The Old Songs

Many chapters use weekly rehearsal time going over music, over and over the same songs, the same spots, the same phrases. From week to week, it seems like little, if any, progress is being made.

I was once a member of a male/female chorale. I got frustrated when the director continually went over the same material week after week. When I asked him why, he said that it was all he could expect from a mostly volunteer group of singers. As a director myself, I don’t buy that.

How many times have you sat through the same repetitive instructions, or heard the director remind the members how to sing a particular word or phrase? How many times has a director stopped a song in mid-phrase, only to reiterate a lesson we’ve supposedly learned during the warm-up?

I have two suggestions to fix this. First, make sure that you are not contributing to the problem. What I mean by this is we all need to take responsibility to learn the correct notes, words, phrases, breathing, expression, and everything else that goes into a song. Study your music between rehearsals. If you have trouble reading music, get learning tapes or CDs to guide you. Ask your section leader for assistance. Be proactive.

You’ve heard the expression, “A chain is only as strong as its weakest link.” Applied to singing, a section or chorus is only as good as its weakest member. Do everything in your power to ensure that YOU are not that weakest member!

Secondly, once you have mastered the first suggestion, then and only then are you in a position to offer to help others if needed. We are a brotherhood or sisterhood of singers, and we achieve together. Criticizing or complaining only fosters unrest. Make a positive difference. Lead by example.

In my chapter, I have asked each member to recite a “pledge” at the beginning of rehearsals. It goes like this: “I pledge that I will be a better singer when I leave tonight than when I came into rehearsal.” This pledge is especially powerful if you grasp its underlying message: It is up to ME to become that better singer! I need to apply the lessons. I need to do the work. I need to do things differently in order to improve. No one else is going to do it for me.

Whether you are in a competition chorus or not, whether you have 100 members or 10 in your chapter, the truth is still the same. Take responsibility to be the best singer that you can be, every week, every rehearsal, every song you sing.

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