Some Tips for Speech Choir

To be able to present a good speech choir, keep in mind the following:

1. Teach the students pronunciation. Simply use a dictionary that has a

pronunciation guide to it. Refer to its pronunciation key which you can find on its
introductory pages to determine how a word is pronounced.
2. Teach them stress and intonation.. Things such as rising intonation and
falling intonation are crucial in speech choir. Which word to be stressed depends
also on your intended meaning. Furthermore you can listen to a lecture by Peter
Roach on this topic:
3. A good number for speech choir is 40 members. But you can have 20-25
participants if so desired.
4. The contest piece is often a poem.
5. Divide your participants into three voices: light, medium and dark. Light
voices are often chosen from the first year females. Medium are also females with
deep voices (preferably from the fourth year). Dark are of course only males with
very deep voices. There should also be a solo for each voice: solo light, solo
medium and solo dark.
6. Arrange the contest piece before giving it to your participants. This means
that you have already assigned parts for each voice, for the solo and for the unison
(meaning all three voices). Keep in mind though that even if all three voices speak
together but their voices should be clearly distinct from each other.  This is called
blending.
7. Memorize the piece. If you are the conductor, the more you should
memorize it. Before giving the contest piece to your participants, see to it that you
have double-checked its pronunciation in the dictionary or the web.
8. Drill into your participants to feel the piece. Their facial expression should
reflect what they are speaking. Facial expressions can’t be taught. It should come
from within. It should not look artificial but should come from their hearts.
9. Deliver with the intent to be understood; hence, for conventional speech choir,
actions and props are unnecessary. Simply standing with hands on their sides is
enough. What counts are the voice and the facial expression.  Remember the
audience should understand what you are talking about.
10. The conductor may stand at the back of the judges. He may conduct in any
manner he wants as long as he is able to guide his participants for an effective
speech choir presentation.
11. Speech choir participants should only look at the conductor the whole time of
their presentation. They should not fidget or make unnecessary moves throughout
their delivery. Nevertheless they should not be standing tensed in front of the crowd
but relaxed. Below is a picture of Consolacion National High School – Day Class
participants
Breathing

The most important part of any performing art, from playing an instrument to acting in
a play, is breath. While we breath involuntarily all the time, many green performers
forget to breathe while on stage. Mark your speech choir piece like a sheet of music,
noting where it makes sense to take a breath, so you don't interrupt the word flow but
have enough breath to make it through the line (punctuation marks are a good start).
Breathing in performance links you with your whole group, calms your nerves, and
gives your performance life.

Articulation and Diction

The audience wants to hear what you have to say. If you don't articulate, all they will
hear is a bunch of mush. By practicing your articulation and diction, your words will be
clear and vibrant. Say every sound of a word, paying special attention to the beginning
and ending letters. Strive to make every word lucid and colorful. Diction is a learned
skill; articulate strongly in rehearsal and in your everyday life. People will notice how
well you command language.

Connection to the Group

A speech choir is a living organism made up on individuals, never forget that. You
aren't performing a monologue, you are a part of a group performance. Onstage, the
choir is your family. The best speech choir performances are presented by groups that
are in sync with each other. Listen to those around you. Connecting with them will
eliminate any stage fright. If anything unexpected happens (someone forgets a line, a
light falls from the rafters), the group must respond and correct together.

The Text

The text is your guide; it's what the audience came to see and hear you perform. In
rehearsal, commit your lines to memory (even if you are provided with the piece
onstage). Performing the text requires you to know the text inside and out. Once you
know what you are saying, add color and meaning to the words. Let the audience
"see" what you are saying. Let your personal reaction to the words sprinkle meaning
on the performance.

Members

A speech choir is typically the same size as a singing choir, having anywhere from 12
to 100 members or more. However, most schools and competitions feature choirs of
25 to 40 members. The choirs typically are divided into groups based on the members'
natural speaking voices. Females with naturally high voices or young females
comprise the "light" group, females with deeper voices and young males or males with
high voices comprise the "medium" group and males with deep voices comprise the
"dark" group.

Pieces

Selections are typically poems or poetic passages, such as from Greek dramas or
Shakespeare's plays. The conductor gives some thought to the passage, breaking it
into parts that, for example, only the "light" voices recite or strong passages that are
voiced by all the members. Facial expressions and intonation are also carefully
planned, so all the members can practice in unison. Solo parts for specific members
can add dramatic effect.

Choreography

Choreography of movement is not a necessary component for a speech choir. Many

successful competition choirs recite their pieces while standing in place with their
hands at their sides, attention directed solely at the conductor. However, in the Greek
tradition, speech choirs marched from side to side in alternating patterns called
"strophe" and "antistrophe." Thus, movement is part of the rich history of speech choir,
and some conductors choose to choreograph elaborate movement to accompany their
pieces.

Costuming

As with any other performance art, thought should be put into how the speech choir
will dress. Costumes can be as simple as matching outfits or robes, such as a vocal
choir would wear, or elaborate theatrical garb. Plain uniforms allow the audience to
concentrate on facial expressions and allow the choir to recite several very different
pieces in one performance. However, a themed costume for a single piece can
highlight its meaning or help to differentiate between voice groups.