Catalonia PAU Choir and Vocal Technique (Cor i Tècnica Vocal II) study plan

Map the main stylistic periods of choral writing (Renaissance polyphony, Baroque, Classicism, Romanticism, 20th-century and contemporary) onto a one-page timeline, placing at least three representative genres or forms in each period.

Define in Catalan, Spanish and English at least 25 core terms (e.g. contrapunt, homofonia, imitació, cànon, motet, madrigal, coral, tessitura, àmbit, clímax) and record them in a trilingual glossary table.

Listen to one short work per period and write three identifying features (texture, language treatment, typical voicing) for each, without consulting programme notes first.

Locate the stylistic markers you can hear in a score excerpt: identify imitation entries, homophonic declamation and cadential formulae by circling them.

Analyse two complete short choral works from different periods: label form, phrase structure, cadences, key centres and texture changes directly on a printed score.

Transcribe the harmonic skeleton of a 16-bar passage using Roman numerals and identify at least two cadence types by name.

Compare how the same poetic text is set in two different periods and write a 150-word comparison focused on word stress, texture and range.

Sing each voice part of one analysed work at sight slowly, marking the tessitura extremes and any awkward leaps.

Establish a daily 10-minute breathing routine (diaphragmatic inhalation, controlled exhalation on sustained /s/ and /f/) and log the maximum steady exhalation count each day.

Identify and correct your own support failures by recording yourself singing a sustained phrase and noting where pitch or tone collapses.

Practise resonance placement: sing the same five-note pattern in three resonance strategies (forward mask, oral, chest-dominant) and describe the audible difference in your log.

Analyse a score excerpt for articulation and phrasing decisions, marking breaths, consonants to project and places where legato must be preserved across a barline.

Apply articulation work to a fast consonant-heavy passage (e.g. a syllabic text setting) and sing it at performance tempo with text intelligible to a listener.

Diagnose and correct intonation drift in a cappella singing: identify whether a flat passage is caused by poor support, wide vowels or lack of listening, and document the fix.

Practise blend by singing a unison vowel with a reference recording or partner, matching vowel shape and vibrato width, and rate the match on a 1-5 scale three times.

Run a balance exercise on a four-part chord, adjusting individual dynamics so that no voice dominates, and note the dynamic level each part needs.

Learn and demonstrate a clear basic conducting pattern in 2, 3 and 4 beats, with preparation beat, clear ictus and a distinct final cutoff, filmed from the front.

Design a 20-minute rehearsal plan for one work with timed segments: warm-up, section work, ensemble work and run-through, each with a stated objective.

Give and receive ensemble cues: rehearse entries and releases so that the choir breathes together, and list three specific cuing gestures you used.

Practise error detection: listen to a short choral excerpt with a deliberate wrong note or entry and locate it by bar number.

Build a personal vocal-health checklist covering hydration, warm-up, cool-down, rest and warning signs (hoarseness lasting more than two weeks, pain, loss of range) and state when to seek a professional.

Demonstrate a complete 12-minute warm-up and 5-minute cool-down sequence and note which muscles or registers each exercise targets.

Identify the main risk factors for voice disorders in choral singers (forced chest voice, singing while ill, excessive volume, poor posture) and match each to one prevention strategy.

Adjust posture and support for a high-tessitura passage and document how you avoid strain.

Design a 30-minute concert programme for a mixed choir, justifying each work by period, difficulty, key relationships and audience pacing in 200 words.

Translate a rehearsal instruction set of 20 conducting and rehearsal terms between Catalan, Spanish and English and use at least 10 of them aloud in a mock rehearsal.

Draft a rehearsal schedule for a four-week preparation cycle with weekly objectives and a dress-rehearsal plan.

Apply performance-practice conventions (tempo, ornamentation, dynamics, pitch) to one Renaissance or Baroque work and annotate the score accordingly.

Sit a full timed mock exam covering all eight domains and score it, listing every missed item by domain.

Re-analyse one previously unseen short score under time pressure (20 minutes) and produce form, cadences, texture and tessitura notes.

Record a final performance of one work demonstrating accurate intonation, blend, articulation and clear conducting cues.

Review the trilingual glossary and vocal-health checklist, correcting any terms or facts you flagged as uncertain.