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Views from the Choir Loft

Following the Leader

Andrew R. Motyka · April 24, 2013

NE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT things a director can do to promote good singing in the choir is to be a good singer and model for the group to follow. If the director cannot demonstrate competence with every aspect of a piece of music, he or she will not be able to inspire confidence on the part of the choir. How do you achieve this?

1) Use your choir warm-up as a springboard for the rest of your rehearsal.

Demonstrating good vocal technique begins with your warm-up. If your choir is improperly or insufficiently prepared to sing, the entire rest of the rehearsal will suffer. Don’t be afraid to spend a considerable amount of time getting your choir to transition from their speaking voices to their singing voices. It will save you rehearsal time in the long run, as it will affect pitch, breathing, and intonation. You can use a thousand words to explain to your choir how good breath support works, but showing them is much more effective.

2) Be able to sing every part of the music your choir is singing.

When you are teaching your choir a new piece of music, take the time to familiarize yourself ahead of time with each line of music. Not only will this save time when your choir asks for a reminder about notes or rhythms, but it will also offer proof of “singability” to your choir. If you’re a tenor and can sing the soprano line (even in falsetto), it will help your sopranos realize that they can do it, too. Even more importantly, intimacy with each voice’s part will help you to identify potential problems before you even begin the rehearsal.

3) If singing is not your strength, practice.

Most of us have a strength as a musician. It could be conducting, playing the organ or piano, composing, or singing. Last week, I wrote about the importance of practicing your composition skills. Singing is no different. You may be a great liturgist, a great organist, and a really nice guy or gal, but if you don’t view being a good singer as just important of a priority, you’re going to have a hard time inspiring your choir to make it their priority as well.

4) Demand responsibility from your choir.

In my experience, competence in 1-3 is very effective in leading a rehearsal. I would like to caution against a pitfall, though, and that is taking responsibility for good sound upon yourself. The choir needs to know that it is responsible for every sound that is coming out of it, and they cannot be lazy about their responsibility just because they have a good model. The trick is to use your demonstration to pass on good technique and musicianship.

We’ve all heard the statement, “Those who can, do. Those who can’t, teach.” Yet we all know that this makes no sense. Any teacher needs to be primarily an example for their students. When it comes to singing, if you want them to follow you, you need to be a leader.

Opinions by blog authors do not necessarily represent the views of Corpus Christi Watershed.

Filed Under: Articles Last Updated: January 1, 2020

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About Andrew R. Motyka

Andrew Motyka is the Archdiocesan Director of Liturgical Music and Cathedral Music for the Archdiocese of Indianapolis.—(Read full biography).

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PDF Download • Trinity Sunday (22 pages)

Feel free to download this Organ Accompaniment Booklet for Trinity Sunday (Second Vespers). Notice how the modes progress by number. Psalm 1 is mode 1; Psalm 2 is mode 2; Psalm 3 is mode 3; Psalm 4 is mode 4; Psalm 5 is mode 5. I am told by an expert that other feasts (such as Corpus Christi) are likewise organized by mode, and it’s called a “numerical office.”

—Jeff Ostrowski
10 June 2022 • “Official” rhythm of plainsong

I continue to search for the most beautiful way to present the “pure” Editio Vaticana scores. (Technically, the “pure” rhythm of the official edition is what everyone is supposed to use.) You can download my latest attempt, which is the Introit for this coming Sunday: Feast of the Most Holy Trinity. Because this is not an ancient feast, the Introit had to be adapted (perhaps around 750AD). Prior Johner says the adaptation is “not an entirely happy one.”

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—Jeff Ostrowski

Random Quote

They were not ashamed to lay their hands on Sedulius, on Prudentius, on St. Ambrose himself. Only in one or two cases does some sense of shame seem to have stopped their nefarious work. They left “Ave maris stella,” “Jam lucis orto sidere,” and St. Thomas Aquinas’s hymns alone (they would have made pretty work of “Sacris solemniis”). In 1629 their mangled remnants were published.

— Rev’d Adrian Knottesford Fortescue (25 March 1916)

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