Element 1: Voice and creativity

Summary

A set of exercises for voice and body designed to awaken and explore the voice by opening the imagination. These exercises can be a vocal warm-up or be followed at any time during a musical session.
Examples that will make you want to invent more.

Duration: about 20 seconds per exercise

Age: from age 6

Key words creativity and entrepreneurship: Exploration, Imagination, Enthusiasm, Working in teams, Risk of the performance

Description

01 – Hello

Open your voice and have fun with the word “Hello”.
Any word or text can be used for this exercise.

Competencies
The pupils are able to:

  • explore the different registers of the voice of bass to treble
  • enter into a character
  • dare to use different tones of voice
  • play with the voice

02 - Body Stretches

  • Stretch like a cat, be bold and make the sound that comes with the movement (trapped, tense, released, etc.)

02 étirements corporels

03 - Shoulders and posture

Hang the shoulders on an imaginary clothesline and let the arms hang like wet socks

Competencies:

The pupils are able to:

  • become aware of one’s body by isolating an immobile part of the body and feel the freedom of movement of the other parts of the body.

 

03 épaules et posture

04 - Deflate the lungs

Exhale the all the air of the lungs to feel the openness and well being that follows apnea. Exhalation is an active moment, inhalation is a passive moment and if possible not too noisy.

04 essorage des poumons

05 - Projection unvoiced consonants

Accompany the gesture and give it space.
Make sure of the tone of the consonants, relative to the elasticity of the diaphragm
The hand gestures that accompanies the exhalation should be adapted to each consonant (friction for fricatives, a light tap with the fingertips to project the explosive consonants, etc.).

Competencies
The pupils are able to:

  • become aware of the exhalation and the resonance of the sound produced.

05 Projection de consonnes non voisées

06 - Crumbs on the windowsill

Arms rest on the edge of an imaginary window, exhale strongly over the entire surface, from left to right, to blow away imaginary crumbs or dust
The arms stabilize the posture and the head is loose.
The exercise helps breathing with consonants

06 miettes sur le rebord de fenetre

07 – Light tapping

The course of the entire outline.
Tap to either a measured or free rhythm, at different speeds, varying the parameters (speed up, slow down, loud, soft, propose breaks, etc.) to keep paying attention to what we are doing, to ourselves and to others.

Competencies
The pupils are able to:

  • awaken the body to become fully in the present from head to toe;
  • promote receptivity.

08 - Trunk of an elephant

An image to support a small element of self-massage of the trapezoids

08 trompe de l'elephant

09 – Stamping

Competencies
The pupils are able to:

  • generate the maximum amount of energy in a short time;
  • be in contact with the ground over a small area;
  • return to calm breathing after a moment of effort.

10 – The squirrel and its hazelnut sound

The squirrel guards its hazel nut jealously and makes a noise with it discreetly.
The sound is completely nasal, it is stopped by blocking both nostrils simultaneously with the fingertips (base of the tongue against the veil of the palate as in ping pong [ŋ]). It is fun to go through his “sonorous range” from the bass to the treble.
-Working with nasality.

10 – L’écureuil et sa noisette sonore

11 - Pick the stars from the sky

The Stars are far away, unattainable or almost like the treble, pluck don’t snatch, (the sound is selective and is smooth without a glottal stop).
We run through the entire range from one extreme to the other, with delicacy.
The choice of this imagery allows us to search for a sound that is not harsh. Equal attention is given to the vocal line (we do not leave star with our eyes and do not stop listening to the voice).

11 cueillir les étoiles dans le ciel

12 – Moto con moto

Sound employed: [ʙ] bilabial vibration voiced (brrr as in a shudder).
We share the noise (free intonation) of children’s games (imitate the sound of a motor of a vehicle) to slide towards the edge (precise intonation).
We can play freely with the pitch (bend, curves, peaks, etc.), to accompany the movement and also with the quality of the sound (old tractor, luxury car, race car, motorcycle etc.).

12 moto con moto

13 - Engine on 'V'

All voiced consonants lend themselves to singing exercises (sirens or melodic motifs): [v], [z], [m], [ʒ], etc

13 moteur sur "v"

14 – Car

Exploring the voice and the imagination

15 - Creaking door

Manage the subglottic pressure, which is excellent for reducing breathing in the voice
Allows the production of sounds which slide towards the high notes without exhalation
The creaky door raises awareness of the strength necessary for success in this exercise

15 porte qui grince

16 - Breathing, vocalising, with gestures, creating an imaginary language

Encourage students to make vocal sounds that are picked up by the imitating group in imitation.

16 Mise en souffle, mise en voix, avec gestes, langages imaginaires

17 - To make a sound

Be able to return to a pitch, hold it and transmit it.

17 se passer un son

18 – Sounds that want to escape from of my mouth

I let it sing through me
“There’s a lot going on in my mouth, there are plenty of sounds in my mouth just waiting to get out … »
Give the gesture the sound it expresses or represents
We can be inspired and inventive to the extreme

18 Des sons qui veulent sortir de la bouche

Competencies

Each exercise develops a particular competency, see individual exercises.
The pupils are able to:

  • explore the different registers of the voice of bass to treble;
  • enter into a character;
  • dare to use different tones of voice;
  • play with the voice;
  • awaken the body to become fully in the present from head to toe;
  • promote receptivity;

Materials

No equipment needed.