I Never Wanted to be a Cheerleader

There are times when my high school choir sucks, and this is one of them.  In fact, this whole month has been like that.  I don't know if it's the weather (we're all really tired of winter here in Indiana) or what, but my choir looks and sounds like dead fish.  Their singing lacks energy, and the sound coming out of them projects about a foot and then falls to the floor.  The problem is that I don't know if they even realize it or not, and no matter what I say or do, I can't get them to perk up or even act like they're enjoying themselves.

On days like today, I don't feel like a choir director -- I feel like a cheerleader or a team captain.  My players are sluggish, we're losing the game big time, and I have to say something that will turn things around.  The trouble is, I don't know what to say or do.  I cajole them; it does no good.  I encourage them; it does no good.  I jump around and act silly in front of them; it makes no difference.  They just sit there and look at me like I'm some weirdo.  I am forever looking for new ways to say what I want them to do, thinking that if I just say it the right way, it will "click."  So far, nothing has worked.

I was not a cheerleader in school.  I never had the desire to be one.  Unfortunately, I am being forced to be one with my high school choir.  I am usually a very positive person, and I go out of my way to praise the choir when they do something well.  It has been very difficult to stay positive this time.  In fact, when we were discussing the situation in class one day, one of my students said something about approaching things more positively.  I thanked her for her suggestion, apologized to the entire group for not being positive, and went in the next day determined to keep a positive mindset, be upbeat, and put on my "cheerleader" face.  Did it help any?  I don't think it helped the music get any better, but I do think the kids had more fun that day.  I guess fun is good, isn't it?

My choir will never be as good as I would like them to be.  After all, the group has everything in it from students who have never sung in a choir before to those who have several years experience. Unfortunately, it is in my "genes" to try and make them as good as they can be.  I want to push them to higher heights.  I want to raise the bar.  I just have to find a way to get them to go with me.

We have a concert in a week.  Before each concert, I tell the students that, while I want them to sing their best, what I want more than anything is for them to have fun and enjoy themselves.  I sincerely believe that, if a choir is enjoying itself when performing, an audience will enjoy listening to them.  This time, I may have to rely on that to carry the performance.  We have another week, and we'll keep working.  I'll let you know how it turns out.

Go, choir!  Sis-boom-bah!

The Day My Choir Saved Me

My community choir loves John Rutter.  That affection stems from the fact that, several years ago, they traveled to New York's Carnegie Hall and were fortunate, along with other choirs, to sing his Requiem under his direction.  Although it was several years ago, it was an experience that they still have not forgotten.  Any time I mention music by John Rutter, they still sing his praises.

For that reason, I decided to have them perform Rutter's Gloria at their Classical concert this year.  Because the work is not very long, we needed to sing other music, also.  Since Rutter has written such a plethora of choral music, I decided to focus the entire concert on Rutter's music.  We called the concert "All Things Rutter."

I had sung Rutter's Gloria, and I had also conducted it in my graduate studies.  However, I had never actually conducted the piece with a group.  I was excited.  I love the work.  I love the fact that the instruments used are brass, timpani, and an organ.  I love the excitement of the first and last movements and the haunting beauty of the second movement.  I was truly looking forward to having the choir perform it.

We planned to start working on the music when we returned after our Christmas break.  Unfortunately, our very first rehearsal was canceled due to snow.  In addition, two other rehearsals were canceled either due to the snow or the bitter cold.  Our rehearsal efforts were definitely being impinged upon by Mother Nature.  Being the good sports that they are, the choir members were willing to double up our efforts and meet two times a week for a few weeks to make up for the missed rehearsals.  We worked diligently on the music.  While it was not perfect by any means, it was very performable, and I was quite proud of the group's efforts.  The dress rehearsal the day before the show went well, and I was feeling very good about the concert.

The weekend of the concert arrived, and as had happened every weekend prior, there was a threat of an accumulation of snow.  Should we cancel the concert?  Can we go ahead with it?  Will anyone come? These were all questions that were running through our minds.  The snow held off, however, and we went ahead with the concert.

I normally prepare very well for my concerts.  I rehearse the group thoroughly, and I usually practice conducting the music at home.  On large works, I usually go through and painstakingly mark my score.  While I had listened to the Rutter many times, for some reason, I had not ever practiced conducting it at home.  I also did not mark the score as much as I usually do.  I'm not sure why these things weren't done -- all I know is that they didn't get done.

The concert began, and we sang the individual Rutter pieces first.  They all went very well.  The Gloria was the last thing on the concert -- except for our encore piece "When the Saints Come Marching In."  The brass were ready, the choir was ready, and off we went.  Somewhere in the first movement, I lost my focus and concentration, and I didn't bring the choir in at one of their entrances.  I brought them in a measure late.  Luckily, the singers were all looking at me (as they are supposed to), and no one came in early -- or on time, anyway.  They all waited for me to bring them in.  While I doubt that the audience was even aware of the slip up, I was, and they were, and that was bad enough. Unfortunately, the instruments just kept right on playing.  They had no way of knowing that I had messed up, so they continued to play their parts.  Luckily, we came up to a measure or two of rest shortly after that, and I was able to get the choir back on track.

I was not happy with myself at all after that slip up, but I had only myself to blame.  I had not practiced the piece sufficiently at home by myself, nor had I adequately marked my music.  If I had done those things, would the performance have gone differently?  I'll never know for sure, but I'm guessing that the mistake would probably not have happened if I had.  One thing is for sure, I will always be sure to practice at home as well as mark my music!  It was a lesson well learned.

Will this one error on my part be the end of my conducting career?  Of course not.  I will hopefully conduct many more pieces like the Gloria with my choir.  In fact, I hope I can continue to conduct until I can no longer stand in front of the choir.  No matter how many more concerts I conduct, though, I will always remember this one and how easy it is to lose focus and miss an entrance.  I will also always remember this one because it was the day that the choir saved me from suffering embarrassment and humiliation.  Had they not been watching me, many of them would probably have come in on time while the rest of them waited for me, and the situation would have been a lot worse.  Fortunately, like the well-trained choir that they are, they waited for me so that we could all come in together.  I will be forever grateful to them.

Gee, does that mean that I can at least take credit for training them to watch their conductor?