Nigel:

 

Individual singing lessons would help with the physiology, training your body to make reliable & sustained/controlled sounds. But equally important, if not more so,

would be some training in what a community college would call "music theory and ear-training" 101.

Now I guess one looks for the equivalent in at-home software? Although group learning from a human instructor still has its merits...

 

Anyhow: "Music theory" or"Solfege" (French term) would be the search term for learning the "grammar" of music: what things are called, how notes combine into chords [which would help you understand the tenor line], and how these elements are coded into music notation. "Ear training" is about recognizing these concepts when you hear them: Learning to label pitch relationships etc. by sound, and to reproduce them with your voice. 

 

As classes, these are usually offered together (theory on MWF, ear training on TTh). Even one semester would initiate you into music-speak, and begin to train your brain to recognize and navigate the world of mathematical patterns in sound. They would help you "hear" the tenor part as a component of larger architecture, and probably help you match pitch as well. You'd also be able to ask questions, of the conductor & of more experienced singers, using common lingo, and to understand their answers!

 

I'm sure there are now multiple software options for this kind of training, and in many localities people offer private tutoring.

 

Another resource would be any local store that sells sheet music -- they might have CD/DVD packages, and would certainly have a bulletin board full of business cards for private teachers.

 

for a reputable private teacher, start with the website NATS.org.

 

this may all sound like a bit of hard work, but the results will definitely be worth it. Welcome to the community of singers!

 

Joanna Cazden

speech therapist, singing teacher

(& daughter of a music theory professor!)

You can easily find books on note reading at any music store. A google search would probably find you materials on the net. 

 

As for understanding the "Tenor Line", I'm not sure what you mean. Do you mean the concept of harmonizing? The key is to stop following along with what you hear and start thinking about your part and have it come from you. In rehearsal, do you try to sing along while the conductor (or whomever plays the part for you) plays you your part? Try instead a call and response. Listen without singing to the part being demonstrated, then perform the part on your own. 

 

Once you learn it, think of the part you've been taught as the melody. Even though it doesn't sound like a melody and may even be just one note, that's the melody. Everyone else is harmonizing to you. Now don't get a big head about it, but still, try to break your dependence on the other singers. That should help with harmony. 

 

Practicing is just practicing. Try to learn from your director some effective warm up excercises. Once you're warmed up, practice singing your part  individually. Again, this should help your independence from the other singers. As a tenor, really work out your head voice. Be sure to warm up with sighs starting up in your head range. If you make a "hoo" sound like an owl, you should feel what that feels like. Sing some scales up in that range to warm up. That should help the "Tenor line" feel more comfortable.