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I'm a volunteer choir director starting a small new group (About 12 when everyone is there). My biggest problem is getting singers to show up for rehearsal. It seems like we never have the same five people there two weeks in a row, and I spend half my time repeating things. How do you get people to rehearsal every week?

Frustrated Choir Director

Dear Frustrated,

You have asked one of the hardest questions in volunteer church choirs. There are several things you can do to encourage attendance, but there isn't any way to "force" people to be there every week.

1. Pray at every rehearsal; pray for your church, your choir's unity, your music and singing skills, and for choir members who aren't there.

2. At the risk of making it seem like a popularity contest, the first thing you do is make every rehearsal a pleasant experience for the singers.

3. Always find something good to say even if the music phrase sounded like a "hog-calling contest" instead of good choir music.

4. Teach vocal skills: Listening, Breath Control, Focus and Support.

5. Practice your directing until you know the music so well you can help every part. (This way the choristers gain more from you than just learning the music by themselves.)

6. Keep attendance records and praise people who have attended faithfully.

7. Delegate responsibility; members with a job to do are more likely to attend.

8. Some choirs incorporate backrubs into their rehearsal warmup. The singers line up and massage the neck and shoulders of the person in front of them. This is a very popular feature in many choirs. (And yes, it is a legitimate warmup. Anything that relaxes the neck and shoulders and their owner will improve vocal quality.) This should be chosen or not according to how comfortable your choir members are with it.

9. Always give credit to participants. Whenever anyone compliments you personally for "your" choir, be sure you remind them it's OUR CHOIR, or it's the church's choir.

I'll pray for you.

Marie

Feb., 2005

Dear Marie,

I'm having trouble coordinating rehearsals and music planning with the pastor. He tells me the church supports the choir 100% and then schedules other meetings that require singers' attendance during rehearsal time. Do you have any suggestions?

The Church's Fifth Wheel

Dear Fifth,

First, we must remember that the choir exists to serve the church, and not the church to serve the choir. That being said, we need to consider practical matters. If you're in a small church, especially one that doesn't have previous experience with supporting a choir, yours is an uphill climb. Often your best bass is also the head elder and the alto who actually reads music is teaching a Sabbath School class. There is no option for choir members to have choir as their only church function. Also, unfortunately, most Seventh-day Adventist pastors and members have no previous experience with a church music department. The new choir director's role, by necessity, must be that of educator. We must, calmly and kindly, teach the pastors, church board, choristers, and church members that supporting a choir means more than paying a few shekels for choir music once in a while. We need promotion, a place to rehearse, a time to rehearse that doesn't conflict with other events. The church doesn't yet realize the full benefits of having a choir--thus they haven't made music one of their priorities. Our job is to show them what they're getting out of the music program so that music and the choir won't stay in last place in the priority list. We musicians have to realize that to the non-musician, music appears to be a luxury--significant, but unnecessary. In reality, well-used music can be the catalyst for many desirable results.

Remember you won't gain anything at all by getting into an adversarial relationship with the pastor, so bring out your best negotiating skills, and be prepared to compromise on time slots, seating set-up, closet space, budget considerations. Then enlist the help of your choristers and music boosters to change the priority list.

PATIENCE!

I'll pray for you.

Marie

How often should our new small choir sing? Is there any schedule that works the best?

Still Planning

There isn't any one way that works best. Some small choirs sing special music once a month, some twice a month, others only sing as they get things rehearsed. A plan that is quite workable is to sing the Introit, Responses and a Benediction every week and only sing special music once in a while, as music is learned. Usually it isn't practical to sing an anthem every week unless you have at least a 90 minute rehearsal during the week and the church has a room that can be used for a warm-up rehearsal during part of Sabbath School. Ask your choir members and do what works for most of your group.

I'll pray for you.

"How to Annoy & Alienate Your Choir" compiled by Judy Shultz, Marie Adams & Evelyn Pursley-Kopitzke

"How to Alienate Your Pastor and Church" compiled by Judy Shultz, Eurydice Osterman, Marie Adams & Evelyn Pursley-Kopitzke.

"How to Kill a Choir" compiled by Judy Shultz, Marie Adams,

& Evelyn Pursley-Kopitzke

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