Video transcript
Festival of Choral Music repertoire 2021 - 03. Go For Broke - teaching tips

[music playing]

RACHEL KELLY: Hi, I'm Rachel Kelly. This video is part of a series on tips for conducting your choir. This song by Australian composer Ian Jefferson is written for two parts, soprano and alto, but most of the song is actually in unison.

The time signature is 6/8, which means there are six quaver pulses in each bar, but we group them into two dotted crotchet beats. So we conduct two beats in each bar, like this, down, up, down, up 1, 2, 1, 2. (SINGING) The time for talk is over. We've heard it all before.

Now, the rhythms in this song give it a driving pop feel. When we notate these rhythms, that can look a bit complicated. So if you're not used to reading these sorts of rhythms, then you might want to listen to the teaching track a lot and just get the feel of it that way. Also, if you're using an accompanist rather than the backing track, just be aware that some accompanists may also find these rhythms a little bit tricky to read.

So the singers come in just before bar 5, with what's called an anacrusis or a pickup. Now, we want a real feeling of forward energy here through these opening phrases, even though it's marked moderately soft. So from bar 4, it goes like this, (SINGING) da, da, da, dum. The time for talk is over. We've heard it all before. You've given us the key to fly up and out the door.

And then, our next phrase, at bar 9, feels more expansive, (SINGING) what more to do? And that do gets a full bar and cuts off on the first beat of the next bar. It feels like a long time, but then, the world view is only one beat. So watch that whole bit. (SINGING) What more to do? Check out the view.

Then, at bar 13 we've got new words. Same melody as the opening, but we're building the momentum here. So (SINGING) remember when we started another life away, so many hills before us, but here we are today. Like before, (SINGING) what more to do-- different words-- (SINGING) give you a clue.

And then, we're into the chorus at bar 21. Now, the word back here is short, but make sure it's not over emphasised. So we're loud here, but we don't want it to sound ugly. So rather than singing (SINGING) stand back, we want it to be stand back. Look out below.

And watch that rhythm there at look out below. It's all over and done with in that first beat. (SINGING) Look out below. Look out below.

And then, the word Jack needs to be like back. So (SINGING) hit the road Jack. Get on with the show.

Now, in the next phrase, there's a place where your choir may sing the wrong note if you don't teach it really carefully. And I wonder if you can figure out which note I'm talking about. Let me sing that phrase for you. So it goes, (SINGING) we'll hit the ground running, and soon we'll be stunning the crowd.

Do you think you know what it is? It's actually the word and. It's just a little one, but it's really important. So it goes, (SINGING) we'll hit the ground running and, and soon, running and soon. It's an F.

Now, I suspect they might be tempted to sing an E there. (SINGING) We'll hit the ground running and soon, and soon, instead of (SINGING) and soon. So maybe teach that little part of the melody nice and slowly and deliberately so you're not fixing that up once it's wrong.

And the word crowd at the end of that phrase goes for the whole bar and cuts off on the first beat of the next bar, so it's (SINGING) stunning the crowd. And make sure you sing that vowel as a lovely open ah vowel in crowd so it doesn't sound like 'croud.' And the same thing for proud at the end of the next part, so it goes, (SINGING) let's go for broke. We'll make you proud. And that's just off after one beat.

And then, the piano leads us into a key change. And we split into our two parts at bar 35. So the altos sing the same words they did at the beginning, but we're now in the new key of D-flat major.

So they sing, [piano chord] (SINGING) the time for talk is over. We've heard it all before. You've given us the key to fly up and out the door. And then, they instantly go up another key, to D major, and sing those two words. (SINGING) Remember when we started, another life away? So many hills before us, but here we are today.

And while the altos are doing this, the sopranos have a completely new part, which is like this soaring discant over the top. And they need to sing it in a beautiful high head voice. So they sing, (SINGING) I'll shoulder my bag and run away. I'll see you again some other day.

And noticed how connected those notes are. There's only one spot where the sopranos breathe, and that's just before bar 39. Everything else has to join on and be connected.

And then, at bar 43, they're going to unison again for what more to do, give you a clue. And then, they sing the chorus, which is just like before. But we're in the new key. Then, at bar 57, we have this dramatic instrumental section. Now, through here, the choir should just stand tall and proud, arms by sides, staying nice and still, as we go into another key change for our new chorus at bar 65.

So this is the final chorus of this song. And it has what we sometimes refer to as a turnaround chord, which is when it goes to an unfinished-sounding chord before we then go on and do the real ending of the song. So this happens at bar 75, where we sing, (SINGING) we'll make you proud. Let's go for broke. We'll make you proud.

So we hold that last note with a lovely ah vowel. And we're holding it for two full bars, cutting off on the downbeat of the next bar, which is also when the piano does the final chord. So we go (SINGING) proud.