HAPPY BIRTHDAY

"This is an extension of SUSTAIN PIECE " Following the same principle of breathing in deeply and singing a note on the exhale, this time sing the notes of a song familiar to everybody in the group, for example 'Happy Birthday'. Because this is such a slow moving piece, the group could choose a fragment of the song to do (eg the first two lines).

I PITCH the song where it is most comfortable for you. Try hard not to be swayed by the other pitches in the group; you are working independently.

II BREATHE in deeply, and on the exhale sing the first syllable of the song tie Haaaaaaa........p), sustaining it for as long as you can on one breath.

III BREATHE in deeply again, and sing the second syllable of the song in the same way. Continue this process until you have finished the song (or the segment the group has chosen).

IV USE the words of the song so that each note will have a different attack and vowel sound associated with it. For instance , the soft open sound of the first note "Haaa....p" should sound different to the harder sound of "Biiiii..... rth" CHECK It is important to keep your place in the overall structure of the piece. Even in the most familiar song it is easy to get lost when it is drawn out in this way.