Primary teaching & learning

Use what talents you possess; the woods would be very silent if no birds sang there except those that sang best.

Henry Van Dyke

Jay House’s Primary Choral Workshop Notes (March 2025) collect tips and techniques for primary choir rehearsals — the PDF is in the documents list in the Green Room, along with the FAQs for primary choirs and the Fabulous Warmups sheet.

Equity of access

These resources are designed to be accessed at home as well as at school, with parent or carer supervision.

1. For families with limited online access via computer, a mobile phone with data capability may be useful.
2. School and local libraries may have web-connected spaces where children can listen and learn their music, accompanied by a carer or parent.
3. “Play-dates” where peers have supervised access to a computer at a friend’s house may possibly be expanded to include listening and learning the music as a shared activity.

The Arts Unit — warm-ups for your choir

The NSW Department of Education’s Arts Unit publishes warm-ups for primary choirs, videos for teachers led by Rachel Kelly. These warm-ups support school choirs with practical vocal exercises led by expert tutors, guiding students through safe and effective activities to prepare the voice and body for singing. They suit classroom, rehearsal and online learning settings.

The suggested exercises help to:

• foster good breathing habits by gently warming up and moving the voice through the entire vocal range;
• create a unified, pure vowel sound, using consonant exercises to improve clarity and diction;
• extend the vocal range through methods that develop a harmonious choral blend.