ASK!

Singapore Idol 2009 has yet again taken the nation by storm. Once again, hundreds of Singaporeans are glued to the telly, be they couch critics, supporters or participants.
Among the chosen ones this year, two of them come from Republic Polytechnic — Tabitha Nauser and Farhan Shah. http://weblog.rp.sg/

Republic Polytenic has been rallying support for them and we all hope that they will do their school proud as well.

How do these participants develop such strong good vocals? Besides having a pleasant voice, the vocal cords need to be stretched and developed in order to become performance worthy.

For those of us who are aspiring to take part in the next Singapore Idol and who can essentially hold a tune, or for those who are already participating in Singapore Idol, here are some resources that may help you become more successful in attaining your dreams of becoming a really good singer!

A fanatic’s guide to ear training and sight seeing. Volume one / by Bruce Arnold
Call Number: English 781.424 ARN -[ART]

Voice lessons to go[sound recording] / lessons by Ariella Vaccarino
Call Number: English 783.04071 VAC -[ART]

The right way to sing /by Linda Marquart and Lea Salonga
Call Number: English 782.042 MAR -[ART]

Vocal technique[videorecording] : developing your voice for performance / by Craig Reed
Call Number: English 783.043 VOC -[ART]

Posted By:

Chen Wanying
Children’s Librarian
Children’s Services

Have you always wondered why roosters crow in the morning? Do they have an internal alarm clock and are able to mark the start of the day?

Well roosters do not mean to wake the whole world up at the crack of dawn but they crow in the morning because of several reasons.

Roosters crow in the morning because they need to clear out rival males at the start of the
day by crowing loudly and exerting their authority.
They also crow when they detect predators prowling around. Hence, when you hear the rooster crowing in the morning, the rooster is just communicating with the others and trying to keep members of the flock together.

Roosters also crow when they hear other roosters crowing (in the morning) or when they are awakened by sudden flashes of light.

According to Janet Hinshaw of the Wilson Ornithological Society, roosters crow in the morning because “that is when the birds are most active, and most of the territorial advertising takes place then.”

Roosters do crow at all times of the day, ” for other types of communication, including flocking calls”, but it is definitely more obvious in the morning because that’s when we are forced to get up!

Sources:
1) When Do Fish Sleep? by David Feldman
2) Nemec, Jennifer (Jan 2008). Secret of the Rooster’s Crow. Retrieved September 4, 2009, from ANIMALS:Livestock and wildlife from rural America Web site: http://www.grit.com/

Posted By:

Chen Wanying
Children’s Librarian
Children’s Services