all these different tips and techniques are really interesting. some of this i'm going to have to use. i got one question though.
how long does it usually take you to learn a song (on average)?? 10 min?? 20 min??? 30 min??
I agree with Sjon there are a lot of variables to consider
but i will process some things with you
age plays a big part the older your choir members the more tricky it is to teach songs especially if they are in an unfamiliar style when i say older i am talking about 70 -85 years old
anyone 65 and under is fair game for the rest of this post
frequency of rehearsals
if you rehears every week it takes less time to learn a song because every one is gelling together
type of song
some songs are harder to learn then others simple gospels are easy to hear the harmony and easy to hold your part
some contemporary songs like that of kirk and maybe kurt carr may be harder to hear and hold your notes
harmony songs definitely take longer to learn then a unison song
but finally to answer your question
i use two weeks as my bench mark
if i am teaching a song in a two hour rehearsal i will spend about an hour on one song
and revisit that song the next week
i am not talking about a little praise song but a song that has a bridge a chorus and verses
basically i can get through the main parts of a song within the first rehearsal and by the second week teach the final fragments that we couldnt get to on week one
my youth choir can usually learn a song in two weeks
and so can most of my other choirs
however my gospel chorus and they are mostly above 70 years old
there was this one song that i have been trying to teach them since last november
we have spent at least 7 rehearsals on this song
and they just dont have it
the problem is timing the song is by twinkie clark and it is very syncopated
the gospel chorus in my church always had timing issues
so this song is riding on their weakness
every choir has some weakness inherent
so some songs will be very easy to teach
and other songs that exploit that weakness will be harder to teach
for example if you have a choir where your tenors are really baritones
they have to sing loud to get those high notes out
and they will requuire much help in getting them to do a song that is high and quiet
or maybe your singers have great range but they cant sing legato
or they dont pronounce their words very well
or you may have some people who have pretty good ears but cant seem to hold their note against another section who is singing to close
this happens a lot with altos who stand next to the sopranos
they will start to slip and sing the melody
so you have to get to know your group
take all of these things i have said
plus the many excellent ideas said by the people on this thread
and find answers to your questions
but i would not be comfortable doing a song if i onlly spent an hour on it
unless it was a simple praise song