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<\/figure>\n\n\n\nDirecting a choir and singing in a choir: a few general points to consider before you start<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Before you join a choir or start as a choir director, ask yourself what you want your choir to achieve:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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- Do you plan to strive for musical perfection with a high-level choir or are you purely interested in having fun and singing together? What\u2019s the perfect balance between these two extremes for you?<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Don\u2019t be afraid to be different and create or join a choir with a very unique style.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- How important is the performance factor? Is the focus solely on the music, or do you value movement and perhaps even choreography?<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Both sides should be having fun \u2013 the singers and the director! Hard, focused rehearsal work and a relaxed atmosphere don\u2019t have to be mutual exclusives. Both sides contribute to the success of a choir rehearsal.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- A choir is like an oversized band comprised of lots of individuals who each have specific needs and abilities. Making it work requires a lot of composure and empathy.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- The better the choir succeeds in becoming a single organism that sings, vibrates and performs in unison, the greater its impact on the audience. One for all, all for one.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
One of the most famous (fictional) choirs worldwide is probably the nuns\u2019 choir from the 1992 film Sister Act<\/em> starring Whoopi Goldberg. The choir delights with energetic performances and has left a lasting mark on the image of gospel music in pop culture:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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<\/a><\/div><\/div>Tips for singing in a choir<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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- Be on time. It’s best to arrive 15 minutes before rehearsal so you can settle in and switch from your hectic everyday life to rehearsal mode.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Bring your sheet music with you. Keep it in a folder with tabs so that you can find the songs immediately, either in alphabetical order or by relevance. Nothing is more annoying than endlessly searching for sheet music before a new song can be rehearsed.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Dare to sing from memory. Don’t cling to the sheet music. Memorize your lyrics at home. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes. Each voice in the choir is sung by several people, so someone will always continue to sing if you have a memory lapse. And this is the only way to find out which parts you’re not quite ready for yet.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Practice your parts and voices at home. Even a choir that is meant to be purely for fun works better if you know the songs. Ask your choir director for recordings of the individual voices.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Be committed. Cancel rehearsals in good time if you are unable to attend. Take rehearsals seriously. It matters whether you are there or not. Even though a choir consists of many people, every individual is important.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Don’t let mishaps unsettle you. Mistakes happen.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
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<\/figure>\n\n\n\nTips for directing a choir<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Arrival<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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- Arrive a little early and use the 15 minutes before the rehearsal begins as a settling-in period. You may also want to check the energy level of the choir before getting started. Ask each member what their energy level is on a scale from 1 to 10 and have them describe in one sentence how they are feeling today.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
Warm-up<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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- Think of the warm-up not only as a vocal exercise, but also as a team building routine to help a group of individuals become a singular organism.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- In addition to classic vocal exercises, the warm-up can also consist of a couple of short exercises to synchronize both sides of the brain. It can also include rhythmic exercises and groove training.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Start by singing one or two well-known songs that the choir already knows well.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
![\"Freddie](\"https:\/\/www.thomann.de\/blog\/app\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/12\/chor_meme-819x1024.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nRehearsal ideas<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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- Ensure a varied rehearsal routine.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- For example, set different priorities while rehearsing a song, such as rhythmic precision, dynamics, intonation, singing from memory, listening to the other voices while singing, or many other things.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Be creative. Have the choir sing in the dark or with their eyes closed. Have them walk around while singing.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Go through the lyrics of new songs as follows: read the lyrics line by line and translate them if they are in another language so that everyone understands the meaning. Speak the lyrics, part by part, in the rhythm of the song, perhaps even while tapping a quarter note groove with your feet. Singing is groove that needs to be anchored in the body. This is especially important for amateurs.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Have each choir member learn an alternative part in addition to their own. This pays off in case of absences and increases the level of musicianship within the choir. To do this, try running through songs during rehearsals with the voices switching around.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Don’t always assign solo parts to the best singers or by audition only. Ask each choir member if they would like to sing solo parts and give them a chance, or divide vocal solos among several singers. This creates more vocal variety, prevents a hierarchy within the choir, and boosts the singers’ self-confidence.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Practice the beginning of a song with your choir: the moment before it starts. Everyone looks at the choir director, takes in the moment of silence and concentrates before the beginning of the song is signalled.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Pay attention to the mood of your choir on rehearsal day. On some days, it just isn\u2019t happening. In that case, it might be better to let your choir sing familiar songs and have fun than to stick with your rehearsal plan. You could also end the rehearsal early and go for a drink with everyone.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
Materials and organisation<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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- Provide backing tracks and recordings of the individual parts for each song.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Always have a few spare copies of the sheet music for each song.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- At the end of the rehearsal, announce which songs will be covered the following week so that your choir can prepare.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Create a digital archive, such as a Dropbox folder, that the members of the choir can access to download the sheet music, parts, and original recording for each song.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
Equipment for choirs at Thomann<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Here\u2019s some useful gear for choirs. Feel free to browse thomann.de<\/strong> yourself<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- Arrive a little early and use the 15 minutes before the rehearsal begins as a settling-in period. You may also want to check the energy level of the choir before getting started. Ask each member what their energy level is on a scale from 1 to 10 and have them describe in one sentence how they are feeling today.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
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