Delivering Jazz Chants, Raps, and Speech Choirs

• Jazz chant


  expressing words in the rhythms of music. It has rhythm and imitates the stress and intonation of a natural, spoken language. It is usually in the form of a dialog.
• Rap 


  a genre of music in which the lyrics are usually talked, rather than sung. Its features include the use of slang, rhyme schemes, etc.
• Speech choir

  • a type of oral performance where a group of individuals recites a poem in unison.
  • It is also known as choral speaking.
• Delivering Jazz Chants

  1. Use fast rhythm when delivering jazz chants but don’t make it so fast to the point that it becomes a rap.
  2. Analyze the piece before the delivery to convey proper emotions.
  3. Use the appropriate voice.
  4. Practice correct pronunciation for effective delivery of jazz chants.
  5. Use your diaphragm while delivering the piece for more power in the voice.
• Delivering Raps

  1. Deliver the lyrics in a fast rhythm
  2. Keep a steady beat
  3. Follow a rhyme scheme in the lyrics of a rap
  4. You may include punch lines and metaphors in your rap
  5. Have a wide knowledge of filler words you could use that could help your transition to the next part. Examples of filler words are yeah!, come on!, and yo!
• Delivering a Speech Choir

  1. Analyze the material. Read the piece several times for proper interpretation.
  2. Categorize the voices of the participants according to pitch.
  3. Decide on the kind of speech choir to perform.
  4. Practice the entrance as well as the exit.
  5. Gestures should match the words being recited. There are gestures that communicate certain messages to the audience. They should match the lines being recited.
• Delivering a Speech Choir

  1. Choose the most appropriate formation.
  2. Use appropriate sound and music.
  3. Props, costume and materials should have aesthetic appeal and should be relevant to the piece.
  4. Observe proper pronunciation, stress and intonation.
  5. Memorize the piece.
  6. Do not make unnecessary movements during speech delivery.
• Types of Gestures

  1. Iconic
  2. Deictic
  3. Beat
  4. Metaphorical
• Iconic 


  a type of a gesture that is like painting using the hands
• Deictic 


  also known as “pointing gestures” that indicate imaginary, real or implied objects, people, etc.
• Beat 


  rhythmic beating of a finger, hand or arm; they may be a short beat, which can be used to mark an important point, or a succession of beats, which can emphasize an important concept
• Metaphorical 


  used to explain an idea without any physical form (e.g., waving of the hands and pinching with fingers)
• Types of Speech Choir

  • traditional speech choir
  • dynamic speech choir
• dynamic speech choir 


  a type of speech choir where the participants recite a piece with choreography, props and costumes.