NZCF Publications
Hear Our Voices: A handbook for leaders of children’s choirs
by Megan Flint, Mary Cornish & Maria Winder
Hear our Voices provides a wealth of practical advice for leaders of children’s choirs. The 2024 revised edition includes various updates to chapters and repertoire lists, and new chapters on teaching waiata Māori (by Melissa Absolum and Kriss Rapana) and Pasifika choral music (by Elisha Fa'i-So'oialo).
Topics include:
- developing a culture of singing in your school – when to sing, what to sing (selecting repertoire, characteristics of singers and song suggestions), and how to sing (teaching a new song/what to listen for)
- moving from massed singing to a choral ensemble – starting a choir, rehearsal time and space, auditions, accompaniment, managing the group, preparing for performance (some useful tips), and conducting gesture.
There are also some lavish lists of recommended reading, repertoire suggestions and other useful resources.
In her foreword to the book, Dr Karen Grylls says:
“Singing is the most important primary musical experience in a child’s life. In this resource, the authors demonstrate their passion for singing and share their knowledge, and that of others, most generously. In part one, this book addresses the various activities that involve singing at the beginning level of games and chant, and shares knowledge about repertoire appropriate to our New Zealand environment. In part two, it explores the possibilities, processes and skills needed to establish and run choirs in the school context. There are many well-researched ideas and much knowledge to assist the start of a choral journey. Singing and children are uttered in the same breath, it seems to me. Yes, there needs to be a culture of children singing in schools that embraces the classroom and massed assembly singing with the development of school choirs. Singing must inhabit our lives, the lives of our children, and the playgrounds in which they play. Take a deep breath and sing!”
Copies can be ordered from the NZCF office office@nzcf.org.nz at a cost of $30 plus postage.
Sing New Zealand: The story of choral music in Aotearoa
by Guy Jansen | Published in 2019 by Massey University Press
The story of choirs in New Zealand is not just one of enthusiastic participation: it is also about striving for excellence, and achieving it. What was needed for New Zealanders to succeed at this demanding, precision art form, and who were the key people involved? Author Guy Jansen was one of them; the world’s first national youth choir, the National Youth Choir of New Zealand, was just one of his initiatives. In Sing New Zealand, he describes choral music’s trajectory from the enthusiastic amateur efforts of the nineteenth-century to today’s internationally renowned national choirs.
Dr Guy Jansen (1935–2019) was awarded a MNZM for services to music. He was a renowned music educator and choral musician, and in 1979 founded the New Zealand Youth Choir — reputed to be the first national youth choir in the world.
Copies can be ordered from the NZCF office office@nzcf.org.nz at a cost of $45 plus postage for NZCF members / $55 plus postage for non-members.
Sing What You See, See What You Sing
by Judy Bellingham
This book is a systematic approach to sight-singing and is designed to be used by choirs on a regular basis, week by week, to gradually improve sight-singing skills. It also includes resources, vocal health for singers, a pronunciation guide and glossary of terms.
Copies can be ordered from the NZCF office office@nzcf.org.nz at a cost of $30 plus postage.