by themselves in public spaces, and techniques for adapting warm ups for those with limited mobility.
Here are 5 relevant reads from the past which look at warm ups.
1. Preparing to sing: why bother?
This is a series of four posts looking at warm ups: why we do them; what they should consist of; physical and vocal warm up ideas; and what all that hip wiggling and knee bending is for.
2. How to develop perfect warm up exercises for your choir
The choir leader’s (and singer’s) lament: “I’m bored with the warm ups and want new ideas.” But it’s very easy to create your own exciting new warm up exercises. This post shows you how.
3. How to warm up your voice on the bus (or any other public space)
Sometimes singers don’t get the chance to do a full warm up in private before a performance. Here are some ideas for warming up your voice in public without drawing attention to yourself.
4. How to keep your warm ups and singing sessions fresh and engaging
It’s easy to keep rehashing the same old thing — especially if you run a choir week in, week out. It takes energy, thought and planning to keep creating new warm ups and different angles on basic singing and rehearsal techniques. Here’s how you can keep refreshing things without too much extra work.
5. How to adapt singing warm ups if you have limited mobility
Like many choir leaders, I get people to loosen up their bodies as well as their voices when preparing to sing. But we also need to be aware of those who have limited mobility. Here are some ideas for making sure your warm up is as inclusive as possible.
And a bonus post in the form of a warning for those who don’t warm up before singing:
The singers who didn’t like warm ups (and what became of them)
Chris Rowbury
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