Steps to Successful Part Singing

Dr. Pattye Casarow

Professor of Music
Chair, Music Department
Head of Music Education
Clearwater Christian College

I.

Singing in Unison

The path to harmony must first be paved with a clear unison sound through awareness of sameness of
pitch (intonation) and sameness of rhythm (simultaneity).
Questions for student ownership:
Did we sound the same throughout the song?
Are we all using our head voices?
Did we begin at the same time?
Did we end at the same time?
Tip: Sing for the class, not with the class.

II.

Singing Shared-Melody Songs

Were not singing in harmony yet, but shared-melody singing begins to build musical confidence and
independence and requires an even greater aural awareness than unison singing. Shared-melody singing
comes in a variety of forms:
Echo singing
Call and response
Chain-phrase singing
Antiphonal singing
In shared-melody singing, the melodic line is shared by the teacher and/or students. The teacher
should start as the leader and the whole class echoes or responds as the followers. As the students gain
confidence, allow students to take turns solo singing the echo or response or use a student(s) as the leader.
Eventually the students can be challenged to reverse rolls (leader/follower). Unlike echo songs where
children sing the same tune and words as the teacher, call and response songs require the child to have prelearned his/her part. Chain-phrase singing allows children the opportunity to sing solo phrases in a chain.
Each child takes a turn singing phrase by phrase. Antiphonal singing dates back to the Renaissance era and
lets two groups of singers take turns singing melodic phrases.

Questions for student ownership:

How do you know when to begin singing your part? (textual clues)
How do you know what pitch to start on? (pitch clues)
Does your group sound the same? (pitch and rhythm)
Tip: Use a pretend microphone to indicate when it is the leaders turn to sing, and when it is the
childrens turn to sing.
Tip: After the children are comfortable echo singing in solo, be unpredictable in selecting the next
solo singer. Perhaps look at one but invite another child with the microphone, or skip one and
return later unexpectedly.
Tip: Use echo songs for children with little singing experience. Use call and response songs for
children with more experience.

III.

Singing an Ostinato

An ostinato is a short, repeated phrase that is performed simultaneously with a song. You may prefer to
begin with a simple rhythmic ostinato and move to melodic ostinati. A shift from textual clues to pulse
consciousness is emerging, requiring higher order thinking skills by the singers. The simplest ostinato would
be a drone or pedal point (repeat of one pitch).
The singing of harmony is burgeoning as the singers begin to give attention to both linear (melodic) and
vertical (harmonic) aspects of singing. Linear conformity involves singing in a clean unison while vertical
conformity involves the capacity to keep the accurate vertical distance between both parts.
Questions for student ownership:
Is my group singing the song or the ostinato?
What happens when one group sings too loudly?
Is it important to hear the other parts?
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IV.

Singing in a Canon or Round

Singing in a canon or round is one of the oldest and easiest ways of singing in harmony. Canons are
sung with one part beginning and the other part(s) singing the same melody but starting at some point after
the first part. Usually all parts will end or cadence at the same time creating a satisfying final chord. When
brackets appear above certain notes in a canon they indicate where each part should cadence. Some canons
work better sung as a round where each part begins after the other and each part ends one at a time.
Vocal independence is developing as the texture becomes polyphonic and the pulse becomes the
regulator rather than aural reference points.
Questions for student ownership:
Am I maintaining my part?
Am I aware of the steady pulse and singing in time?
Am I listening to the other part for tuning?
Do we all end at the same time?
Can all songs be sung as a round?

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V.

Singing in Parallel Motion, with a Countermelody, or with a Descant

One of the first experiences with harmony could be singing in parallel thirds or with a countermelody or
descant. Students are singing two melodic lines that start on different pitches. Teach both parts as unison
songs first. When each vocal part is secure, divide into groups.
Successful parallel motion depends upon a clear understanding of melodic contour. Using a visual
iconic representation for the melodic contour of both parts reinforces what is meant by both the linear and
vertical relationships of parallel motion. Knowing a part and understanding how that part fits with another
creates the security that is needed for accurate intonation.
Teach the singers the hierarchy of melody/theme/tune and its relationship to harmony. Be sure they
understand that the primary melody or tune should dominate in most cases. Let them take turns singing the
primary melody and then the parallel melody, countermelody, or descant.
Questions for student ownership:
Are you confident in singing both melodies?
Do you know which one is the primary melody?
Is your group singing in a clean unison?
Should the part you are singing be heard above the other part?
Are you singing above or below the primary melody?

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VI.

Singing Partner Songs

Singing partner songs ups the ante a bit more in that the two songs being sung simultaneously are
different songs. Unlike a round or canon, the singers are not given aural helps because the music is
different. For songs to be partners the two songs must have similar harmonic progressions and length.
The beauty of partner songs is that once your singers obtain some musical confidence and
independence, you can put two songs they already know together as partner songs and you have instant
harmony!
Success is demonstrated when students freely move from one song to the other, having increased
awareness of their own part as it relates to the whole. Be sure all singers know both songs.

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Partner songs signify a landmark of true independence. The act of performing a melody while hearing and
enjoying other parts at the same time displays a growing musical maturity. Try allowing students to
secretly pick which part they are going to sing and let the music surprise them.
Questions for student ownership:
Can you sing and really listen to the other song at the same time?
How is a partner song different than a round?
Can all songs be partner songs?
Is a clean unison still important to each song?

Partner Song Examples:

Row, Row, Row Your Boat/Three Blind Mice/Frere Jacques
When the Saints Come Marching In/This Train Is Bound for Glory
One Bottle Pop/Dont Put Your Trash in My Backyard
Land of the Silver Birch/My Paddles Keen and Bright
Row, Row, Row Your Boat/Here Comes a Bluebird
Hes Got the Whole World in His Hand/Rock-a My Soul
When the Saints Go Marching In/Shell Be Comin Round the Mountain
Arkansas Traveler/Oh, Susanna
Bicycle Built for Two/In the Good Old Summertime
I Am a Poor Wayfaring Stranger/Scarborough Fair
This Old Man/10 Little Indians
Skip to My Lou/Paw Paw Patch
Mulberry Bush/Oh, Dear, What Can the Matter Be?
Liza Jane/Old Brass Wagon
Old Brass Wagon/Michael Finnegan
The Farmer in the Dell/Here We Go Lobby Loo
Good Night Ladies/Pickalittle, Talkalittle (Music Man)
Swing Low Sweet Chariot/Nobody Knows the Trouble Ive Seen

VII.

Singing in Two-Part Harmony

The skills your singers have developed over this seven-step process have prepared them to sing in part
harmony. They have learned how their part functions within the whole. Singers are now called upon to apply
all these skills in a two-part setting that may contain shifting textures, intervals, and rhythmic elements.
Questions for student ownership:
Are you able to maintain the harmonic part?
Can you listen to both parts while you sing only one?
Can harmony be above a melody?
Do melody and harmony parts always move at the same rate?
How does the idea of teamwork apply to two-part harmony?
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Literature Recommendations
Published Octavos
Unison

Bee! Im Expecting You!

Child of Tomorrow
Come, Let Us Sing
Dance of the Willow
Four Songs from Volks-Kinderlieder
Gloria!
Good Samaritan, The
Infant Holy, Infant Lowly
I Will Bring You Brooches
I Will Give Thanks
Jesus Hands Were Kind Hands
Josephs Carol
Life Has Loveliness
Kyrie Eleison
Lenten Love Song, A
Little Birch Tree, The
Mending Song, The
Only a Boy Named David
Someone Song
Two Tongue Twisters

Unison/Two-Part

Alleluia
Can You Count the Stars
Chatter with the Angels
Everywhere I Go
Festival Alleluia
Folk Songs of the Four Seasons
God Made Me
Have You Ever Seen a House Fly?
Joy on the Morning, Alleluia
Summer Morning (Sommarmorgon)
Wabash Cannonball, The

E. L. Diemer
Mark Patterson
Jody W. Lindh
Victoria Ebel-Sabo
Johannes Brahms
John Armstrong
Joanne B. LeDoux
Ken Berg
Boshkoff
Michael Jothen
Sue E. Page
G Swayne
Mark Patterson
Sonja Poorman
Helen Kemp
Mary Goetze
Daniel Kallman
Joan Pinkston
Russell Nagy
Anthony Foster

Alliance
BrilLee Music
Choristers Guild
Boosey & Hawkes
Plymouth Music
BriLee Music
Lorenz
Walton Music
Boosey & Hawkes
Beckenhorst
Choristers Guild
Novello
BriLee Music
BriLee Music
Choristers Guild
Boosey & Hawkes
Shawnee Press
Soundforth
Beckenhorst
Oxford U. Press

Sonja Poorman
Jonathan Willcocks
Betty Bertaux
Natalie Sleeth
Allen Pote
Ralph Vaughan Williams
R Skyles, Michael Barrett
L Schultz
Davenport
A Cederberg
H Hinnant

BriLee Music
Oxford U. Press
Boosey & Hawkes
Choristers Guild
Choristers Guild
Oxford U. Press
Shawnee Press
Alliance
Lorenz
Walton Music
Hinshaw Music

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Two-Part

All the Pretty Little Horses

Al Shlosha DVarim
Around the Worldin about 3 Minutes
Bleak Midwinters Silent Night
Cantate Canon
Can You Hear Me?
Childs Prayer, A
Ching A Ring Chaw
Dual, The
lory Bound
Good Lord Made It All!
Haida
Hand Me Down My Silver Trumpet
Hashivenu
How Can I Keep from Singing
Huron Indian Carol
If I Could Catch a Rainbow
Im a Soldier of the Cross
Jingalin Bells
Joshua Fit the Battle of Jericho
Jubilate Deo
Laudamus Te
Let It Shine!
Little Innocent Lamb
Long, Long Ago
Lyric Adoramus Te, A
My America
Noel Nouvelet
O Come Let Us Sing
On This Still, Silent Night
On Wings of Song
Our Risen Lord
Pacem
Paint Box, The
Pie Jesu
River Sleeps beneath the Sky, The
Rhythm of Life, The
Rhythm of the Rain
Run, Children, Run to Bethlehem
Sarasponda
Solidaridad
Song of Joy
Still, Still, Still
This Little Light of Mine
Veirastich Li Lolam
When I Close My Eyes
Where Are the Angels?
Where Do the Stars Go?

V S Crescenz
Allan Naplan
M Weston
Ruth Elaine Schram
D Moore
Bob Chilcott
J K Perry
Linda Spevacek
Thomas Jordan
Jean Anne Shafferman
John Carter
Henry Leck
Jean Ashworth Bartle
Sally K. Albrecht
Michael Levi
Jill Ann Jones
Brad Printz
John Carter
Dave and Jean Perry
Brad Printz
Mary Lynn Lightfoot
Ruth Elaine Schram
Nancy Price and Don Besig
Ken Berg
C Giebler
Greg Gilpin
Joyce Eilers
Sonja Poorman
Earlene Rentz
Linda Farnell
Mendelssohn/Gallina
Ruth W. Henderson
Lee Dengler
Z. Randall Stroope
Mary Lynn Lightfoot
Mary Lynn Lightfoot
Fields/Leavitt
Jerry Estes
B. S. Mayo
R Boshkoff
David Brunner
Sue Farrar
Anna Laura Page
Ginger Littleton
Valerie Shields
Jim Papoulis
Linda Spevacek
Sherri Porterfield

Hinshaw
Boosey & Hawkes
Heritage
Shawnee
BriLee Music
Oxford
Jackman Music
Lorenz
Shawnee
Alfred
Beckenhorst
Colla Voce
Hinshaw
Alfred
Alfred
Shawnee
Heritage
Beckenhorst
Shawnee
Heritage Music
Heritage Music
BriLee Music
Shawnee
Hal Leonard
Colla Voce
Shawnee
Hal Leonard
Alfred
Walton
Heritage
Shawnee
Hinshaw
Shawnee
Colla Voce
Heritage Music
Lorenz
Warner Brothers
Alfred
Shawnee
Santa Barbara
Boosey & Hawkes
Beckenhorst
Alfred
BriLee
Boosey & Hawkes
Boosey & Hawkes
Shawnee Press
Heritage Music
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Bibliography
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Bacon, Denise, ed. 46 Two-Part American Folk Songs. Wellesley, MA: Kodly Center of America, 1973.
________. 50 Easy Two-Part Exercises. NY: European American Music Corporation, 1977.
Bodoin, Karen and Phyllis W. White. Sharing Secrets: A Step-by-Step Journey from Unison to Two-part
Singing. Dayton, OH: Heritage Music Press, 2003.
Bolkovac, Edward and Judith Johnson. 150 Rounds for Singing and Teaching. NY: Boosey & Hawkes, 1996.
Choksy, Lois and David Brummitt. 120 Singing Games and Dances for Elementary Schools. Englewood
Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1987.
Erdei, Peter, ed. 150 American Folk Songs to Sing, Read, and Play. NY: Boosey & Hawkes, 1995.
Feierabend, John M. The Book of Call and Response. Chicago: GIA Publications, 2000.
________. The Book of Canons. Chicago: GIA Publications, 2000.
________. The Book of Childrens Songtales. Chicago: GIA Publications, 2000.
________. The Book of Echo Songs. Chicago: GIA Publications, 2000.
________. The Book of Young Adult Songtales. Chicago: GIA Publications, 2000.
Goetze, Mary. Simply Sung: Folk Songs Arranged in Three Parts for Young Singers. NY: Schott, 1984.
Jacobson, John. Hello, Hello: Echo Songs and Activities for Young Singers. Milwaukee: Hal Leonard, 2007.
Kodly, Zoltn. Fifteen Two-Part Exercises. NY: Boosey& Hawkes, 1952.
Locke, Eleanor, ed. Sail Away: 155 American Folk Songs to Sing, Read, and Play. NY: Boosey & Hawkes,
1981.
Music Educators National Conference. Get America Singing Again! Vols. 1-2. Milwaukee: Hal Leonard
Corp., 1996.
Russell-Smith, Geoffry, ed. Bicinia Hungarica I. London: Boosey & Hawkes, 1941.
Tacka, Philip and Susan Taylor-Howell. Sourwood Mountain: 28 North American & English Songs Arranged
for Two Voices. Fargo, ND: Organization of American Kodly Educators, 1986.
Taylor-Howell, Susan. The Owl Sings: 22 Folksongs Arranged for 2 or 3 Voices. Fargo, ND: Organization of
American Kodly Educators, 1997.

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