Warming up a choir...a reflection

Ouch.

So I feel that it started off pretty well. I started with lots of energy and feel like a grabbed the attention of my "students." After that, it kind of went downhill.

The first exercise I did started with humming. After modeling it and playing it, I began to hum along. I'm not really sure why though.

It may have been because I didn't want to get lost or any number of other things. Either way. Don't do it.

What could have I done better?

I could have improved on a few things:

• Try not to sing along. I realize now that if I am singing along, it is very hard to listen to the rest of the ensemble. 
• Start my first and second exercise on a different pitch. It was a little rough on the voices. If I start on a higher pitch, it will go more smoothly. 
• Explain how the diaphragm works. It was unclear to my students and because of that, not everyone was using it properly. 
• If I'm going to say something after, make it mean something. I realized that I was saying things like "great' or "cool" after almost every exercise. If I'm going to say something, I have to make sure it connects with how they just sang.