Because of the nature of the volunteer church choir, most Sundays you’ll be singing something from the archives. With just one rehearsal per week, it’s tough to learn a lot of new music. Much of the time, you’ll dust off a familiar arrangement you sang last year and the year before that (and the year before that…). Like riding a bike, the choir falls back into their parts without much sweat.
Typically, you may plan just enough rehearsal time to get these “reruns” up and running. It’s the new material that gets the focused rehearsing. We practice new parts and rhythms, tackle a challenging key change, reach for new high notes. Everyone’s on their toes for the new arrangement. That’s when we grow and stretch the choir, right? The reruns get minimal rehearsal time –– they can run on autopilot.
But let me suggest that the best opportunity to develop the musicianship of your choir is not the new song. It’s those reruns.
Follow me on this: the first time you sing that new song, the choir is primarily focused on notes and rhythms. Success usually means making it to end without any noticeable mistakes.
But when you’re singing those familiar reruns, everyone has a handle on the notes and rhythms. Unlike the new songs, you now have the luxury of focusing on other aspects of choral singing. Dynamics, blend, accuracy, pronunciation –– these are things you don’t have much time to polish on the new songs. But aren’t these the qualities that truly define a good choir?
And because you sing reruns more often, that means your choir can spend a majority of the time developing blend and precision. Consistent attention to these “higher” concepts is the only way to hone your choir’s sound. Every time you pull out a rerun, take the opportunity to work on dynamics and perfect every cut-off. Make a note of what you’d like to work on next year when you pull it out again. Every time you sing a rerun, you should polish a new facet.
Everyone loves digging into new songs. But those reruns are your best opportunity to develop and refine your choir.
