Choir Director techniques/tips

[jgause2]

jjust curious.....to all the directors out there....what are some of your techniques that you use to effectively teach/ direct a choir??

[cutepreacher]

Well... I do it the old fashion way!!! I teach the soprano part and then the alto part. I put the two parts together and then teach the tenor part. I then put all three parts together! Most choirs tend to learn better this way. It also allows me to speed up the process. I don't know if you have a praise team or not, but I practice with the praise team before the choir rehearsal. I then use them on Sunday as like the choir's backup singers. This really helps.

Another thing....... I make the song fit the choir.....not make the choir fit the song. Any choir can sing any song.... you just have to tailor make it for them. However, there is not alot of choir material out there. Don't be afriad to go back and pull up some Milton Brunson, John P. Kee, Thomas Whitfeild, Twinkie Clark, Old Kirk Franklin, Richard Smallwood, etc. Also take hymns and bring them back to life or remake them. I know we're moving into a new era of singing, but we can't forget about the older saints. I have gotton alot more gigis because I play lots of traditional music and dib and dab in contemporary. Why? Contemporary music is just what it is.... Temporary!!!! Focus more on Worship music and Traditional sunday morning songs. Your results will be endless. The people will love you forever.

I also find it helpful doing bible study before rehearsal and teaching on vocal technique and vocal health. Every now and then allow the pastor to sit in on a session. BIG< BIG< BIG..... Allow the choir to have some input. We don't know it all. Be bold and strong, but not bull-headed and power struck!!!

If you want to know anything else....holla!!!

[vtguy84]

This is how I run rehearsals, and it works the best out of the different ways I've tried.

As far as learing songs:

I have 1 section leader for each section.  The three are responsible for learning the songs ahead of time.  We get together two days before rehearsal and go over parts to make sure that parts are successful.  Once we have mastered this, we go to rehearsal.

At rehearsal when I introduce a song, I let the choir listen to the whole song in its entirety.  Afterwards, there are three separate rooms where the different section leaders take their section and work on their parts; each room has a CD and a boombox.  While this is going on, the musicians are in the main room fixing last minute stuff to make sure that the music flows effectively.  This way all people are working at the same time.  A normal song takes about 10-15 minutes to work on.  After that time, we come together and put it all together.

A director with a good ear can definitely make a call whether the song is ready after just one rehearsal or not.


Also, depending on what your choir is, you may be able to get the songs to the choir ahead of time so they can listen and become familiar with them.  Since I direct a college gospel choir at a technological school, I am able to post the songs for the choir members to retrieve before rehearsal.  This gives them a leg up on how the song goes.


Also, here is something else that I have written:


Running an effective choir rehearsal

A choir rehearsal is extremely important to the choir’s function.  A rehearsal can make the choir better or ultimately weaken the choir.  Here are some things you may want to consider when it comes to rehearsal.

Before Rehearsal
A rehearsal is something not to be taken lightly.  When working with a choir, it is easy to lose focus if there is no control in the rehearsal.  There must be a clear cut plan of what will be executed in the rehearsal so things will run smoothly.  Here are some things you want to do before your scheduled choir rehearsal:

• The choir director should meet with the head musician at least 24 hours before rehearsal to discuss the flow of rehearsal, including which songs will be rehearsed.
• Lyrics should be emailed at least 24 hours before rehearsal or printed off and brought to rehearsal.
• If possible, bring a copy of the songs to rehearsal.

At Rehearsal

This is where your preparation gets executed.  If you have prepared well, rehearsal should go very smoothly.  Be confident in your administration.  Here is how a typical practice should start:

• Make sure all the leaders are ON TIME!  If possible, have a small leadership prayer before the choir gets there.  If you show up late, the choir will feel that it’s not required for them to show up on time.
• START ON TIME!  Whether there are three people or 30, make sure that you get the ball rolling on time to show members that you will not wait for anyone.
• Start with breathing exercises to get the members prepared for the rehearsal.

Make sure that you change the format of rehearsals weekly to make things different.  If people know that you are going to have a 10 minute Bible study at the beginning of each rehearsal, people won’t come on time because they feel like they won’t miss anything. 

Execute the plan that you have come up with in an orderly, but fun manner.  One thing you must remember is that being in the choir is extracurricular and if people don’t feel their time is being used effectively, they will not feel a need to come to rehearsal.  Make rehearsal important.

Executing the Plan

The plan that you come up with in rehearsal is important to a successful and productive rehearsal.  Here is a sample of a plan that I have used in my choir rehearsal:

Thursday’s Rehearsal (Seitz 313)
Set Up @ 5:30 p.m.
Prayer @ 6:00 p.m.
Word: ______________________

Warm-ups: ________________________________
Ice breaker: _______________________________
Song 1:  __________________________________
Song 2:  __________________________________
Water Break
Announcements/Upcoming Engagements
Song 3:  __________________________________

Closing Prayer



In this particular rehearsal…

• We had the Word given at the beginning of rehearsal. 
• We had an icebreaker because it was an interest meeting.  Try to limit these to 5 minutes to keep rehearsal fun, but not lose track of why we’re here.
• Song #1 was ‘All Hail King Jesus (Sing the Praises to the King)’, a song that most people, even if it were their first rehearsal, are able to sing with ease.

With this plan, you have a clear idea of what songs will be done and how much time you should spend on each thing. 

A different way to run rehearsal

If you are looking for a different way to run rehearsal, here is something that I have done and works well.  This may or may not work based on the resources that your choir obtains:

As far as learning songs:

I have 1 section leader for each section.  The three are responsible for learning the songs ahead of time.  We get together two days before rehearsal and go over parts to make sure that parts are successful.  Once we have mastered this, we go to rehearsal.

At rehearsal when I introduce a song, I let the choir listen to the whole song in its entirety.  Afterwards, there are three separate rooms where the different section leaders take their section and work on their parts; each room has a CD and a boombox.  While this is going on, the musicians are in the main room fixing last minute stuff to make sure that the music flows effectively. This way all people are working at the same time. A normal song takes about 10-15 minutes to work on.  After that time, we come together and put it all together.


Summarized Points

Here are the points summarized:

• Prepare for rehearsals in advanced, giving songs to the musicians and writing out a plan.
• Show up to rehearsals on time and start rehearsals on time.
• Make rehearsal fun.  When the choir feels a family atmosphere, they will feel more welcomed to showing up and being faithful.
• Change the layout of rehearsals to keep people intrigued.

Hope this helps.

[takuya]

Thursday’s Rehearsal (Seitz 313)
Set Up @ 5:30 p.m.
Prayer @ 6:00 p.m.
Word: ______________________

Warm-ups: ________________________________
Ice breaker: _______________________________
Song 1:  __________________________________
Song 2:  __________________________________
Water Break
Announcements/Upcoming Engagements
Song 3:  __________________________________

Closing Prayer

About what time did this practice end?

[vtguy84]

a

About what time did this practice end?

7:30ish.  I don't believe in rehearsals longer than 2 hours

[takuya]

a
7:30ish.  I don't believe in rehearsals longer than 2 hours

Yea, I agree.  I was just wondering what time yours ended.  Thanks.

[diverse379]

I use  a variety of techniques

I am the musician but I also choose the songs and teach the parts then the directior after learning the song will teach the choir

I have found some different things that work

first of all

I almost never teach with lyrics on sheet

I will allow people to write the words themselves if they must

but i encourage them to learn the song by memory
it takes a little longer but the results are always better

and they will remember the songs and their notes better i dont know why this is the case

but it is always been my experience
people will complain if you try to teach without lyrics typed out and this could be some very big battles

but if you can manage to hold your ground you will see an improvement in the cohesion of your choir
because the choir will be forced to listen to each other a litte more (maybe to remember those one or two words they dont remember


another technique I use

is after i have learned all the parts whether by sheet music or by ear I will play the cd
and play section by section stopping to teach and reteach the part

that way I m teahing intonation style inflection as well as pitch

because the choir will begin to emulate what they hear

plus when i am playing the cd i can walk around the choir and the various sections to hear anyone who is off
key


I dont often adapt a song to a choir i believe in keeping songs close to the original form

but i take a lot of time picking songs that suit my choirs

Sometimes i will go through hundreds of songs for an upcoming occasion

i subscribe to yahoo
which gives me much material to listen to

i have several play lists which contain songs i want to use and songs i have already used

i creae a playilist for all the songs i do an different sundays
so i can go back and pull out songs i know i have done before

i also create playlists of artists
or genres

when teaching i attempt to sing all the parts for them

my soprano is pretty scrreechy
but it is easier to imitate a voice then a note on a piano 

if i cant sing the high note then i sing it in my own voice and tell them to sing it back in their own voice

[jowin443]

There are some great tips here.  I whole heartedly agree that not giving lyrics on sheet is more successful.  I think this is because the choir members will have to concentrate more on learning and listening then reading. 

Definitely start on time and end on time.  Say what you mean and mean what you say.  Depending on the type of song will depend on how I teach it.  For example, and  a cappella song I will use the piano to give the notes to each section.  As was earlier suggested soprano, alto and tenor, etc.  A basic mostly choir (with no solos) song, I'll let the members hear it all the way through then sing the parts to them.

It's really important to pick songs to fit the voices that you have for the best effect.  I also work with the sound technicians to make sure the mic placement is right and they pick up sections and not individuals.

[diverse379]

  I also work with the sound technicians to make sure the mic placement is right and they pick up sections and not individuals.

ooooooooooooooo how important that is

i did a song that was beautiful but a mic was in the face of one person who was flat
and whenever they got to this one note that was held for two measures
there she was flat and in the mic\
so we had to listen to a flat note for 9 seconds like 8 times
it was awful

so very good point

now we place the choir mics so we can get more of the choir

great point

i like the say what you mean mean what you say too

i believe in being a little relaxed in my rehearsals

but to be honest familiarity breeds contempt and contempt breeds disrespect

so you have to sometimes be a little no nonsense in a rehearsal

although i do sometimes throw the ball at the choir i think it is best to just get a good working relationship with the presidents and work it out with them

not every member of the choir who has an opinion

[bishopcole]

This is how I run rehearsals, and it works the best out of the different ways I've tried.

As far as learing songs:

I have 1 section leader for each section.  The three are responsible for learning the songs ahead of time.  We get together two days before rehearsal and go over parts to make sure that parts are successful.  Once we have mastered this, we go to rehearsal.

At rehearsal when I introduce a song, I let the choir listen to the whole song in its entirety.  Afterwards, there are three separate rooms where the different section leaders take their section and work on their parts; each room has a CD and a boombox.  While this is going on, the musicians are in the main room fixing last minute stuff to make sure that the music flows effectively.  This way all people are working at the same time.  A normal song takes about 10-15 minutes to work on.  After that time, we come together and put it all together.

A director with a good ear can definitely make a call whether the song is ready after just one rehearsal or not.


Also, depending on what your choir is, you may be able to get the songs to the choir ahead of time so they can listen and become familiar with them.  Since I direct a college gospel choir at a technological school, I am able to post the songs for the choir members to retrieve before rehearsal.  This gives them a leg up on how the song goes.


Also, here is something else that I have written:


Running an effective choir rehearsal

A choir rehearsal is extremely important to the choir’s function.  A rehearsal can make the choir better or ultimately weaken the choir.  Here are some things you may want to consider when it comes to rehearsal.

Before Rehearsal
A rehearsal is something not to be taken lightly.  When working with a choir, it is easy to lose focus if there is no control in the rehearsal.  There must be a clear cut plan of what will be executed in the rehearsal so things will run smoothly.  Here are some things you want to do before your scheduled choir rehearsal:

• The choir director should meet with the head musician at least 24 hours before rehearsal to discuss the flow of rehearsal, including which songs will be rehearsed.
• Lyrics should be emailed at least 24 hours before rehearsal or printed off and brought to rehearsal.
• If possible, bring a copy of the songs to rehearsal.

At Rehearsal

This is where your preparation gets executed.  If you have prepared well, rehearsal should go very smoothly.  Be confident in your administration.  Here is how a typical practice should start:

• Make sure all the leaders are ON TIME!  If possible, have a small leadership prayer before the choir gets there.  If you show up late, the choir will feel that it’s not required for them to show up on time.
• START ON TIME!  Whether there are three people or 30, make sure that you get the ball rolling on time to show members that you will not wait for anyone.
• Start with breathing exercises to get the members prepared for the rehearsal.

Make sure that you change the format of rehearsals weekly to make things different.  If people know that you are going to have a 10 minute Bible study at the beginning of each rehearsal, people won’t come on time because they feel like they won’t miss anything. 

Execute the plan that you have come up with in an orderly, but fun manner.  One thing you must remember is that being in the choir is extracurricular and if people don’t feel their time is being used effectively, they will not feel a need to come to rehearsal.  Make rehearsal important.

Executing the Plan

The plan that you come up with in rehearsal is important to a successful and productive rehearsal.  Here is a sample of a plan that I have used in my choir rehearsal:

Thursday’s Rehearsal (Seitz 313)
Set Up @ 5:30 p.m.
Prayer @ 6:00 p.m.
Word: ______________________

Warm-ups: ________________________________
Ice breaker: _______________________________
Song 1:  __________________________________
Song 2:  __________________________________
Water Break
Announcements/Upcoming Engagements
Song 3:  __________________________________

Closing Prayer



In this particular rehearsal…

• We had the Word given at the beginning of rehearsal. 
• We had an icebreaker because it was an interest meeting.  Try to limit these to 5 minutes to keep rehearsal fun, but not lose track of why we’re here.
• Song #1 was ‘All Hail King Jesus (Sing the Praises to the King)’, a song that most people, even if it were their first rehearsal, are able to sing with ease.

With this plan, you have a clear idea of what songs will be done and how much time you should spend on each thing. 

A different way to run rehearsal

If you are looking for a different way to run rehearsal, here is something that I have done and works well.  This may or may not work based on the resources that your choir obtains:

As far as learning songs:

I have 1 section leader for each section.  The three are responsible for learning the songs ahead of time.  We get together two days before rehearsal and go over parts to make sure that parts are successful.  Once we have mastered this, we go to rehearsal.

At rehearsal when I introduce a song, I let the choir listen to the whole song in its entirety.  Afterwards, there are three separate rooms where the different section leaders take their section and work on their parts; each room has a CD and a boombox.  While this is going on, the musicians are in the main room fixing last minute stuff to make sure that the music flows effectively. This way all people are working at the same time. A normal song takes about 10-15 minutes to work on.  After that time, we come together and put it all together.


Summarized Points

Here are the points summarized:

• Prepare for rehearsals in advanced, giving songs to the musicians and writing out a plan.
• Show up to rehearsals on time and start rehearsals on time.
• Make rehearsal fun.  When the choir feels a family atmosphere, they will feel more welcomed to showing up and being faithful.
• Change the layout of rehearsals to keep people intrigued.

Hope this helps.

The "CHOIRMASTER" has spoken to a tee as usual and THATS A RAP!!! Bishop Cole

[diverse379]

wow i dont know how missd that

vt you run a tight ship like

how big is your church that thing about sectional rehearsals

they did that at hampton that was the first time i ever experienced that

very good stuff very good stuff

i tip my hat to you



again how big is your church

[vtguy84]

wow i dont know how missd that

vt you run a tight ship like

how big is your church that thing about sectional rehearsals

they did that at hampton that was the first time i ever experienced that

very good stuff very good stuff

i tip my hat to you



again how big is your church

That information was based on the college choir.  My church has about 400 members come on a Sunday.

[Jedem06]

As a co-director myself, I find it very difficult to communicate with not only the choir members, but the musicians and technicians as well when it comes to rehersal time.  At the moment we are trying to reestablish our choir, but my choir mostly consists of people who are in college, both away and near. So basically it hard finding a set time, and day for rehersals because everyone has very different schedules. As a result, we sometimes end up having to call people last minute to ask them if they're available to practice.  I don't like to do this because I find it very unorganized and complicated. But reading these suggestions really help me to plan and understand better how to organized myself and the choir

[Quieter]

These are very good tips and after reading them I find I follow a lot of these.  I have only been playing for a little over 2 years and have been playing at this church for a year in Sept.  They did not have a choir and I had to start from scratch.  But I have only had one problem (Thank God) during choir rehearsal in a year. 

We start on time, with prayer, and it works better when we learn songs all together.  It also works better for this group when I have typed the lyrics and put little notes, changes, etc.  on the paper.  They are so eager to learn new songs.  They are really a great group of people and treat me more than one of their own. 

I did play for a church for a little while who had only had one musician and that lasted for a few months.  Those people drove me crazy, I thought it was me, it wasn't.  They just didn't want to come out of the box.  Thank God He placed me where I was really needed.  Sometimes I find myself working harder at this church than at my own church.  Have a blessed one, All.

[jgause2]

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??

[sjonathan02]

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??

That all depends on well you teach the song; it's difficulty and the folks learning the song. It'll vary from ministry to ministry.

[diverse379]

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

[Sannysan1908]

I set up a section-only practice quarterly -- This gives some members (possibly new ones) a chance to learn songs they may not know and give some of the weaker singers a chance to build their confidence to sing out more.

[ramel22]

 hi i want to mkae my church a hip church like my church is in harelm ny and i need some tips 2 make my church a good church like theres nuttin but old people in there and about 20 youth  and the organist plays the same chords since the church started so can anyone help me and we dnt even have a band

[diverse379]

hi i want to mkae my church a hip church like my church is in harelm ny and i need some tips 2 make my church a good church like theres nuttin but old people in there and about 20 youth  and the organist plays the same chords since the church started so can anyone help me and we dnt even have a band

a lot of churches suffer from this same thing
a lot of older members not a lot of youth

you should probably try to get a musician for the youth
it may have to be a voluntary thing
at first until you can demonstrate that this move can bring in new members

depending on where in harlem you may want to reach to your latino community
have youth nights where it is service just for the young people this may spawn something