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Frequently Asked Questions from Directors of
Children's and Youth Choirs
Summary
This is a posting of
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) from directors of Children's and
Youth Choirs. If you have comments or questions not answered in
this listing, please feel free to contact Choristers Guild at choristers@choristersguild.org
For questions regarding copyright, permissions or publications,
see copyright and publications
FAQ.
Answers provided by members
of the Board of Directors of Choristers Guild and composers represented
in the Choristers Guild catalog.
Pitch Matching
- What are some of the reasons for pitch-matching
problems?
- What are some of the remedial activities that
improve pitch-matching?
Children's Choirs-Getting Started
- I am just starting a children's choir and want to
know how to recruit. How do I get the choir off the
ground?
- How can I get parents to better support my choral
program?
- How can I motivate the children to keep coming
back to choir week after week?
- Give me some tips about how to keep children
engaged during the rehearsal.
Music and Materials Resources
- Where can I find good material?
- Where do I find music for my choirs?
- Where can I find simple but worthwhile music for
my younger and beginning children's choirs?
- Where can I go to find new ideas and up to date
information on current trends in and activities for children's and
youth choirs?
- My children's choir sings an anthem at church
once each month, but they want to sing more than once during the
service.
What can I do? Potpourri
- How do I decide how many Orff instruments to use
for an accompaniment to a children's choir anthem?
- How can I submit an article for The
Chorister?
- What if my pastor wants only contemporary
Christian music?
Questions and Answers:
Pitch Matching
QUESTION: What are some of the reasons for
pitch-matching problems?
ANSWER (provided by Judy Henneberger): Some of the reasons for
difficulty in matching pitch include:
- lack of experience and training in singing
- lack of concentration
- undeveloped tonal memory
- lack of coordination of thinking, breathing, hearing, and
vocalization Skills
- has no concept of melodic direction and high and low
- auditory impairment
- does not differentiate between speaking and singing
voices
- poor posture
- health problems such as asthma
- cultural and ethnic speech ranges
QUESTION: What are some of the remedial activities
that improve pitch-matching?
ANSWER (provided by Judy Henneberger): Remedial activities should be
selected according to the vocal and/or physical needs of the children
and may include:
- the use of speech chant with varied vocal inflections that
gradually lead into singing
- use every opportunity to help the child to become aware of
vocal sounds and to differentiate between the speaking and singing
voices
- select vocalises that focus on matching pitch and that expand
the child's vocal range
- use movement and stretching games to increase concentration,
posture, and to teach the melodic concept of high and low
- use of correct posture and breathing techniques
- choose songs with appropriate range and tessitura
- use of speech, singing, and movement games which energize the
body and allow for individual solo-singing
- make a tape recording of vocalizes and songs to be practiced
by the child at home
- use visual aids to introduce and reinforce various concepts of
correct singing
- some children do not know what "singing in unison" means,
therefore one needs to establish and develop an awareness and
ability of in-tune unison singing
- play recordings of excellent models of the child s singing
voice and of children s choirs
- use lots of "tender, loving care" and positive reinforcement
in working with the children who are experiencing pitch-matching
problems
- minimize the use of the keyboard in the choir rehearsal so
that you and the children can hear the voices and better assess
where improvement is needed.
Children's Choirs-Getting Started
QUESTION: I am just starting a children's choir and
want to know how to recruit. How do I get the choir off the
ground?
ANSWER (provided by Michael Wustrow): It is important to establish a
contact with parents as well as the children when recruiting. Contact
people in your church who already work with the children, or maybe
even some music teachers in your area (piano teachers, school
teachers), and ask them to suggest names of people who might be
interested. This will help you set up a list of priority children to
target. Send a letter of invitation (maybe signed by your pastor, or
tell them they were "recommended") and follow it up with a phone call
to the parent to discuss the whole concept of what a children's choir
is and what it can do for their child. If necessary offer a pick-up
service at the schools for children who otherwise could not come.
Once you talk to a few parents, word of mouth will spread the news
and your choir will be off and running. Good Luck!
QUESTION: How can I get parents to better support my
choral program?
ANSWER (provided by John Witvliet): Invite them to attend a
rehearsal. Children will enjoy impressing their parents with what
they've learned. And you'll have an opportunity to show how important
music can be--not just talk about it. Statistics now prove that
participation in choir, band, or orchestra raises a student IQ and
increases their ability to think and reason. These same students also
had higher SAT scores. The longer students participated in music
programs, the more impact it had on their learning. This information
passed on to parents should help increase their willingness to have
their children in choir.
QUESTION: How can I motivate the children to keep
coming back to choir week after week?
ANSWER (provided by Judy Henneberger): Always have a surprise or a
new approach or teaching strategy in each rehearsal. Keep the
rehearsal pace moving along with no big time gaps. Know the music so
you can "eyeball" the children. Do not spend a lot of time "drilling"
a piece. Think of different ways to repeat the difficult passages.
Sing and play musical games more - talk less. This helps to maintain
the interests of the children as they anticipate and look forward to
the next rehearsal.
QUESTION: Give me some tips about how to keep
children engaged during the rehearsal.
ANSWER (provided by Madeline Bridges):
- Keep them singing. The more we as directors TALK, the more
easily the kids get "off-task." The more they are involved in
making music, the less time they have to become unfocused
- Have a seating chart. In my opinion, this is a must. Many
directors use folders w/ names on them placed in the chairs.
Others put name tags on the chairs. I do not recommend putting
girls on one side of the room and boys on the other. Mix them up.
However, I avoid putting a boy between two girls.
- Post an agenda. Have a chorister cross off each item on the
agenda as it is completed. Engage children in the joy of
accomplishment.
- Frequently call on individual children to sing an echo
pattern, a line of an anthem, or anything. Move quickly from child
to child. It's amazing how quiet they will get to hear one of
their peers sing. PLUS we know that children learn so much about
how they sound when they sing alone. I had my choir assistant
count how many times I called on an individual child to sing
something in a recent rehearsal--it was over 25 times. (I don't
mean one child sang 25 times; rather, 25 times I asked one of the
children to sing something back to me, etc., by him/herself.)
Music and Materials Resources
QUESTION: Where can I find good material?
ANSWER (provided by Jane Marshall):
- Go to all the reading sessions and workshops you can; don't
rely on just the free music you get through the mail; subscribe to
at least one publisher's new releases service. (GIA is an example
of many), join Choristers Guild to receive their new releases for
children's and youth choirs, much of which is appropriate for
adult choirs with limited "forces"; and read what others have to
say, e.g., Alice Parker in MELODIOUS ACCORD, Liturgical Training
Publications; Marva Dawn in REACHING OUT WITHOUT DUMBING DOWN,
Eerdmans; Leonard Bernstein in audios of his YOUNG PEOPLE'S
CONCERTS, Bernstein Trust & Kultur
- Know what quality is: good music is loved in any century and
in any part of the world (It's timeless and placeless); it appeals
to the whole person, senses and intellect both; and it can't be
copied successfully anymore than Bach, Mozart, Bernstein,
Hammerstein, and the unknown composers of "What Wondrous Love" and
"Amazing Grace" can. Much of the Christian Contemporary is very
poor copies of the wonderful big band music theater ballads of the
40's, with sacred texts that have little of substance to say and
little good poetry.
QUESTION: Where do I find music for my
choirs?
ANSWER (provided by Madeline Bridges): This is easy of course.
Choristers Guild and other denominational and general publishers.
Until recently I usually suggested Kirkland House and some older
Boosey. Plus some denominational publishers--particularly some of the
curriculum by the Methodists.
QUESTION: Where can I find simple but worthwhile
music for my younger and beginning children's choirs ?
ANSWER (provided by Harriet Ziegenhals): The Choristers Guild catalog
has a fine selection of music for the young singer and is adding
anthems to this section of its catalog continually.
QUESTION: Where can I go to find new ideas and up
to date information on current trends in and activities for
children's and youth choirs ?
ANSWER (provided by Harriet Ziegenhals): The publication of
Choristers Guild called The Chorister is an excellent
resource and help for directors of children's and youth choirs. Every
issue of the journal contains practical articles and ideas to use in
working with your choirs. There is something in each issue for young
children to teenagers, handbell directors, hymn study, workshop
opportunities, and much, much more. In addition there are articles to
stretch your thinking and provide personal inspiration for you,
devotions to use during rehearsals, and ideas for children's
participation in worship. It is published ten times per year and a
number of new anthem releases are enclosed with each issue.
QUESTION: My children's choir sings an anthem at
church once each month, but they want to sing more than once during
the service. What can I do?
ANSWER (provided by Michael Wustrow): Find out what the hymns are and
locate or write a simple descant that the children can sing on the
last verse of the hymn. Some denominations have sung parts of the
liturgy that are the same each week; find some arrangements of those
that have descants or two part writing.
Potpourri
QUESTION: How do I decide how many Orff instruments
to use for an accompaniment to a children's choir anthem?
ANSWER (provided by Judy Henneberger): The number of instruments
depends on several factors such as the number of children in the
choir, the mood and setting of the anthem, the acoustics of the
sanctuary or worship area, the amount of instrumental sound needed to
provide the accompaniment foundation and support for the singers. The
instrumental accompaniment should not dominate. The singers voices
should be the focus. Carl Orff himself indicated that the instruments
are merely the icing on the cake.
QUESTION: How can I submit an article for The
Chorister? (The Chorister is the publication of Choristers
Guild made available to members of Choristers Guild.)
ANSWER (provided by Wayne Lord, Editor): Unsolicited articles that
outline successful teaching strategies with either youth and children
are always welcome for review. Also, articles that highlight worship
ideas or musical programs in which children or youth are worship
leaders are needed. You may e-mail the Editor of The Chorister,
Wayne Lord, and forward your
idea or article to him. (You can also 'snail-mail' it to the Choristers
Guild office at 2834 W Kingsley Rd., Garland, TX 75041-2498.)
QUESTION:What if my pastor wants only contemporary
Christian music?
ANSWER (provided by Jane Marshall):
- Be willing to use some
- Ask to choose what you do use and try to find something
appealing that doesn't sound like everything else we've heard
- Ask for talk time and/or lunch with the pastor to chat about a
balanced diet and negotiate compromises as well as to show you're
flexible and concerned for the faith growth of the flock.
- Don't think your whole life rides on this one problem; hang
loose, learn to play, and don't let yourself become a
workaholic
- Try to find ways to have hymnsings in informal settings, like
church suppers and church school, using Carlton Young's COMPANION
TO THE UNITED METHODIST HYMNAL as your source because it's fun and
pretty exhaustive, no matter what your denomination; and use a mix
of old and new so all can see that music in all styles can be
delightful
- Teach the kids good stuff that is engaging
- Pray for miracles & strength to deal with the absence of
miracles. (They DO happen and strength is available!)
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