Choral Music Magazine
THE SMALL CHOIR EXPERIENCE
PREPARE MENTALLY
Then, around July Fourth, my time freed up, and I got the courage to respond to the recruitment e-mail. The conductor and general manager were both extremely welcoming and excited to have me join. I got the sense that the group would be on the smaller side, so I expected maybe 15 SATB singers. Imagine my shock when I arrived at my first rehearsal, and in front of me were four female singers and the conductor!
BE CONFIDENT & PATIENT
I soon felt comfortable in the group and began to make major strides—surprised at how quickly my ear came back, and my range expanded. At first, singing a D was a challenge, but after a few weeks, I was comfortably hitting an F. My breath control was significantly improving as well.
While these personal milestones were fulfilling, I don’t want to gloss over the challenges that our group has faced, because, as with any startup, the future is always uncertain. We have only been around a few months, and we have struggled with achieving consistency, securing repertoire and venue resources, and finding the true musical niche for our group.
FIND DEDICATED SINGERS & LEADERS
SECURE REHEARSAL SPACE
EXPLORE & PREPARE REPERTOIRE
The resilience and dedication of our members, especially the group’s two founders, have allowed us to overcome these recent obstacles, and I have seen tremendous growth in the two and a half months I have been with the group. Personally, I have also seen benefits that I never could have achieved from the large choirs I have sung with before. I have been given the opportunity to arrange music for the group, have gained the confidence and focus I was seeking to make singing a part of my life again, and have experienced a camaraderie that is very rare in a large group.
I hope that my experience will inspire other singers to step outside their comfort zone and confront their fears. Small choirs are not for the faint-hearted, but if you can muster up an innate passion, confidence, determination, and open mindedness, you can create something with potential for greatness. Joining a large, professional ensemble can be truly fulfilling, but taking an active role in a small choir is a musical experience unrivaled by any other.
The Urban Singer is a New Jersey native whose passion for music stems from a lifetime of singing and playing the piano. Favorite choral experiences include singing with the Cornell University Chorus and the Central Jersey Senior Region Chorus. She currently works in finance and sings in New York City.
Photo Credit: Davidson College Choir
When I first read the e-mails about starting a choral group of chorus and glee club alumni in the New York City area, I felt a mixture of excitement, nostalgia, and sadness. I longed to be a part of the group, but worried that my dry spell of six choirless years had left my voice out of shape. I had been singing in choirs for as long as I could remember and was often told that I had an impeccable ear, but after a year of dealing with respiratory issues, I worried that my vocal cords were scarred forever. My range had significantly decreased from the time I used to reach B flats with no problem. Never mind the fact that I was working 14 to 15 hours a day and knew I couldn’t make the weekly commitment to the group.
In the past, when I was one lone voice in a choir of 50+ people, it was easy to blend in with the crowd. I could “take it easy” if I had a cold, drop out on a high note, or sneak in a breath even when the conductor insisted on breathing anywhere but that spot. But that day, with one or two on a part, I had to be on point all the time. Even in my first rehearsal, the conductor was picking out subtleties in specific voices and suggesting techniques to float over certain notes or navigate phrases. While it was sometimes embarrassing to be singled out, I appreciated his determination not to accept failure and to help each of us to realize our full potential.
A strong commitment is especially important in a small choir which is just starting out. Between work and grad school demands, traveling, and commitments to other choirs, our members have many other constraints on their lives. While I believe everyone has truly made our group a priority, if even two people can’t show up to rehearsal, we have to reassign parts or learn entire pieces over again. This can begin to take a toll on morale, and it can start to seem like the group is never going to get off the ground. Having at least two voices on a part is optimal for an amateur or semi-professional choir.
Resources are often taken for granted in a large choral setting, but without a secure base, a new group needs to have the flexibility to come up with innovative solutions to basic needs. In our group, for example, we had no permanent rehearsal location for a long time and were rehearsing at individual members’ apartments. Surprisingly, many stepped up and graciously volunteered their homes, even if for just one rehearsal. Living in Manhattan, where having 450 square feet to yourself is an amazing feat and thin walls are all too common, we had to constantly consider how our neighbors would react and whether we really had enough space to host even a small group. In the last few months, we have rehearsed in almost every corner of the city, sometimes learning entire pieces with nothing other than a pitch pipe and our own voices to guide us. Recently though, we were able to secure a centrally-located, more permanent rehearsal site, which we hope will provide some consistency and allow us to expand our membership further.
Developing a strong repertoire for a new choir is a process which often involves a large amount of research before achieving the desired result. For a piece to work for our group, it must have the delicate mix of being challenging but attainable, being likeable to the singers, and accentuating the unique talents and personality of our small ensemble. It is not unusual for us to “test out” two new pieces per rehearsal to see how each will settle in our voices. We have sung everything from African folk songs to college fight songs, madrigals to spirituals. After a few months, we are finally getting to a point of recognizing what does and doesn’t work for our group, and we’re on the brink of finding that niche which will allow us to truly shine.