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May, 2005
Dear Marie,
My university (Guyana) wants to start a choir and put me
in charge (I am a first year student). I am heading a church choir but this I think is MAJOR! I need advice too PLEASE!
Are
there any readers who are in charge of a University Choir, able to send me some advice?
Thank you,
Lianne
Dear Lianne,
It is normal to feel overwhelmed the first time you work with a higher
level of musicians than you have before. (children's to adult, high school or college to university, amateur to
professional, choirs, etc.) Your time thinking about, researching new music, learning your music, practicing your conducting,
planning your rehearsals, working with your accompanist, communicating with your choir, and praying about all your choices
should far outweigh the time you actually spend in rehearsal. All musical decisions (including accompaniment questions) should
be made before singers get to rehearsals. As a university director, you will have the option of requiring attendance--something
that church choir directors are unlikely to do. This is a great advantage and your choir's performance quality can be much
better because of it. The two primary keys are preparation and communication: both provide irreplaceable benefits.
I will post your questions and my answer on the ASK MARIE Q & A
page, and perhaps we will get some answers that are geared to college and university choir. I would also suggest some very
good articles about teaching music that are available on http://www.iamaonline.com (also listed in the Start A Choir resource page.)
God bless you in your new endeavor and . . .
I'll pray for you.
Marie
July, 2005
Dear Marie,
I have recently been
asked by a friend who is opening a very small church ( approx. 25 members ) to run their praise and worship team. I
am very excited and happy about this opportunity, but I feel a little overwhelmed. I have never been in the position
of choir director, although I have had extensive musical training ( I was a vocal music major in college) My problem is that
I don't have an accompanist and only have 2 other members willing to join. Is this going to be possible? I
have written a lot of my own music, but I need to have arrangements done for it. I would love to praise the Lord
through my music, but I truly feel nervous about starting something I know so little about. Any advice?
Your Friend in
Christ,
Gieneveve
Dear Gieneveve,
WOW! You really are starting from scratch. Mark 9:23
#1. The first order of business, of course, it to PRAY about
it. God knows everything you need and will supply it--in HIS order--as you're able to use it.
#2. You have over TEN percent of the church membership in the
praise and worhip team! That's a wonderful percentage. Can the other two members sing, sing parts, stay in tune, agree
on a rehearsal time? If the answer is yes for all of these questions, you're way ahead of the game.
#3. From my own experiences and that of friends, performing
one's own music is extremely risky. It's sad, but perfectly good music is often considered poor just because it's unfamiliar--a
huge self esteem risk for you. (You won't do anyone any good if you end up wallowing in discouragement.) Also song
writers often get accused of being on an ego trip for using their own music. I would suggest using previously
existing familiar music a majority of the time unless your performers are incredibly wonderful and you have a musically sophisticated
congregation.
#4. Can YOU accompany on piano, keyboard or guitar? If you
can play even moderately well, then just practice until you can sing, play and direct (with your head, maybe) at the same
time. It isn't easy; read the choir story "How It All Started" that is in this website.
#5. It's OK to sing "a cappella" if you don't have an accompanist.
Go buy a pitch pipe (under $10 at most music stores) to help keep music within a comfortable singing range.
#6. If you call your group the "praise leaders" and involve
the congregation in most of the music that you present, your lack of numbers in the praise team won't be a problem.
#7. Be sure you use simple enough music that most of the congregation
will be able to participate. If they don't already know the music, most people are VERY shy about singing. Your small congregation
isn't enough to "hide" the shy singer, so provide lots of "cover" for them to blend with.
Philippians 4:13
I'll pray for you.
Marie
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August 22, 2005
Dear Marie,
I was a music
major and have 19 years experience in teaching, and am currently the minister of music of 20 years at a small rural church. One
or two choir members are always making suggestions to the pastor and deacons' board about the music, but don't attend the
rehearsals or the Sunday service. Should their input be entertained?
Unnecessarily Hassled
Dear
Hassled,
Why are these people bothering the pastor and the board when they don't bother attending any part of church life except
board meetings? Why should they care, since nothing would affect them even if it did change? It sounds as
though these "choir members" don't really earn the right to make suggestions of any kind.
However, . . . good ideas can come from anywhere or anyone--even our sworn enemies. So, probably the
best thing to do would be to ask what the pastor and the board want. Ask the choir members who actually attend
for their opinions. Then you should carefully and prayerfully consider the suggestions to see if using any part of these ideas would
make anything better. After all, education and experience should be all about continuing to make us and our choirs
better and more responsive to the churches we serve.
I'll
pray for you.
Marie
August 12, 2005
Dear Marie,
I am starting
a choir with a small group of about 8 to 12 people. I have never done this before. I have only sung in a choir and had
a good director and good vocal trainer. I was going to take those skills that I learned and teach to this new choir. But if
I can't direct, can I have someone else from the choir direct? I will do the vocal training and teach the songs but when the
choir sings at church the other person will direct. Is this silly or is it logical?
Not Sure.
Dear Not Sure,
Of course this is possible. Choirs
that sing with orchestras do this all the time; there is a rehearsal conductor and the orchestral performance conductor. However,
you must bear in mind that choir singers get used to the person who does the actual teaching
and perform better for the director with whom they are most comfortable--usually the rehearsal conductor. Your
teaching will naturally be different from the person in your choir who does the directing. It is likely that the
singers will do things differently for the person who does the actual performance directing. Then there is the distinct
possibility that the [amateur?] performance director won't get enough practice directing the music for either the singers
or the director him/her-self to be completely comfortable in a performance situation.
The bottom line is, proceed with caution--and
prayer. IF you communicate very well and practice a lot with everyone, all singers, the accompanist and the
other director, this form is possible. Without enough practice and communication, it's a recipe for a musical disaster
because you have so many variables. Singers--especially amateurs--work much better with predictable directing.
However, having a
church choir is much better than not having a choir.
I'll pray for you.
Marie
August 23, 2005
Dear Marie,
Do I have to have a director at all?
Still Not Sure
Dear Still,
This depends on your singers. If they can sing together without a
director, more power to you. They will all have to have a good sense of the underlying beat in the music and be
able to communicate with each other while performing. (Think string quartet or other small-ensemble instrumental group. There
is always someone setting the starting tempo and making advance decisions about entrances, dynamics, tempo changes, and
cutoffs. They listen to and watch each other a lot.) Very good musicians and well-taught, talented amateurs can do this.
Since the whole idea of a choir is to
sing together, you will have to decide whether it's working or not and then make the decision that will give
your group the best outcome. I hope you can find the balance that you
need and develop a wonderful choir.
I'll pray for
you.
Marie
Go to:
& Evelyn Pursley-Kopitzke
Ask Marie, Page Six, through Dec. 18, '05.
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