A few general comments about the use of exercises is needed first. It is best not to use the same exercises every day. No matter what they are, they can become boring. Mix the exercises, but mix them so, over a period of one to two months, the ones that are basic to the development of a good tone occur in a steady cycle. Do not hesitate to use exercises at points in the rehearsal other than the beginning. After some strenuous singing, exercises can let the singer relax the throat and, once again, unify the choral tone.
Which exercise to use depends on the point the ensemble has reached in its choral development. Some directors remark publicly that, ". . . no matter what choir I conduct, I always use these two exercises, . . . ." Any conductor who makes this statement is ignoring the capabilities and differences of singers. It makes no more sense than saying, ". . .no matter what choir I conduct, I always use the same piece of music." There are some choirs at the college level that can achieve a desirable choral tone through choral repertoire without the aid of exercises per se. This is probably not true of high school or most church choirs, however.
There is also no reason that some rehearsals cannot begin without exercises. If the director chooses carefully, the students can free the throat and warm up the voice using a piece of music instead of a vocalize. One does not have to use the text of a piece all the time, but can have the choir sing the parts on any given vowel. In this manner the director can rehearse the notes and rhythm of a piece and still get the voices warmed up.
Another important aspect of the opening part of the rehearsal is that of tuning up. The warm-up is a tune-up also. Sometimes the students do not need to have the voices warmed-up but they do need to tune-up, refining the use of their voices within a choral ensemble toward a unified goal. This aspect should not be ignored because it is the part that helps to reorient students to the rehearsal. The moment a student begins to refine the use of his voice, to listen to the vowel color, to listen to the voices of others, and to contribute to a choral tone that has beauty and warmth, he will have turned his mind on to the choral rehearsal.
Work for a choral tone that has ringing resonance and a deep, rich warmth. This is much easier to say than to do. It is the tone that most choral conductors are aiming for. This tone will not happen accidentally, although one will occasionally have students who, without any prior training, sing with a tone that is very close to that desired. Usually these students cannot maintain the tone consistently throughout their range; good voice training will help gain that control.
Choirs need both the forward resonance and the depth. Several exercises can be used to help acquire both. Figure 2, the first figure, is an exercise that can be used to develop a focused tone with a forward placement. Have the singers accent the h and go immediately to the hum. Each singer should make the abdominal muscles tense at the attack. Cue the singers to move slowly from the m to the ee. Tell them to try to maintain the ring or buzz of the m in the ee. This is a good exercise for the first part of the year when extra attention will also be given to breathing, and at any time to overcome breathiness.