The “vowels in hand” system: a time-out with five quite contrary letters

Abstract

This article introduces the Vowels in Hand (VH) method. Developed for choral directors, the VH method communicates vowel preferences to choral singers in rehearsal in order to speed up the rehearsal process and create vowel clarity, instead of more traditional methods like written IPA symbols or singing demonstrations. The article first discusses the need for the method within the choral field and investigates various choir rehearsal challenges that arise when attempting to unify vowels. The author enumerates the method and strategies for successfully using it with choirs. With this method in place, the author argues that conductors can quickly communicate desired vowel shapes to singers who can use them in performance. The VH strives to take the mystique out of vowel unification by making it a straightforward and attainable process.