Lee V. Pollard High – Intermediate Choir 1a-1b

Mar 2026 · 2nd Semester

This course is a yearlong program in which students will study and perform choral music from a wide variety of cultures, languages, styles, and time periods. Students will listen to and perform music, in addition to engaging daily in music literacy (reading and writing music in addition to academic language in a variety of languages). Students will be able to use artistic perception, historical context, creativity and analysis to demonstrate how dance, music, theater and visual arts are related to each other, to the other content areas, and to lifelong learning. Students will also be able to connect other subject areas to music, dance and theater through competitive travel throughout the United States and abroad. The purpose of this intermediate to advanced choir course is to develop the students' musical skill and vocal technique, in addition to an appreciation for singing and the performing arts. Vocal Technique includes posture, breath support, resonance, tone production, and articulation, by means of various exercises, kinesthetic activities, lectures and rehearsal of performance literature. Students will be able to identify the anatomy of the human voice and use this knowledge to improve their individual breath support and age appropriate tone production techniques. Through various stretching and balance exercises, students will understand how to hold themselves in correct body placement for optimal breath support and tone production. Moving beyond the mere performance of lyrics, this course aims to develop a deeper understanding of the production of phonetic sounds including the pronunciation and placement of vowels, voiced and voiceless consonants, and diphthongs in order to improve the ensembles' blend, balance, and clarity of communication. The choir will perform songs in various languages, styles, and genres.