[this is a version of a post which first appeared on my blog From the Front of the Choir]
Occasionally I give questionnaires to choir members in order to get feedback on how people are finding the weekly sessions, what songs they like best, how things can be improved, what people find difficult, etc.
There are usually as many different opinions as there are choir members, and it seems that I am the only common denominator. However, it’s always useful to know what people struggle with and how things might be improved.
After one questionnaire, I wrote a series of ‘Frequently Asked Questions’ which attempts to address some of the common themes which come up. I hoped that it would explain the reasoning behind why I do things in certain ways.
Some were specific to a particular choir, but most seem to apply to any community choir, so I thought I would share some of them with you. Part 2 next week.
There are two kinds of people in this world: those who are always early/ on time, and those who are always late – and never the twain shall meet. Whatever type you are, you won’t ever turn into the other type.
I often delay the start of a session because I believe that the warm-up (which incorporates voice training and development) is of vital importance. If we started exactly on time each week, then only a small subset of the choir would ever get to do the warm-up.
However, I am aware that as the start time slips, people begin to assume that we don’t start on time so they begin to arrive later, so I delay the start a bit more, and we get into a vicious circle.
I now read the riot act every now and then and try to start exactly on time no matter how many people are there. I’ve noticed a strange phenomenon: the week after I read the riot act and ask people to be on time, the more people are late the following week.
But most people are there on time, and if they are a bit late, they feel slightly awkward to come in on an activity that has already started so perhaps make more effort the next week to be on time (that’s my theory any way!).
There are plenty of things you can do while waiting:
Part of it is lack of self-awareness (people just don’t realise they’re talking so loudly), part of it is that sometimes people are simply checking with their neighbours that they’ve understood what they’ve learnt of their own part so far, and part of it is that people get easily bored.
I think the solution has to do with respect for your fellow choir members: if you expect them to be quiet while you are learning, then please have the decency to be quiet when they are learning.
You have to remember that learning songs like this, without music, is rather artificial. If you come from the culture that the song comes from you would have heard all the parts many, many times whilst growing up and have had plenty of opportunities to join in and try other parts. Unfortunately we only have a few weeks to learn what are sometimes very complicated songs.
The only fail-safe solution is for EVERYONE to be singing ALL the time.
That means either don’t do harmony songs, or everyone learn ALL the parts. The trouble with the latter is that it rules out complex songs. People have enough trouble remembering the ONE part they have to learn. Can you imagine the confusion if everyone had to learn EVERY part? So I’m going to rule that out except for the very easiest of songs.
Of course, if you want to learn all the parts, please feel free.
Search me! Part of the reason is that people get confused and often forget which part they’re supposed to be singing, so they just stick to one part.
Another reason is security, comfort and laziness – it’s much easier to stand in the same place each week next to the same people. Some people have a fixed idea in their mind about the range that they can sing, even though I swap things around and also make sure that (at least for the women) everyone is capable of singing any part in every song.
Why not give it a try? You might surprise yourself! Sometimes I swap parts around wholesale, but that is not as interesting as mixing people up and having different groupings. So please, give it a go. Maybe try a different part in at least one song – but make sure you make a note of which part you’re supposed to be singing.
The reason we move from simple rounds and easy songs onto more difficult stuff as the evening goes on is that it takes a while to get warmed-up in terms of listening, and also to become focused and forget the cares of the day.
If we got stuck in straight away with a complex song, it would be very hard and not much fun.
Starting with a simple round introduces harmony in an easy way without having to learn separate parts, and also gives the voice a chance to warm up by singing something simple and repetitive.
Chris Rowbury: chrisrowbury.com
