How to plan warm ups for rehearsal

When I first get through a music theatre score, I write down on a separate piece of paper which spots are tricky, so that I can include them in the warm ups.

I use the warm up no only to warm the cast's voices, but also to warm their ears up to the music style of the show.

Here is the warm up I did with the young cast of Seussical today. I bring the highest note of each warm up higher and higher for each exercise. I end the first one around F#, and the last one around B.

• on an "n" sound, 123454321. The n sound helps open up their soft palate while being gentle on their vocal chords.
  
  
• "How are you" is sung on 54321, with them locking eyes with something different each time, with a big smile.
  
  
• "I am good thank you I am having a good day" is sung on the same repeated note, with a rhythm of four sixteenths, triplet, sixteenth.
  
  
• "You think, you think, you think" is sung on C-E, C-Eb, C-E, to practice the blue note. I'll up that one to a fifth tomorrow, and a sixth the following day, as in C-G, C-Gb, C-G, and C-A, C-Ab, C-A.
  
  
• "Goodbye goodbye" on 717171. They actually did really good on that one, so we might only keep it there for a few more rehearsals before taking it off.
  
  
• "I love to sing", on 18351, with them jumping on the word "love." Casts of any age and experience love that one, and it gives them energy before rehearsing, while helping them stay loose on the higher notes.

These are just a few ways of how I get ready for rehearsal, and I would love to hear what you guys do to get ready, or what kind of warm up you like when you're part of a cast.





Picture from http://www.danacentre.org.uk/events/2007/07/03/303