Building Your Community Chorus: Creating an Environment of Musical and Intellectual Fulfillment in the Community Chorus Rehearsal

In my mind, there is nothing nobler than the aspiration of a group of adults who wish to come together during their valuable free-time and offer their voices in ensembles known as “Community Choruses”. The Community Chorus can vary from those which have been around for over a century to nubile groups which have been created to fill a specific niche. These ensembles however are not just choirs. They are organizations usually complete with a Board of Directors and some sort of administrative staff, whether it be professional or volunteer. It is important to know that when assuming the reigns of a community chorus that the conductor is usually not going to be the only voice of direction in the room.  This is a vital and often difficult lesson to learn. It is imperative to be a team player with your board of directors and administrative staff.

Indeed, when standing in front of a group of this nature, you usually have the good, the bad, and the ugly from two camps: those who have years of vocal experience and have literally sung every major work a multitude of times, and those who like to sing, but have never sung in a group which takes it so seriously. At the onset of your directorship, both of these types can be a handful to deal with! It is important to find balance between the two groups and steer their focus towards the betterment of the organization.  The first group mentioned will usually have their own view of this including how the ensemble should be organized and how it should perform.  Although you, oh choral professional, have an educated plan of attack for what is needed to raise the level of the ensemble, this can sometimes be sidelined by other agendas. It is imperative that with patience you bring these issues to the forefront of the group’s mission planning committee. If there is no mission planning committee, it is a great idea to start one!

In New Jersey, there are a multitude of community choruses which certainly fit this description. It is a testament to educational choral directors that singers who graduate from high school and college continue to sing throughout their adult lives. These singers take it upon themselves to administer and develop their choruses for which they care so much about. However, nearly always with the best of intentions, members can take some aspects of the chorus a bit too seriously.  In my opinion it is important to remind the members why they are in the organization in the first place: to sing!  This can easily be done by reassuring them throughout rehearsal when something positive happens.

It is most important that our Community Choruses sing to the best of their ability.  Since these groups are many times in some sort of transition with either membership or leadership, it can often be difficult to maintain a certain level of performance and musical expectation of the ensemble. It is important to keep in mind that singers not only want to use their voices; they want to use their minds.  They want you to teach them!  So whenever you begin rehearsal on a piece, try to have an interesting piece of information for them, like the actual moment when Mozart died while writing the Requiem (where was that? Ahh “Da Capo Quam olim Abrahae”, at least we think so!) or that the plagiarizer Count Walsegg and not the poor, misjudged Salieri (in a funny paternal costume) commissioned the work, or something of that nature.

In addition to intellectual facts, the choir needs to learn the true basics of choral singing.  You will come across many singers who possess various techniques of the craft, but never truly command a comprehensive knowledge of choral singing.  They may know how to read, but not how to blend. This often happens with singers who, like Atlas, take it upon themselves to “lead” their section. 

You may come across those who completely learn by ear.  It is truly important to try to teach these singers basic music-reading principles.  Although they may resist at first, they will certainly thank you later! Don’t be afraid to use solfege in warm-ups, or practice interval exercises. Adult choirs LOVE these!

In these areas and others like them, it is important to keep in mind that you are not only a conductor, but a teacher.  It is easy for many of us (myself included) to forget that these people are from different walks of life and do not live and breathe music all the time like we do. Therefore it is important for us to be sure to educate our singers in all the elements of ensemble singing.  This will make rehearsals not only much more pleasant and fulfilling for them; it will make your musical life much easier!

Finally, it is so important to edify your chorus! Of course your singers do want you to correct them and help them improve, but keep in mind that they give of their own time to sing under you.  Being positive is probably the most important part of creating a collegial atmosphere with your choir.  More than once I have assumed leadership of a chorus where this was forgotten, and the ensemble had paid dearly with their funding, membership, and spirit.

- Thomas Juneau

Spring 2011