David Dahlke - Vocal Music Success: Ideas, Hints, and Help for Singers and Directors

BELOW ARE COLLEAGUE AND STUDENT
TESTIMONIES OF THE AUTHOR

Im writing in support and on behalf of my music educator colleague and friend, David Dahlke. Ive known David Dahlke since the start of my 35 plus years as a music educator. My teaching began as a High School Band Director in 1978 and we worked together through my first 8 years teaching at F. J. Turner High School. I was pleased and privileged to work closely with David and his choir members planning music curriculum, joint concerts, musicals, and music festivals each year. David worked tirelessly on behalf of our music program and was always a great student advocate. His daily group work and the results of the combined efforts by students always produced great results that won the admiration of our community. Our concerts and events represented many musical genres, along with heritage and patriotism appropriate to each performance. I confidently support his current effort in writing, as he has always looked to help others musically improve and appreciate the arts.

Jon Condon

Choir was a major influence on my life. I still sing today!! I remember something you once said to me; you can take this instrument with you anywhere pointing at your voice box. That was so true! The lessons learned and the skill I developed in your choir have brought life-long joy. You are and always have been my favorite teacher.

Neil Hauger

I always enjoyed having Mr. Dave Dahlke as my choir director while at F.J. Turner High School. Mr. Dahlke directed choir, along with a small group called Turner Rounds. The Turner Rounds group performed at Turner High School concerts, as well as local schools, nursing homes, etc. Due to Mr. Dahlkes influence, guidance and direction, the choir was always a close-knit group. He also spent countless hours meeting with students and accompanists to prepare for choir competitions, all the way to the state level as students qualified to compete. Mr. Dahlke was always a well-respected teacher who was very passionate about his work, instilling his knowledge into the students he directed, while creating a vibrant and fun atmosphere in choir. I know of many former students who have developed a long-standing love of singing thanks to the teaching and coaching we received while students of Mr. Dave Dahlke, and many who have proceeded to continue to share the gifts instilled during our high school years.

Charlene Kepler

I have to say my vocal training was fantastic under the direction of Mr. Dahlke; he inspired me to love music. The things I learned from him I took into the rest of my musical life. I have always been a member of my church choir and I was involved in the Midland Chorale for 24 years. Mr. Dahlke taught us things like the difference between head tone and chest tone by having us picture the sound going out through a hole in the top of our heads, of course because he has a great sense of humor he would say things like, that shouldnt be too hard for most of you, (because we had holes in the tops of our heads). He taught us how to breathe with our diaphragms by placing our hands on our stomachs and breathing in and out from there. He told us that when we sleep we naturally breathe that way. I learned from him how to perform in front of an audience and in solo and ensemble competition where I usually did a solo and a duet. I went to state competition and won a number one on several occasions due to the great teaching of Mr. Dahlke. I am now 60 years old and I can remember the things he taught me like it was yesterday. I am so thankful that he was my choral director and teacher. I found the love of singing because of him.

Beth Martin

Singing in choirs in 8 th -12 th grades with Mr. Dahlke provided me some of the most fun experiences of high school and also gave lifelong skills that have helped me enjoy life more, and maybe even help others. During my years with Mr. Dahlke I sang in multiple choir types, SAB in 8 th grade (when male voices were unpredictable), SATB for several years, a lovely Madrigal/Swing choir one year, and my favorite, the SSA triple trio known as Turner Rounds. We were exposed to all types of music. Due to my time in Turner Rounds I continue to astound my children and my friends when I know all the words to all three verses of some obscure Christmas song, or even know the introductory portions of songs like Silver Bells. And of course there was the school Alma Mater, set to the tune of Mozarts Ave Verum Corpus. We did this recently in choir (the original, not the alma mater) and now almost 40 years later, my church choir director was stunned that I nailed the alto part the first time through. Mr. Dahlke taught us breath control, sight reading (being an alto helped), and listening to your neighbors- working to contribute together in a way that is harmonious and getting along with others you may not normally hang out with. Perhaps that last item has been the most useful and is a good skill to have in choir and in everyday life. My life would not have been as rich if I did not spend all my years in many choirs and I could not have done it without Mr. Dahlkes instruction.

Nancy Shaler

We are happy to acknowledge your forty years of serving music education through our association, especially in your role as an adjudicator.

We wish you the very best in the publication of your upcoming manual in support of Vocal Music Success: Ideas, Hints, and Help for Singers and Directors.

We look forward to seeing your finished product, on behalf of WSMA, thank you for your years of service to the students in Wisconsin.

Laurie N. Fellenz
Executive Director

VOCAL MUSIC SUCCESS:
IDEAS, HINTS,
AND HELP

FOR SINGERS AND DIRECTORS

DAVID DAHLKE

VOCAL MUSIC SUCCESS: IDEAS, HINTS, AND HELP
FOR SINGERS AND DIRECTORS

Copyright 2021 David Dahlke

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping, or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

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ISBN: 978-1-6632-1862-9 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-6632-1861-2 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2021904576

iUniverse rev. date: 03/10/2021

CONTENTS

PREFACE

Vocal Music Success: Ideas, Hints, and Help for Singers and Directors hopefully will fill a need for singers and directors. Through my experiences of attending concerts, listening to school choirs and groups on television, and judging countless singing contests throughout Wisconsin, I strongly see there is a need.

It is unacceptable for students of any age to sing out of tune. Kids can hear better than most teachers; they just need particular expectations from a coach.

How many concerts or performances have you attended where you could not understand the lyrics? The pure vowel method will help that problem. Do people sing as we talk (naturally), or flat or nasal (like the guy behind you in church)?