Originally published in the GIA Quarterly, Volume 35, Issue 3
Building a Dynamic Choir
ON A COLD WEEKNIGHT, THEY SHUFFLE into the rehearsal space, one by one: the idealistic singles in their 20s, the current and former teachers, the 30-something parents juggling sheet music and sippy cups, the occasional vocal major, the retirees and veterans and lawyers and cashiers and engineers and factory workers and cops and everybody in between.
These dedicated volunteers show up every week. They have varying levels of musicianship, breath control, learning styles, musical literacy, and neurodiversity.
And from behind the piano, you are there, with all your musical experience and education and people skills, to pull these disparate voices together.
Former Dayton Philharmonic Chorus director Hank Dahlman once said, “There are some people who are good for the chorus. And there are some people for whom the chorus is good for them.” In our volunteer parish choirs, it can be a challenge to ensure that all of our members are fed, from our star cantor to the supporting voice with no prior experience singing in a choir.
There are several key things that play into building a dynamic choir and nurturing the people who are part of it.
RECRUITING
The days are long past when you could drop a paragraph about joining the choir in your church bulletin and get ten responses. At a parish ministry fair recently, I had a single person sign up! Even the reach of social media can’t guarantee recruits.
That isn’t to say we shouldn’t continue trying to hunt for new choristers through whatever media is available to us. But we also know that people are hungry for personal invitations. So what are the best ways to reach out to potential choir members?
One of the easiest ways is to encourage current choir members to invite friends and family to join. There’s a long history of mothers, daughters, fathers, and sons sharing their heritage through song. Many people have even met their soulmates through choir. Choral ensembles create community through song and create song through community. Building on the connections that are already there only helps the sense of mutual support.
Then there’s what I like to call the “spy technique.” Once in a while, you or your choir members might take a well-deserved break by sitting in the pews. But keep your ears open for special voices. Frequently, new potential parishioners who are “shopping” for a church and have a love for music will seat themselves closer to wherever the music ministry is. Before they leave, you may plant the seed by asking, “Have you considered singing in the choir?” I’ve recruited a surprising number of choir members this way!
PREPARATION AND PRAYER
Once you’ve recruited some new voices, retention is important. Preparation helps new and longtime members know what to expect at rehearsal and liturgy, while prayer anchors them in community and us in a deeper connection to our role as pastoral musicians.
Planning whole liturgical seasons at a time gives people the big picture. It also helps to create a “lesson plan” for every rehearsal. I write on a whiteboard all of the songs we will be rehearsing for the evening. Having a concrete vision in front of you and your choir will keep you on task and give you achievable goals to accomplish during rehearsal.
One thing I always put at the beginning of my rehearsal plans is prayer. Prayer refocuses our connection with God as the center of our sung praises. It nurtures our spirituality and gives voice to our petitions as a small faith community within our parish: “For my mother in hospice.” “For my daughter who’s having open-heart surgery.” “For those struggling.” “For all those traveling.”
Alan Hommerding’s twin volumes Blessed Are the Music Makers (017254) and Proclaim the Gospel in Song (017341) are excellent resources that I’ve used for the past several years to help lead my choir in prayer.
HUMOR
Humor is essential. You don’t have to be a stand-up comedian, but a healthy sense of self-deprecation and lightness will keep your ensemble engaged. For instance, it’s easy to get frustrated when your choir members have their noses buried in their music and aren’t looking up for a key passage. That’s when I pull out one of my favorite lines: “Please look up and watch me, and not only because I have a fragile ego and am starved for attention!” 10
It not only gets a chuckle, but it also makes your point without turning you into a control freak.
Humor always has an edge that you should wield carefully. The goal is to engage in context and keep things light, not to humiliate. And remember, if you dish it out, be prepared to receive it in kind!
DIVERSITY AND INCLUSIVITY
People return to their parish choirs because they not only get the opportunity to create music, but they also have a sense of belonging to a group with a purpose. Music can connect people of different backgrounds, ages, cultures, and skill levels. It is important to promote a sense of welcome among all members of the choir, and that spirit of inclusion begins with you. Your parish choir should represent the diversity of your assembly— even if only for balance among mixed voices!
Beyond the diversity among the individuals in your choir, try to program a diverse repertoire. I like to tell both parishioners and choir members that as much as possible, I offer a “balanced meal.” In the service of the liturgy as the people’s work, sing a variety of old and new hymnody and other sacred songs. Lodovico di Viadana and Ralph Vaughn Williams can and will sit comfortably next to Bernadette Farrell and Matt Maher. Don’t be afraid to explore a multitude of genres, styles, and levels of difficulty.
SUBTRACT, BUT ADD
A principle that’s become very clear in my decades as a pastoral musician is that if you take something away, you need to replace it immediately with something clearly and indisputably better. If the replacement is not clearly and indisputably better—and not just because you think it is—people will miss the original and complain about its absence.
This principle applies not only to specific meetings with families for funerals (“We can’t do ‘Danny Boy,’ but here’s a pastoral funeral text that shares the same melody and speaks to your grief ”), but also to general changes to repertoire that will affect the opinions of both your assembly and choir.
There have been a few times I’ve replaced a beloved choral anthem for a particular feast day with something new or different. I never make a decision like that without taking care to evaluate how well it fits the forces in my choir now—not the choir I wish I had or the choir that sang it well 20 years ago.
EMPOWER YOUR LEADERS
We all have those members whose presence at rehearsal greatly increases the likelihood of their section getting their part. They’re the people in our sections on whom the others lean. Frequently they’re also our cantors and soloists. Empower these leaders, not only by rewarding them with featured solos but also in other ways through rehearsal. If you have a strong singer who can also at least plunk out notes on a piano, that person might be able to run a sectional while you work with other sections. You might also have choir members who are leaders in other ways and can help with keeping music organized, providing feedback about potential improvements, or adding some humor when needed.
PROVIDE SOCIAL OPPORTUNITIES
The first priority during rehearsals should always be to get needed work done. However, before and after rehearsals can be as sacred a time as during. At these times, people catch up with each other, asking about children and grandchildren and in-laws and health and mortgages and how studies are going and how work is going. They nurture and strengthen the connections that make them work so well as a musical ensemble; they build trust. Honor that time before and after rehearsals.
Also, provide opportunities for your choir to meet outside of rehearsal. Sometimes it’s as simple as saying, “We’ll meet at a restaurant after the concert.” Other times, a choir member might open up their home for snacks and drinks or a potluck. Allow these kinds of events to build community and let your choristers know each other outside of the rehearsal room.
CHERISH MOMENTS
A few years ago, we did John Stainer’s “God So Loved the World” as a choral anthem. We had been rehearsing it for six weeks.
One of my brand-new recruits had tears in her eyes. Another woman in her 70s who was struggling with dementia sang the whole thing from memory and didn’t even hold the sheet music in her hands.
It’s moments like these that remind me about how powerful volunteer parish choirs can be, despite the motley gathering of seemingly unalike people with differing backgrounds. Cherish those moments where the Holy Spirit moves through the music to touch you, your choir, or your congregation in a special way.
As you work toward building a dynamic choir, remember that patience and understanding are key when working with individuals of varying skill levels. Be flexible and willing to adapt to the needs and abilities of your choir members, and look for opportunities to invite new people to join you. By creating an inclusive and supportive environment, you can recruit and nurture a volunteer church choir that brings joy and inspiration to your parish.
CHRISTIAN COSAS is a pastoral musician and liturgical composer published by GIA. His song “Rise Again” won Song of the Year in the 2019 Excellence in Publishing Awards from the Association of Catholic Publishers. He currently serves as the director of music at St. Charles Borromeo Parish in Kettering, Ohio.
