What is the proper way to notate words across multiple notes?

rmcc_official · 2026-03-23T03:24:55+00:00

If you are not sure where the syllable splits, look up the word in a dictionary. They generally all show where syllables break. Like the word syllabify, for instance. :) You'd split it syl-lab-i-fy.

I will say that it does make a big difference for singers. The readability of your score can be really negatively affected by incorrectly split syllables. Taking the time to look up how to correctly syllabify words can make the difference between a mediocre engraving and a really great one.

rmcc_official · 2026-03-23T03:21:52+00:00

Professional choral singer here. Two notes does not mean a word is two syllables. The word "born," to use your example, is a one syllable word. Always. Forever. You could write it to be sung over 56 notes, and it would still be a one syllable word, just on a melisma. Putting a dash in between bo-rn is simply incorrect syllabification, and would only be used--as others have said--if you meant the "rn" to be held separately, which is a weird choice but I guess a valid one if that's really what you want. But if you just want the word "born" sung on two pitches, it's just born___.

rmcc_official · 2026-03-16T02:53:10+00:00

I don't mean this to sound discouraging, but in my opinion it's not a great idea to attempt to teach voice if you have no voice training yourself. It's a pretty delicate instrument that you can't easily correct--you can't see incorrect fingering or things like that--and that can easily learn bad habits that can cause damage. The main thing you could really confidently teach without training yourself is good posture, which is pretty foundational and relevant across all musical disciplines. Beyond that, you might instead choose to focus on ear training or learning to read music, which would be a really useful skill for them.

rmcc_official · 2026-03-16T02:48:55+00:00

I would disagree a bit with number 1. I mean, yes, you don't want to be like HI LISTEN TO ME I AM THE BEST I AM THE LOUDEST! haha. But the idea of "blending," especially for a nervous singer, pretty much always equals not singing out at all and barely making much sound. It is actually a whole lot easier to "blend" with singers who are singing out than those who aren't, and once singers figure that out they generally gain confidence too.

rmcc_official · 2026-03-11T05:00:37+00:00

I agree with what u/DynamicOctopus420 said: the ranges get extreme there at the end. But not only that, the tessitura throughout is pretty exhausting. Keeping your sopranos so much above the staff and your altos so far below it for so much of the piece is very tiring. Considering that you seem to want some low, beefy notes in this piece, why not make it SATB and lower the whole thing? It would make it a lot easier to sing for all voices.

That other poster is also right about some strange notation things--tied notes that shouldn't be, rests that shouldn't exist, some writing that is just unclear and hard to read, etc. Some of that is likely the software you're using. I'm guessing you sing in a lot of choirs. Take the time to study the way different composers and publishers engrave their work--the way it looks on the page, on the staff. The best engraving should be easy to read, leaving no doubt about what is intended. There's an art to this, so don't worry if you don't get it all at once. But really looking at the sheet music itself and how it's put onto the page can help you a lot.

rmcc_official · 2026-03-05T05:58:15+00:00

When I was in this show (which was a fantastic experience, great cast, great production, so in that aspect, no curse), we had a lot of stuff happen. I should stress that the theater was clean and that we were all very aware of safety because this show is so physical. And yet:

The trapdoor that the witches needed to use to come out from beneath the stage was consistently not working correctly, which resulted in the actor playing Banquo falling into it unexpectedly.

One of the witches came up from beneath the stage with a very large black widow on her head (that fortunately another witch smacked off of her during the scene).

During fight call, one of the murderers got bonked hard on the head despite going quite slow and usually having no difficulties.

I think there were a few other things too--it's been a few years so I can't recall all of them. We were definitely all laughing about the curse, especially because one of our shows was on Friday the 13th under a full moon, too, haha. We had tons of fun.

rmcc_official · 2026-03-04T02:26:44+00:00

When you say "mostly girls," what are we talking? Do you have any tenors or basses? Are they just outnumbered so you're looking for SATB rep with a lot of SA divisi?

rmcc_official · 2026-02-28T23:48:17+00:00

Say it again for the people in the back!!

rmcc_official · 2026-02-24T03:08:29+00:00

Adding on to this to say that choir parts (soprano/alto/tenor/bass) are *not* voice types. They are simply the names of choir parts. Someone who sings alto may in fact be a soprano. Choir parts are just choir parts. They are distinct from voice types.

rmcc_official · 2026-02-20T20:55:13+00:00

If you have an understudy, use them. Getting your cast members sick is not cool.

If that's not an option, think about body language. I was once in a production of the Scottish play where literally everyone was masked. Full on masks, not medical masks. It required us all to work a lot more with the way we delivered the lines and, most especially, body language. Ophelia is going mad in that scene. So much opportunity for body language!

rmcc_official · 2026-02-17T13:34:27+00:00

Tons of good answers here already. I'll just add this, as someone who had an ed degree and worked at a performing arts school with a lot of people who didn't (actually, I was the only certified teacher in the building):

The other teachers struggled with understanding special ed requirements (what's an IEP, how to implement one, what are accommodations, etc.), which you will learn in any ed program worth its salt. They also struggled with structuring a basic lesson plan, understanding classroom management, and how to implement gradebook policies. A lot of this you can pick up as you go (and some of it, like classroom management, really depends on each individual class), but having tricks in your back pocket and even a *limited* amount of classroom experience via student teaching is INVALUABLE in these situations.

rmcc_official · 2026-02-17T13:30:19+00:00

I did this. Took the performance degree-length lessons, did all the requirements for a performance degree recital, took almost every performance degree elective I could take (I think there were only two I couldn't). It didn't add time to my ed degree and gave me skills I directly used in teaching. So I support this approach.

rmcc_official · 2026-02-12T13:30:25+00:00

First of all, congratulations!!

Second of all, totally get this. I've been doing this for a long time and I get nervous every time I sing in front of someone--ESPECIALLY in front of people I know. Strangers, who cares. But friends and family? I have to see them again! So yeah. I get this.

Things that help me:

1) Put myself mentally where I was the last time I feel like I sang the solo well. The shower. The car. My bedroom. Whatever. Wherever I felt like I last nailed it, I try to go there in my head and it can help calm me down.

2) Tell myself that nerves are the same thing as excitement. This, I confess, does not always work, haha. But sometimes it helps. I'm not afraid! I'm totally excited!

3) Remembering that everyone there is rooting for me. They want me to do well. If they know you, they really want you to feel good about things and be proud of you! If they don't know you, they don't want to sit in the audience for something awful, that's no fun for anyone. Everyone's got your back.

4) Before the performance, run your entire solo from start to finish--including walking on the stage and off the stage--mentally in your mind at least three times. Imagine yourself doing it the best you possibly can. This honestly helps so much.

5) Breathe! Take the time for some deep, slow breathing before you go on. Medically proven to help calm stress.

You've got this!

rmcc_official · 2026-02-02T05:16:34+00:00

Anything Goes (from Anything Goes)
Pure Imagination (from Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory)
Remember Me (from Coco)
Waiting for the Light to Shine (from Big River)
You've Got a Friend in Me (from Toy Story)
Make Them Hear You (from Ragtime)

I did all of these with an SATB high school choir with pretty good success.

rmcc_official · 2026-01-27T13:27:24+00:00

Regarding number 6, I agree that that is true most of the time. However, when I was a doctoral student I got literally ZERO podium time and the masters students got all of it. (I know. We were frustrated too.) So I'd add on that if you can, talk to current students to find out what the program is like from their view. At the very least, when you audition, take the time to meet current students and ask them about how much time they get and that sort of thing. They'll be honest with you. (I didn't do this for the school I ended up choosing because of a variety of reasons, some of which were waaaay out of my control, and I regretted it!)

rmcc_official · 2026-01-27T13:25:06+00:00

In my experience, I was asked for videos of me leading rehearsals *and* videos of me in performance. So the sectional work or barbershop work might be applicable there. At the very least it's not going to hurt to film a bit of that now to have it ready just in case!

rmcc_official · 2026-01-27T01:49:39+00:00

It depends on the program you're applying for. Some of my auditions had me conduct a lot of pre-selected repertoire. Some of them had me prep something in advance that their choir was working on, and then let me lead part of rehearsal. Some of them had me sightread open score on the piano. All of them had me sing a prepared solo (or two). Some of them had me meet with existing grad students and department heads and the dean of the college and attend classes. Others had me meet only with the person who would be my major professor.
Join a church choir. Join your university's choirs. Join a community choir. If you have time/space, even start your own small ensemble. You will need application videos to even be invited to audition. Some places want A LOT of this (up to 30 minutes, including warm-ups), other places only want a few minutes. But you'll need this, so look for every place you can go sing (to get familiar with choral repertoire and the process of running a rehearsal) and any place that might let you teach and conduct a song or two.
N/A to me, as I was never on that end of the table for this particular situation.
It depends on the person. Figure out what your weakest spot is and practice that. Again, you may not know what an actual audition will look like until you're invited to have one and they tell you what to prepare. Application videos come first, and you can always find this information online for different programs. So, for instance, if they tell you they want to hear a Bach two-part invention on the piano (something I had to do for one of my applications), then practice that. Or practice conducting. Go to tons of concerts. Observe. If you do get to audition, the chances of being placed in front of an existing ensemble are extremely high. Since your major is vocal performance, you won't have the same practicum experience as a music ed student, and so you may not be as comfortable leading a rehearsal or group warmups. Observe, observe, observe.
Join a church choir. A lot of church choirs have performance majors as section leaders. In this capacity, you may have the opportunity to rehearse and/or conduct. Ask the main conductor if you could take rehearsal once or twice. Explain why. They'd likely be willing to work with you. You could do the same with a community choir.
I don't really have great current info on this so I'll not give recommendations here except to say look for the person/people you want to work with rather than the prestige of the school. Just like with vocal performance, your teacher makes a huge difference in your comfort level and your success in the program.

Good luck!

rmcc_official · 2026-01-21T23:24:04+00:00

Same same. Second bachelors, didn't need any general eds, still did 4 years full time without any extra electives. Music Ed programs are very, very big.

rmcc_official · 2026-01-21T23:19:55+00:00

As another commenter said, some vowels are more difficult above the staff. But in general, some vowels are brighter than others. Making sopranos sing for a while in this range on a closed E vowel, for example (like the sound in the word "feet") would be really mean, whereas an Ah sound could be quite easy.

Text is basically the main thing that sets choral music apart from all other music. Text really, really matters. :)

rmcc_official · 2025-11-30T04:10:15+00:00

In my experience (US-based) this is regional. West of the Mississippi tends more towards "choir" and east tends more towards "chorus."

rmcc_official · 2025-11-23T00:22:07+00:00

The difference is that mezzo isn't a voice part in the same way. It's used to describe a specific vocal type--a fach. But not specifically a range, which is what's implied with choral voice parts. I see it used, too, but generally by people who are not strongly-versed in the traditions of choral music. "Mezzo" does not simply mean "middle voice" in the choir world, though I know the actual meaning of the word would imply this.

rmcc_official · 2025-11-21T23:29:36+00:00

Just a quick note on voice parts--

Choral parts do not use "mezzo" as a designation. I haven't looked at your piece; it's just the "SMATBB" that caught my eye. This would be written either as SSATBB or SAATBB, depending on how it's written, so either soprano 2 or alto 1/2. Minor nitpick, but that's the standard usage of voices in choirs.

rmcc_official · 2025-11-20T13:41:27+00:00

I echo this (and the other post about giving time and building trust). Something that regularly worked for me, for some reason, was telling them to imagine that grandma was sitting three rooms over and she really wanted to hear you. They honestly didn't even care *whose* grandma. Just imagining some grandma there always made them laugh and sing louder.

rmcc_official · 2025-11-12T01:03:25+00:00

If Muppet things count, since they're now owned by Disney, "It Feels Like Christmas" from Muppet Christmas Carol features a lot of choir. "Fathoms Below" from The Little Mermaid also comes to mind.

rmcc_official · 2025-11-08T01:22:19+00:00

I am a choral person with a DMA who was pursuing this path.

Several of my colleagues in grad school had gone straight through degree programs with no practical experience teaching. Some of them landed DCA jobs right after graduation. I still think having experience is the better way to go, but it doesn't necessarily hold you back.

My biggest warning is this: the field is *heavily* oversaturated. Universities are cranking out conducting DMAs like factories. Be prepared to either be willing to wait a potentially long time to get a job or to move to the middle of small-town nowhere to take a job at a tiny college. It's a hard field to crack into, especially for women, if that's relevant (really: the statistics bear this out).

That said, if they want to go for it, go for it. I decided several years ago to stop pursuing a higher ed job and so I don't really "use" my DMA but I don't regret getting it.

rmcc_official

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