BLOG POST #1

January 23, 2026

Dear Allegro Singers and Families,

Welcome to our first Allegro blog post of the season! The Allegro singers are sounding great in their second week already, and I am excited for the year ahead! We have a very talented group this session!

I will be updating this blog every other Friday with a recap of our rehearsals, new musical concepts, recordings of songs, and practice ideas to try at home. I hope that this blog will serve as a valuable resource for your singers and will reinforce many of the concepts that they are learning in class.

I hope you have a great weekend, and please don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions or if I can be of any help.

Best regards,

REHEARSAL RECAP

Breathing and Mindfulness

Our young singers always begin every class with 5 mindful breaths, breathing in through the nose and out through the mouth to the sound of a Tibetan singing bowl.

One important aspect of singing is to gain awareness of the physical body and the breath, and we are developing mindfulness skills by focusing on calming our body and breath in an intentional way. Very needed in today’s times!

Warming Up Our Air with Unvoiced Consonants (I’m a Little Teapot)

We have been continuing our “air warm ups” on unvoiced consonants (this time, to the tune of “I’m a Little Teapot”. Unvoiced consonants are consonants that are produced without our vocal cords vibrating; only air is used.

Instead of singing on the lyrics, pick an unvoiced consonant and pulse your air to the rhythm of “I’m a Little Teapot” below. Some unvoiced consonants you can use are H, T, CH, SH, F, P, K, S, TH, X. Remember that there should be no sound, only air!

Whether the Weather

This week, the Allegro singers tackled a fun and challenging warm-up called “Whether the Weather”. This warm-up helps with articulation and vocal flexibility as the singers work their way up and down a major scale. It’s not only a great exercise for strengthening diction but also a fantastic way to warm up the voice and improve intonation.

This is the Phrase That Grows and Grows

The Allegro singers enjoy this fun warm up which requires a lot of stamina and strong core muscles! The singers begin with the lyrics “this is the phrase that grows and grows and tapers to the end”, and then “this is the phrase that grows and grows and grows and tapers to the end”. We keep adding “and grows” with each successive round until we end up singing “and grows” 10 times! Practice with the track below.

We’ll Gather Lilacs

I am so excited for the Allegro singers to sing this beautiful piece by Ivor Novello. I recently heard this piece sung by soprano Erin Morley, and I knew that the Allegro Chorus had to sing it in the upcoming Spring Concert! Please practice by using the track (don’t forget to download it), and follow along with your sheet music.

Bist du bei mir

Bist du bei mir is a gorgeous piece by J.S. Bach arranged by Doreen Rao. The Allegro singers started singing this piece this week, and I am already impressed by their wonderful intonation and German pronunciation! Please follow along with your sheet music while singing along to the track, and don’t forget to download the track to your device!

Turn

This beautiful song has become our official Allegro anthem. “Turn” is all about finding a place where you belong, reminding us that all we need to do is turn around, and we will find a home with the people around us.

Waterfall Warm Up

This is a fun warm up which requires some 4-part harmony. First, singing on solfège, all parts sing up a major scale. Then Part 1 holds DO, Part 2 goes down to LA and holds it, Part 3 goes down to FA and holds it, and Part 4 goes down to RE and holds it.

Then, Part 1 stays on DO, Part 2 resolves to SO, Part 3 resolves to MI, and Part 4 resolves to DO.