choral accompanying resources

There is nothing quite like accompanying a choir at the piano. 

The pianist often functions as the sole accompaniment for a group of singers, which requires attention to balance and a translation of the desires of the conductor at the keyboard. Good sightreading skills are essential for learning a significant amount of music quickly, and savvy musicianship skills are needed to identify and prioritize what needs playing at what time.

Wherever you are at on your choral accompanying journey, I hope these resources help you along your way!

open score reading practice

Open Score Intensive
  • Open Score Intensive
  • Open Score Intensive
  • Open Score Intensive
  • Open Score Intensive
  • Open Score Intensive
  • Open Score Intensive
  • Open Score Intensive
  • Open Score Intensive
  • Open Score Intensive

Open Score Intensive

A self-paced "short course" for choral accompanists who want to improve their open score reading, this intensive includes three invaluable resources that take pianists progressively through the necessary skills to be Read more

A self-paced "short course" for choral accompanists who want to improve their open score reading, this intensive includes three invaluable resources that take pianists progressively through the necessary skills to be successful at reading choral parts set in open score. The course consists of 3 pre-recorded sessions under an hour each and 3 workbooks with materials for extended practice. The intensive includes:

1) The Well-Tempered Chorale Player. A guide to improving your four-part sightreading through 15 of Bach's beloved chorales. Along with the collection of chorales from Bach's cantatas in varying key signatures and in both major and minor keys, this guide contains several pages of tips for analyzing harmonies and reading voice parts in various combinations. The recorded workshop will guide you through identifying key signatures and present you with beginning strategies for reading vocal parts in open score.

2) How To Read Open Score Workshop. In this class, I discuss more of what to look for and take note of in a score, as we look at multiple excerpts of scores, from a Bach chorale to a simple fugue, all set for SATB voices. Learn how to effectively mark your score and prioritize what to play.

3) Open Score Canons & Fugues Workshop. In this class, you will learn how to scan for, and prioritize, what is most important when encountering canons and fugues in open score, including strategies for melismas and voice crossings. Gain a toolkit of strategies to use in private practice and during rehearsal to confidently support your choir.

Each workshop is on-demand (view on your own time) and comes with its own workbook with exercises for practicing during class, charts and suggestions for prioritizing what to play, and appendices with bonus repertoire for further practice.

Previous participants rated this material as "extremely valuable." Scott A says, "It was a GREAT workshop, well planned/paced, solid information, great examples, and taught in such a way that pianists of different experience/abilities could all benefit. Thanks again!"

In addition, you will receive an invitation to a new online community for choral accompanists. Please join us!

Upon purchasing, you will receive 4 PDFs: 1 Start Here Guide with links to recordings; 1 Well-Tempered Chorale Player Workbook; 1 Open Score Workshop Workbook; 1 Open Score Canons and Fugues Workbook

If you have any trouble with the files or have further questions, please let me know.

TERMS OF USE: The item(s) at coribelle.com are copyrighted by Cori Belle, with all rights reserved. You may use this item for your personal studio use only. Your purchase includes the right to download and print one copy of each resource for your personal use. You may not distribute any digital or printed content to other teachers or studios. By downloading/purchasing items from coribelle.com, you have agreed to respect this copyright and follow the terms of use.

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$119.00

choose your own workshop

Not wanting the full intensive? Choose what works best for your interest and skill level by selecting one or more of the workshops below. (This material is the same material included in the intensive.)

The Well-Tempered Chorale Player Workshop

New to open-score reading? Start here, with 15 of Bach's beloved chorales written in four-part SATB. You will learn how to identify the key signature of each chorale and whether the music is written in a major or minor key, how to start reading vocal parts on their individual lines (including that tricky tenor line), and strategies for layering voices.

This workshop comes with The Well-Tempered Chorale Player workbook for use during and after the class.

 

Open Score Reading Workshop

In this “next step” workshop, we will continue discussing how to layer each voice part in gradually, and then work on expanding your vision by exploring:

  • What to look for in a first reading
  • How to “triage” a score in real time
  • Practice tips to help you get comfortable with open score

When you register for the workshop, you will receive a Student Handbook with practical exercises for use during the class, tip sheets for scanning and preparing a score, and further resources for practice long after the class is over. These tools will help you prepare efficiently and effectively to support your choir.

 

Open Score: Canons and Fugues Workshop

Read to level up your open score reading game? After you have mastered reading open score chorales for SATB (or at least have a good level of familiarity with the music), it becomes necessary to learn what to do when voices have a mind of their own and move independently of one another. In this workshop we will cover:

  • Navigating multiple entrances
  • Making sense of dense passages
  • How to tackle melismas and voice crossings
  • Practical strategies to grow your confidence in reading open score canons and fugues

In addition to looking at music for voices scored SATB, we will take a brief look at music written for SSA. 

This workshop also includes a Student Handbook with practical exercises for use during the class and further resources for practice long after the class is over. 

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