Singing in Harmony

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Dedicated to the Creative Hope music classrooms in the Himalayas.

Singing in Harmony:

6 lessons that help

you introduce your young singers to the art of

singing

in

harmony

for

the

first

time.

Follow these steps to grow confidence in your

singers

as

they

learn

to

independently within a group.

Lessons by Alex Heetland

sing

Singing in Harmony Lessons 1 |

2 |

3 |



4 |

5 |

6 |

Sing in Unison

Mountain Dance | Mero Ghar | Peace Like a River Drone & Ostinato

Kauda | Monsoon Rain Partner Song

Rhodi Ghar | Are You Sleeping & Row Your Boat | This Train & When The Saints Canon

Chiya Piunuhunchha | Summer Breeze 2-Part Harmony

Makai | This Little Light of Mine Further Harmony

Bhaili Deusi | Simple Gifts

Singing in Unison

1. Singing in Unison Singing in unison is when a group of singers all sing the same melody together. It is important to help your singers become comfortable

singing

together,

especially

if

there

are

new

singers in your group. Here are ways to help your singers get used to singing in a group:

Have

your

singers

stand

in

one

large

circle

around the room and sing the melody together in unison.

Have singers change positions in the circle and sing

the

melody

again.

This

way,

they

can

practice singing next to different voices.

Lastly, have your singers form smaller circles. Let

each

group

sing

melody

amongst

themselves. Give groups the opportunity to sing for the other groups.

*Throughout every practice, remind singers of the Basics of Singing Well

and

Together.

encourage

them

to

think

about

the

Basics

of

Singing

Mountain Dance by Ganga Thapa, 2022

{notation here}

Mountain Dance by Ganga Thapa, 2022

{notation here}

Mero Ghar

Rubin Kumar Shrestha, 2022 The and

mixolydian 2/4

melody

rhythm

give

Mero Ghar a Newari feel.

Mero Ghar lyrics are inspired by Newari architecture, referencingn the way the sunn touches the stone floors through the wooden windows as well as a popular Newari children's game played in the courtyards. The melody was written by Rubin, ann accomplished basuri player as well as composer.

Peace Like a River Traditional

Drone & Ostinato

2. Drone & Ostinato A drone is a note or sound that continues throughout a song or

piece

of

music.

Similarly,

an

ostinato

is

a

continuous

musical pattern that repeats throughout a song or piece of music. Once your singers are comfortable singing together as a group, you can use a drone or ostinato to introduce the first step of harmony.

Teach

your

singers

the

ostinato

part.

Then

teach them the melody.

Divide your singers into 2 groups. Have one group sing the ostinato part. Then while the ostinato part is sounding, have the other group sing

the

melody

at

the

same

time

as

the

ostinato.

Have each group take turns singing both the melody

and

the

ostinato

part

so

singers

experience both feelings. If your singers are brand new to singing in harmony, they will likely have a huge reaction to their first experience!

*Make sure to divide your stronger singers between the groups. I like to build a group around one or two strong singers in the center, and place less experienced singers either side or in front of them. I don’t inform students this is what is happening, but encourage each singer to help their neighbors. Singing in circles is useful here as well.

Kauda

by Ganga Thapa, 2017 Kauda is a traditional folk rhythm that is

Kauda was also written by Ganga Thapa for

played by the Magar ethnic community

his band Namlo.

in western Nepal. This rhythm is played in festival songs, work songs, story songs, etc.

{notation here}

Monsoon Rain by Eileen O'Neall Thapa, 2021

Monsoon

season

brings

pouring

rain

Monsoon Rain was written for her classroom. During

every summer in the Himalayan foothills.

monsoon

Sometimes the rain continues for days,

students took inspiration from the rainy weather as

churning

well

and

enriching

people try to stay dry.

the

soil

while

as

season

the

in

Kauda

the

Himalayan

rhythm

and

foothills,

created

ostinatos

which became this game about monsoon rain.

Ostinato 1

C

G

Ostinato 2

C

G

Ostinato 3

C

G

Melody

C

G

her

Partner Song

3. Partner Songs (Quolibet) Partner songs are two songs that can be sung simultaneously and sound harmonious. Once singers are confident singing with

ostinato

and

drones,

they

are

ready

to

sing

partner

songs. Have everybody learn both songs in the pair, then vary which group sings which song.

Teach your singers both melodies. Then divide your singers into two groups.

Assign one melody to each group and have both

groups

sing

their

assigned

melody

together.

Vary which group sings which melody so each group has a chance to sing both melodies.

*For extra challenge: mix the groups together, so students are not standing

next

to

their

own

voice

part!

This

will

certainly

not

be

successful the first try, but encourage students to be independent while listening to what is happening around them.

Rhodi Ghar

by Ganga Thapa, 2017 Rhodi Ghar is a gathering place created

Rhodi Ghar was written for his band Namlo. While Ganga Thapa

by

western

lived in England away from his motherland, he recalled the times he

Nepal. It is a place where everyone from

the

Gurung

made music with his childhood friends and wrote this song. This

the

section below is the outro where 2 different melodies are sung

village

can

community

come

and

together.

Melody 1

(sim)

Together

make

music

simultaneously.

D

Melody 2

in

Bm

G

D

Are You Sleeping & Row Your Boat Traditional, Arranged by Alex Heetland Melody 1

Melody 2

Together

This Train & Oh When The Sainnts Traditional Melody 1

Melody 2

Canon

4. Canon A canon is a melody with multiple sections that harmonize with each other. When your singers are confident singing partner songs, it's time to teach them a canon. Start with two-part canons that have different words in each section.

Teach your singers to sing both parts of the canon.

Then

divide

your

singers

into

two

groups.

Vary which group starts the canon and which group follows.

Once

the

singers

are

confident

in

two-part

canons, move on to three-part canons and so forth.

*Always remind singers to use their Basics of Singing Well and their Basics of Singing Together.

Chiya Piunuhunchha by Eileen O'Neall Thapa, 2021 The rhythm of this canon is based on

Chiya

jhaure, a classic Nepali rhythm used in

Annapurna Base Camp trek. The local shops serve delicious

dances for all kinds of occasions.

masala tea where trekkers stop for a bit of refreshment.

section

section

section

section

section 1

section 2

section 3

section 4

Piunuhunchha

was

written

on

the

first

stop

of

the

Summer Breeze by Eileen O'Neall Thapa, 2021 The 7-beat rhythm is common in Nepali

Summer Breeze is about the refreshing wind that blows

folk

from the cool mountain air through the hills and down into

music.

movement

The

familiar

and

dance

beat in

evokes

occasions

of Jeth, everyone in the valley pauses to enjoy the breeze.

throughout the year.

A section 1

section 2

section 3

the valleys of the Himalayan foothills. During the hot month

f#m

A

(sim.)

2-Part Harmony

5. Two-Part Harmony Now singers should be ready for pieces that have the same rhythms in both melody and harmony parts. Use songs that have harmony both below the melody, and some where the upper part sings harmony.

...

...

...

*Some Notes on changing voices (from Basics of Singing Together).

Makai

by Ganga Thapa, 2022

Tamang Selo is a traditional folk genre sung by the Tamang ethnic community. The mixolydian scale with the emphasis on

the

5th

scale

degree

(and

the

occasional major 3rd) and accent on the 1-beat

while

skipping

the

2-beat

represent elements of a typical Tamang Selo song. Makai is written in the Tamang Selo style and

brings

you

into

a

setting

where

school children playing with each other and

eating

Makai

lunch

(popcorn)

in

between

is

a

classes.

typical

enjoyed in the villages of Nepal.

snack

Harmony

Unison

4-bar Musical Break

Unison

vamp

Harmony Unison

This Little Light of Mine Traditional Gospel, early 1900's

{notation here}

Further Harmony

6. Further Harmony By now, you probably have enough information about the singers in your group to group them into sections.

...

...

...

*...

Bhaili Deusi Traditional

This arrangement of combines a call

Bhailini and Deusu Re are festival songs that are sung during Tihar in Nepal. Tihar is

and response between the girl and boy

celebrated at the end of harvest when the silos are filled and the villages are ready

singers and ends wit a refrain where

for the winter season. Groups of singers will walk from home to home with a madal

every singer joins together to sing the

(traditional folk drum) and sing for the members of the houses. Dancing inevitably

melody.

erupts and the festivities of the season are in full swing.

Girls

Boys

All

Simple Gifts Elder Joseph Bracket Jr. 1848

{notation here}

Singing in Harmony Further Resources Heetland, Alex. The Basics of Singing Together Heetland, Alex. The Basics of Singing Well Sarrazin, Natalie. Indian Music for the Classroom Thapa, Eileen. Nepali Song Collection, Book 1 www.creativehopeinternational.org