Who s Afraid of Renaissance Music? No-Fear Solutions for Middle and Senior High Choirs by Michael Zemek, Rock Island, Illinois

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1 ChorTeach Vol. 4, No. 3 Spring 2012 Practical Teaching Ideas for Today s Music Educator Dr. Terry Barham, editor tbarham@emporia.edu or tbarham@sunfl ower.com Welcome to ACDA s online magazine for choral director/music educators. The articles below have been gleaned from state and division online and paper ACDA newsletters around the United States and from submissions by seasoned choral directors with topics germane to the profession. ChorTeach, our name, is derived from the German word for chorus, chor. It is pronounced, as most of you know, like the word, core. I hope ChorTeach s articles will be a breath of fresh air for you, provide you with a few ideas or techniques that give you a lift and help your singers reach the goals you and they have set. ChorTeach is designed for those of you who work with amateur singers at all levels. If you have written an article and believe it would be of interest to ChorTeach readers, send it to me in Word.doc format. I will get back to you after reading it. What s in this issue? Adolescent Identity Formation and the Singing Voice by Nana Wolfe, Greensboro, North Carolina How About a Plan? Five Songs, Five Weeks, Five Concerts! by Deborah Fristad, Lake Orion, Michigan Spatial Disorders and Dyslexia in the Choral Classroom by Jeffrey Kitson, Columbus, Nebraska Who s Afraid of Renaissance Music? No-Fear Solutions for Middle and Senior High Choirs by Michael Zemek, Rock Island, Illinois Church Choir Directors/Organists: Conducting Gesture and Active Listening in Rehearsals and Worship by Jason Thoms, Broxville, New York 1

2 Adolescent Identity Formation and the Singing Voice by Nana Wolfe, Greensboro Youth Choir, Greensboro, North Carolina (Reprinted with permission from North Carolina s Carolina Caroler, Vol. 13, No. 1 Spring 2011) Adolescents undergo tumultuous emotional, psychological, physical, spiritual, and social change compounded by the search for individual identity. Identity refers to who a person is and how he or she identifi es him/herself (Flannery 54). Self-esteem is the positive and negative evaluations given to one s own identity (55). Identity is developed through self-esteem and external infl uences family, peer groups, the media, etc. and manifests itself in the physical voice. Identity and the voice are interconnected. During adolescence, teenagers begin to pull away from their families and seek the approval of their peers. Within social peer groups, teenagers experiment with various identities which may differ from what was learned, encouraged, or discouraged at home. These emerging adults seek their true and unique identity by trying on various forms of self-expression. Often, they conform to the expressions and appearance of a peer group in their search (Johansen 136). Hence, they are learning and experimenting with an identity (158). To help guide adolescents through this process in a healthy manner, adolescent psychiatrist Joseph Nowinski encourages parents and adults to foster resilient identities (Nowinski 90). The qualities of a resilient identity include awareness of talents and abilities, acceptance of personal limitations, optimism, and individualism all qualities that help young people navigate the pressures of adolescent life. If an identity can be learned and positively constructed, it can also be suppressed or even annihilated. Abraham Maslow describes the vulnerability and weakness of a resilient identity: It is easily overcome, suppressed or repressed. It may even be killed off permanently... [It is] weak, subtle and delicate, very easily drowned out by learning, by cultural expectations, by fear, by disapproval, etc. (Maslow 191). In today s society, there can be many negative infl uences on identity, e.g., family relationships, peer relationships, cultural expectations, the media, and more. What is our role as choral educators in the identity formation of our adolescent students? How signifi cant is our role? Voice pedagogue Kristin Samuelson posits the idea that the singing voice can be an indicator of identity, as well as a shaping infl uence. Samuelson worked with two late adolescent women who showed symptoms of puberphonia (also known as mutational falsetto in young men). In this state, a person demonstrates child-like vocal behaviors after the physical changes in puberty have already occurred, i.e., speaking in a higher range than his/her natural speaking voice (Samuelson 25). Throughout the study, Samuelson noted that personal development simultaneously occurred as the voice improved into a healthier state of singing and speaking. She concludes that, Emotional development manifests itself in the speaking voice, and the speaking voice carries over into the singing voice (Samuelson 27). If puberphonia is left untreated, it will most likely be carried into adulthood and become part of the individual's identity (34). If vocal problems can affect identity, isn t the opposite, healthy vocal progress, also true? A young person s identity can be nurtured and developed (or diminished and weakened) through proper and positive training of the singing voice. For adolescents in particular, the training of the singing voice can be extremely infl uential in their process of identity formation. How many of us have witnessed students become more confi dent as they learn to sing more effi ciently and with greater coordination and freedom? I once taught a young female 2

3 student who stuttered in every sentence she spoke. She began high school as a shy, introverted young woman with few friends. After she joined choir and began taking voice lessons, she discovered she had a beautiful singing voice. She became more confi dent as a singer and blossomed as a person, exhibiting greater happiness, confi dence, and social ease. She even stuttered less. This past fall, I conducted a survey of adolescent female chorus members. Below are a few responses that illuminate the correlation between identity and singing: Singing is the voice of my spirit rather than just my voice. Your singing voice kinda shows who you really are. Since I started to sing, I have become more open and less shy. My confi dence has increased as I have become more comfortable with my voice. I have become more comfortable with myself. These young women are verbalizing their inner experience in relation to singing. The connection between self-esteem, identity, and the singing voice is readily apparent. As choral educators, we have a unique role in helping build resilient identities in our students through the training of the singing voice. Being aware of the relationship between the singing voice and identity should infl uence how we prepare for rehearsals, what repertoire we choose, how we teach repertoire, and how we relate to our students. Here are several practical questions for you, a conductor/teacher, to refl ect upon: Am I encouraging confi dence in each individual, personally and vocally? Am I creating a safe place for students to share their thoughts, opinions, and feelings? Am I teaching my students to be supportive of one another? Am I choosing repertoire that positively infl uences my students in this stage of their lives? Am I creatively teaching in a manner that helps engage students in a deeper, more meaningful way? Am I creating a joyful, fun, and hard-working musical environment? Our methods depend, of course, on the age, developmental level, and background of the students we teach. We should be mindful of our singers particular stages of identity formation. In her book, Freeing the Natural Voice, Kristin Linklater states, To free the voice is to free the person, and each person is indivisibly mind and body (Linklater 8). Music-making and teaching music are a profession and our passion, but confi dent and expressive individuals with resilient identities is our responsibility and privilege. Ask yourself: Am I doing my part to nurture the individual identities of every one of my students, even the challenging ones, those who don t seem to fi t in easily with others? You can change lives through teaching healthy singing technique and rehearsing choirs! All of us can and should have that as a goal, don t you think? Works Cited Flannery, Daniele D. Identity and Self-Esteem. Women as Learners. Hayes, Elisabeth and Daniele D. Flannery. New York: Jossey-Bass Publishers, Print. Johansen, Geir. Modernity, Identity and Musical Learning. Sociology and Music Education. Ed. Ruth Wright. Burlington, VT: Ashgate, Print. Linklater, Kristin. Freeing the Natural Voice: Imagery and Art in the Practice of Voice and Language. Revised and expanded edition. Hollywood, CA: Drama Publishers, Print. Maslow, Abraham M. Toward a Psychology of Being. 2nd ed. New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold, Print. 3

4 Nowinski, Joseph. The Identity Trap: Saving Our Teens From Themselves. New York: American Management Association, Print. Samuelson, Kristin. The Impact of Puberphonia on the Female Speaking and Singing Voice. Journal of Singing The Offi cial Journal of the National Association of Teachers of Singing 55.4 (1999): Web. 30 Oct Problems tend to growl at us like cowardly dogs. If we face them and challenge them, they back away. If we run from them, they run after us, snapping at our heels. Freddie Mitman How About a Plan? Five Songs, Five Weeks, Five Concerts! by Deborah Fristad Lake Orion High School, Lake Orion, Michigan (Reprinted with permission from Central Division s Resound, Vol. 35 No 2 Winter 2012) With winter concerts a thing of the past, I believe we teachers should refl ect on how our high school choirs managed to learn so much music in a limited time. Here s what happened at my school. Let s call it the plan fi ve songs in fi ve weeks for fi ve concerts. The secret this year proved to be daily sectionals, working on fi ve songs each day for fi ve weeks to present in some combination at fi ve concerts. My goal was to instill a sense of responsibility in each member of each section of the choir to learn the music quickly and independently. A sense of urgency was needed, so a timeline was set. Each selection was fi rst introduced to the full choir. Then I pointed out areas which might prove challenging, and I discussed possible approaches which would be productive. Each day was marked by a plan and specifi c, targeted goals. Students were divided by sections and assigned specifi c practice rooms. Every 10 minutes, the groups rotated to the next practice room and worked on a different selection. Student leaders with keyboard skills helped with starting notes or diffi cult intervals encountered. I worked in one of the sectional rooms to address specifi c issues. For the most part, students practiced without help from the keyboard. Becoming secure with notes, rhythms, and texts made the students more comfortable as we added their part to others. They were able to sing more accurately and confi dently. Within a few days, they were able to address dynamics, phrasing, vowel shapes, syllabic stress, and consonant placement because they were comfortable with notes and rhythms. After a 50-minute round of sectionals, we gathered as a full choir to put parts together and hear our progress. With block classes lasting 90 minutes, we often had time for another short round of sectionals. At the end of every rehearsal, we evaluated our progress. A key ingredient was rotation through different rooms. Physically changing locations helped keep the blood and energy fl owing. If frustration or boredom set in, it was time to move to another room. The sectionals forced the singers to take responsibility for learning their parts. They became better at taking directions from a peer or temporarily stepping into leadership roles. Singers came to appreciate the challenges faced by section leaders. Cooperation was the norm. Everyone seemed to contribute to the group effort and the goals. Transition times from one room to another provided moments for good humor and quick conversations, keeping the classroom tone positive. In the last fi ve days before the concert, fewer sectionals were held, as you might expect, so that we could spend most of the time focusing on nuances and shaping the music. The rotating sectional strategy worked well. Despite the 4

5 short time frame, a sense of calm, focus, and freshness pervaded our performances because individuals truly knew their parts. There was also a strong sense of accomplishment that comes from individuals taking personal responsibility and working independently for the benefi t of the team. We ve already started the next plan. Festival season starts in fi ve weeks! To the world, you may be one person, but to one person, you may be the world. Anonymous Spatial Disorders and Dyslexia in the Choral Classroom by Jeffrey Kitson Central Community College, Columbus, Nebraska (Reprinted with permission from North Central Division s Melisma, Vol. 30 No. 2 Spring/Summer 2011) Mark desperately wanted to be a music major, was talented and passionate, but he knew he was missing one important skill he couldn t read music. He would never be able to read music because he suffered from a spatial disorder caused by being dropped on his head as a child. As he described it, Mark saw the world differently. Straight lines were often tilted he asked me once why things weren t falling off my perfectly straight shelves; words would blur together; letters would touch when they shouldn t, and, worst of all, things would appear to move forward and backward, in and out of focus, on his bad days. There was nothing that could be done, supposedly. This was a permanent condition. Learning was extremely diffi cult for Mark. He wanted to try college, so he ended up at our institution, a two-year college, as a theatre major. His singing improved, but academically, the challenges were too much, and after three years, he gave up. Meet another Mark. When I fi rst saw him at a recruiting event, he said he didn t read music that well but he wanted to be a professional session musician. I smiled. I was looking for potential. Then he told me he wrote in letter names below the notes in his high school band music. Mark enrolled in my large ensemble and class piano. He struggled. He had many insights into the construction of any work form, structure, etc., but he couldn t play the music. One day I noticed that he was looking down at the piano keys and never at the actual sheet music. He was trying to sound everything out and then quickly memorize. I called him into my offi ce to chat about his progress and reading skills. I say this with utmost respect. Mark is a nerd, and when he told me he had never read an entire book, I knew something was amiss. He said that sometimes notes and staff lines bleed together. I handed him something on my desk to read aloud. He did pretty well, but he was adding non-existent words and removing others that were printed. Mark, I think you re dyslexic. I sent him to the Student Services offi ce for a referral. There are many dyslexics in the world. Certainly, some of them must be musicians. How do they deal with notated music? Judy Boussat, Sacramento State University, has undertaken extensive research for the American String Teachers Association (ASTA). Here are two of her suggestions for helping dyslexics who are musically inclined, sing in choirs or play in bands, etc. Thicken the middle line of the staff, and also the middle bar line. Place alternating blue and green lines at the beginning of each staff. I tried these two techniques with Mark and they worked. His reading improved immediately. His comment? Whoa. That s way easier! Then he added, I went to Student Services and 5

6 made my appointment with a doctor. Student Services think you are a quack. Why? I asked. Because they believe I m fi ne, and you don t know what you re talking about. Student Services thought he had a reading retention problem rather than a physical problem deciphering what was in front of him. With what I had seen, I disagreed, but internalized it, wanting to be professional. Meet with a doctor, I replied, trying to be positive. Within a week Mark was back in my offi ce. He had been diagnosed with a spatial disorder that acted a bit like dyslexia. Special glasses were prescribed that vastly improved his vision and reading skills. His musical progress has been remarkable ever since. A few days ago, the fi rst Mark walked into my offi ce with special glasses. Since our fi rst talk, he had had an accident that changed things. When he went to a doctor, Mark explained his situation. The doctor responded, I can fi x that. Mark has had nearly perfect vision ever since. When are you going to teach me to read music, Jeff? he asked with a broad smile on his face. It pains me to think that both of these young men went through almost their entire schooling experience suffering with severe visual disabilities. This story should be a reminder for all of us music educators, especially those in two-year colleges, to be alert to signs of learning disabilities. You can make a huge difference in the lives of students by being proactive and caring. How sad it is that some of our students with visual disabilities are called dumb or stupid or worse when a correct diagnosis and/or glasses can completely change the situation and give hope and a new life to a person. Even if you are labeled a quack by those who are supposed to be helping and advising students at your school, be a strong and persevering advocate. Being observant when around your students may be all it takes. Believe in them and their resilience. You can be instrumental in opening up an entirely new world for students who struggle with disabilities. Who s Afraid of Renaissance Music? No-Fear Solutions for Middle and Senior High Choirs by Michael Zemek Augustana College, Rock Island, Illinois (Reprinted with permission from Illinois Podium, Vol. 38 No 2 Winter ) Recently, I attended an enjoyable high school madrigal dinner complete with well-performed Renaissance and contemporary carols. Following that event, I began to wonder why all too often the inclusion of vocal music from the Renaissance period is relegated entirely to select Madrigal Ensembles in school music programs. As we know, music reached a sophisticated level of development during the Renaissance, and a considerable body of music survives. Hundreds of works from this era are legally available for free at sites such as < We should not be intimidated by this superb music. Rather, basic issues surrounding style and performance practice can be addressed so that we are able to offer an exciting experience with this compelling music. In two ways, Renaissance choral music is especially suitable for performance in middle and senior high school choirs. The fi rst centers on adolescent vocal characteristics; the second deals with the fl exibility with which this music can be performed without a loss of stylistic authenticity. My goal here is to brush off the cobwebs from our music history texts and choral literature classes and examine how several important performance practices can be observed in ways that are stylistically accurate yet manageable by adolescent singers. First there are the two schools of approach to authenticity that compound the problem of performing Renaissance music. One approach seeks utmost faithfulness to period instruments, methods of tuning, vocal styles of the time, etc. Unfortunately, this approach may fi ll some with anxiety and unnecessarily lead one to dismiss the inclusion of Renaissance literature in 6

7 programming. A second approach seeks thoughtful adaptation of the music for use in today s world. For reasons of practicality, I will discuss a few of the performance practices of the Renaissance based on this second approach for use in our choral programs. Vocal Considerations The range and tessitura of much of this music is within the ability of senior high school singers, and a large portion is also suitable for middle school students without alteration. Because pitch was not fi xed, transposition of a composition to a suitable key is acceptable. Outside of convents of the era, women were excluded from participation in liturgical services. Therefore, we often think of Renaissance music as being sung exclusively by men and boys. Keeping the sound of a boys choir in mind may help direct your choices when it comes to vocal color, but women s voices should not be excluded from today s performances of madrigals, motets, and masses, in my opinion. Renaissance music fi ts the tone quality of most adolescent singers. It utilizes the tone of young singers with little or no adjustment of vocal color. Remind your singers to sing freely with a clear, steady, and forward-placed tone that is not pressed or forced in any way. Most adolescent voices are marked by a slight natural vibrato which is appropriate for this style. Extreme vibrato and big, mature sounds do not fi t. A solution for including a developed, mature soprano voice in a Renaissance madrigal might be to have her sing an inner voice instead of the highest soprano part. Lastly, Renaissance choirs were small by today s standards, so it is important to keep that in mind when determining which choirs or small ensembles will offer the most stylistically correct performances of this music. Instrumental Accompaniment The vast majority of music written prior to 1600 was for voices both with and without instruments. Music originally intended for instruments alone owes much to vocal models; however, there is a general misconception that all Renaissance choral music should be performed a capella. A majority of compositions from the Renaissance era, both sacred and secular, may be played instrumentally or by a combination of vocalists and instrumentalists depending upon what is available in a given situation. One of the most important points to remember when selecting music to perform with your choirs is that no score will indicate exactly what forces to use. Sixteenth-century musicians experimented with different sounds. Most of the time, they utilized the instruments and singers available to them. It is entirely appropriate to have brass, string or woodwind instruments double vocal lines or even substitute for missing vocal parts. Care must be taken to balance vocalists and instrumentalists from the standpoint of dynamics. Such choices can provide an opportunity for you to collaborate with instrumentalists in your school and community. Notation and Editions One of the challenges for the modern choral conductor is determining if his/her printed score accurately represents the music as originally performed. Inserting musica fi cta in a printed score that contains few, if any, accidentals can make a huge difference in performance. Conductors must be judicious in their selection of performance editions. Most often you must rely on the qualifi cations of an editor for tasteful use of musica fi cta. In many modern editions, accidentals are placed above or below a staff or in parentheses indicating that, in the original source, accidentals were not notated but would have been common practice at that time. I recommend you compare several editions of the same work to arrive at a historically accurate and satisfying performance. Text underlay in Renaissance choral music can also present challenges. Again, conductors must rely upon qualifi ed editors, but a knowledge of styles, performance practices, and common sense can equip you to make minor alterations whenever modern text underlay is problematic. Markings for dynamics and articulation were unknown in original scores of the Renaissance, but we can assume that Renaissance musicians were no less concerned about expression than musicians of any other era. The dynamic range of Renaissance music was narrow, and contrasts were achieved through texture rather than volume. I believe that subtle shadings of dynamics exist within what would otherwise be an overall medium dynamic level. 7

8 Musical Examples To illustrate a few of the performance practices as well as modern day practical applications we can follow to make Renaissance music more accessible for our singers, I offer a few staples of the repertoire by Morley, Byrd, Bennet, Palestrina, and Praetorius. Sing We and Chant It by Thomas Morley Interpretive Analysis With his strong sense of tonality and feeling for dance rhythms, Morley was a leader of the English madrigal school. His use of the Italian balletto form with its fa-la refrain may account for much of his popularity. The form of this work is strophic the same music is utilized for each stanza. The melody is written in four-bar phrases except for the last three measures of each strophe which are three bars in length. The verses are chiefl y homophonic. The fala refrains are polyphonic. Two types of non-harmonic tones, passing tones and suspensions, can be found. Practical Applications A popular work for young choirs and advanced chamber choirs alike, Morley s Sing We and Chant It has vocal ranges and tessituras comfortable for all vocal parts. Voice crossing between tenors and altos is common. If needed, those two parts may be switched. While written in Mixolydian mode, the strong tonic and dominant arrival points give the effect of being in major, making it more accessible and easily learned by singers of all levels. I Thought That Love Had Been a Boy by William Byrd Interpretive Analysis The texture is basically homophonic. The soprano I line presents a continuous melody, while the remaining voices provide harmonic underpinning. The text is set in a light, lyric manner as was common in classical mythology. Love is portrayed as a blindfolded boy think of Cupid. Practical Applications One genre of English secular songs, often referred to as madrigals, was intended for a small group of soloists, thus I Thought that Love had been a Boy would serve well as a contest 8 or concert work for a small ensemble. Ranges and tessituras are appropriate for middle and high school voices, but it may be desirable to have a few tenors or changing voices join the altos to achieve a unique sonority. In most editions, the tenor part lies too low for altos, thus concerns about balance may be warranted. Instruments, e. g., strings or woodwinds, could double vocal parts or alternate with the voices. Instruments could also play the lower parts with one singer or a unison choir performing the soprano line. Weep, O Mine Eyes by John Bennet Interpretive Analysis The melodic contours found in the voice parts present fi ne opportunities for sensitive shaping. The four-voice texture is rather simple, but subtle rhythmic construction creates an impression of counterpoint. Voice pairing (SA, TB) creates lovely contrasts of timbre. As is common in Renaissance vocal music, the clarity of the text and the subtle application of syllabic and harmonic stress points are important. The successive entrances at the beginning of Weep, O Mine Eyes outline a triad based on the Aeolian mode. The most important word, weep, is reiterated, and a natural crescendo occurs. The words, Weep o mine eyes, are set with a descending scale fi gure, a good example of text painting. Practical Applications Since shaping and expression are built into the structure of most of the melodic lines, rehearsing them separately can help achieve the required independence and balance between parts. In my opinion, a capella performance is the best means of realizing this work s full potential. Intonation can be challenging, but attention to tall, healthy and matched vowels plus energized breath will make a big difference. Special attention should be given to the descending lines, slow tempo, and successive entrances of voices. Carefully consider the size of the ensemble so that an intimate feeling is nurtured. This composition is suitable for advanced junior high singers if performed in a key comfortable for all voice parts. Agnus Dei from Missa Veni sponsa Christi by Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina Interpretive Analysis An important type of Mass composition employed by Re-

9 naissance composers was the parody Mass. An entire work or selected sections of a previously composed work a madrigal, motet, or chanson, e. g., were borrowed and reworked for each Mass movement. Missa Veni Sponsa Christi (Come, Bride of Christ) is a parody Mass based on a motet taken from a Gregorian chant refrain. Marked regularity of rhythm is characteristic of the Agnus Dei. Much of the harmony consists of triads and chords in fi rst inversion resulting from the use of imitative counterpoint and canon. Triadic harmonies and subtle dissonance give Palestrina s polyphonic music a transparent quality which never obscures the text. Practical Applications Although Renaissance choirs may not have been large when compared with today s choruses, a number of motets and mass settings can be sung successfully by today s larger choirs. This exquisite work should be sung in a free fl owing and sustained manner. Singers will fi nd a challenge in shaping the long phrases. Psallite by Michael Praetorius Interpretive Analysis Using a chorale melody as the basis for an attractive work in the style of a motet, Psallite contains a melody which is split into small motifs employed in dialogue between groups of voices and used as points of imitation. Each voice enters with a descending perfect fourth on the word, Psallite. Apart from this motif, the voices move mostly in conjunct motion. Imitation and homophonic writing are evident throughout. The texture is often varied by voice pairings i.e., sopranos and altos sing a phrase which is answered by tenors and basses. The overall form of Psallite is ABA. Practical Applications This well-known work is performed and enjoyed by choirs of all sizes. A hook for young singers, it is especially effective with middle and junior high school singers. With a few modifi cations to the bass line or by choosing a well-crafted edition, Psallite s ranges are well within this age group s ability. Unchanged male voices can sing a combination of the alto and tenor parts. The use of both Latin and German texts also serves as an introduction to singing foreign languages. Summary With mostly minor adaptations of musical scores, performances of Renaissance music in today s secondary schools can broaden and enrich the horizons of middle and high school singers while remaining stylistically faithful to performance practices of the time. Directors have viable options in the forces employed (voices, instruments, or combinations of both) and in musical execution (tempo, balance, dynamics, phrasing, music fi cta, etc.). The use of Renaissance choral music encourages performance of diverse styles often unfamiliar to young singers of today. This era s choral music is especially suited for singers when considering factors such as appropriateness of texts, aesthetic appeal, and melodic interest in all voice parts. Tasteful adaptations can be made to the music while remaining faithful to the intent of the composers. Books on style and performance practice Brown, Howard Mayer, & Stanley Sadie, eds. The Norton/Grove Handbooks in Music: Performance Practice Before Norton, Garretson, Robert. Choral Music: History, Style, and Performance Practice. Prentice Hall, McGee, Timothy. Medieval and Renaissance Music: A Performer's Guide. University of Toronto Press, Poe, Frances. Teaching and Performing Renaissance Choral Music: A Guide for Conductors and Performers. Scarecrow Press, Choral textbooks containing helpful summaries of Renaissance performance practices Collins, Don. Teaching Choral Music, 2nd ed. Prentice Hall, DeVenney, David. Conducting Choirs, Volume 2: Music for Classroom Use. Roger Dean Publishing, Garretson, Robert. Conducting Choral Music, 8th ed. Prentice Hall, Phillips, Kenneth. Directing the Choral Music Program. Oxford University Press,

10 Roe, Paul. Choral Music Education, 2nd ed. Waveland Press, How do your conducting gestures affect the choir? Such questions are important. Of course you want the choir to grow as singers and musicians. Life is more meaningful when you are always looking to grow and working towards a goal. Les Brown Church Choir Directors/Organists: Conducting Gesture and Active Listening in Rehearsals and Worship by Jason Thoms Concordia College, Bronxville, New York (Reprinted with permission from New York s Choral Cues, Vol. 41 Winter 2011) From my vantage point, many East Coast church choirs are led by an organist/choir director who, in many cases, is primarily an organist. He/she also directs the choir. This situation presents a number of dilemmas. This article will focus on two issues: conducting gesture and listening. Does this description fi t you? If so, I suggest you think about and even set up a video to see what you do with your hands when you work with the singers. The choir and the organ are so very different, as we all know. What you think your gestures are accomplishing and what is actually occurring may be miles apart. Do you know what your choir sounds like without the organ or piano? Can the singers perform their parts a capella? Conducting Gesture Your conducting gestures are a conversation between you and the singers. Beating time and giving cues may be helpful, but communicating ideas, emotions, dynamics, eliciting nuance, and shaping the music are far more important. I imagine you think about these issues as you play, but how do help the choir achieve these goals both in rehearsal and in worship? Here are a few ideas to consider: Conduct the music in front of a large mirror What do your gestures look like? Are they expressive? Do you just beat time? Are you communicating musical ideas visually? Even if you conduct from the organ on Sundays, you owe it to your choir to master basic, expressive conducting gestures. Video yourself during rehearsals and worship If you conduct primarily from the organ, video yourself in that position. Put the camera behind the choir so you get the choir s view. When you watch the video, turn off the sound. Focus only on what you see. Look carefully at your face, posture, arms and hands, and how you speak (too loud, too soft, energized, etc.) Get away from the organ Even if your choir never sings a capella, you should plan to do so on a regular basis in rehearsals. If you always accompany the choir, you cannot hear what your singers are actually singing below a certain dynamic level. They will use the piano or organ as a crutch. I have often heard choir members say, I can t sing this piece without the accompaniment. That is not their fault; it is ours. Have your singers rehearse without accompaniment as much as possible so that you can hear everything. More important, your singers will realize they can sing alone. When you step away from the organ, communicate only with your hands. If 10

11 you must say something, it may mean your gestures are not expressive and clear. Choose appropriate music Even if you would like for your choir of seven or eight to sing Stanford, Bach and Rutter every week, it may not be possible or wise for the choir or for you. I advocate simple quality music for worship. Spend time getting to know and understand your singers. What will be most musically effective and workable for them? You want them to have a feeling of success. Unison anthems can be building blocks and can help you improve your listening skills and visual communication through conducting gestures. Expressive face and eyes What is the number one complaint about church choirs from their organists and choir directors? My singers never get their faces out of the music. Directors, are you buried in the music all of the time? I have found that the more I look at the choir, the more they look at me. Organists, of course, are looking at the score while trying to listen, conduct, and turn pages. If I am a singer and see you, the director, with your head down most of the time, why should I look up? Force yourself to look at the singers often! Listening Is Paramount The primary role of the choir director/organist is to listen to the singers. If you are not listening intently to the choir, how can you improve it, adjust your gestures accordingly, or bring out the many musical nuances built into the music? Don t sing along or play parts all of the time Nearly every choir director has the problem of singing along with a struggling section or pounding out the part for the sheep that have gone astray. Play it for them; sing it to them, but then let them do it on their own. Listen and make corrections. They will grow musically. Change seating pattern If you have trouble hearing the men, how do you know if right notes are being sung? Move them to the front of the choir. Change can be helpful, both for you and for the singers. If you have eight sopranos and two or three men, reposition the men in the middle of the front row. As we all know, you will always be able to hear the sopranos! Change will challenge the singers and make them more independent and better listeners, but the end product is worth it. Stronger, independent singers mean better singers and a better choir, I believe. To effectively lead your choir in worship, you must be able to hear them, communicate via clear conducting gestures, listen to the results, and give meaningful feedback with gestures and words. The give and take will make you and your choir better. For the organist/choir director, these ideas may be quite challenging. They may take concerted effort to put into place. The learning process may be slow, but the more you work at the suggestions and encourage your choir to develop more refi ned skills, the better your communication will be in rehearsals and during the heart of worship. Suggestions for Improving Your Listening Skills Have the choir sing unaccompanied in rehearsals The best way to hear what the choir is doing is to listen to them. Don t play the piano at all. You may not like what you hear, but what you are hearing is what you are covering up when you accompany in early rehearsals. The more the choir hears itself a capella, the better the choir will be, in my opinion. 11