Recruitment for a church choir- ideal size, standards?
Puzzler
Shipmate
Can a choir be too big or too small?
I am talking about a traditional church choir, not a worship band.
My church choir has been stable at 8 ( 3 sops, 3 altos, one tenor, one bass) for a while now. Most of us kept together through lockdown on Zoom. Sometime we struggle when numbers are depleted by illness or holidays. We are a close community, musically, vocally, socially and spiritually, for want of better words. We are currently supported by an inspirational conductor, on a temporary basis so far.
On the Sunday after Easter there is to be a special service, a bit like a nine lessons and carols, well publicised, which has recruited about 25 additional singers for this one-off event, with three rehearsals.
We are not expecting many to continue but are open to recruit new members. I don’t think there will be auditions, but an ability to read music is specified. Some of our extras, I’ll be honest, do not match our expectations, in more ways than one. I guess numbers will probably not be an issue, but quality will.
Even one person can make a huge difference.
One lady who has joined us for our last two monthly evensongs has unwittingly caused quite a few problems and provoked much concern about the recruitment process.
I am talking about a traditional church choir, not a worship band.
My church choir has been stable at 8 ( 3 sops, 3 altos, one tenor, one bass) for a while now. Most of us kept together through lockdown on Zoom. Sometime we struggle when numbers are depleted by illness or holidays. We are a close community, musically, vocally, socially and spiritually, for want of better words. We are currently supported by an inspirational conductor, on a temporary basis so far.
On the Sunday after Easter there is to be a special service, a bit like a nine lessons and carols, well publicised, which has recruited about 25 additional singers for this one-off event, with three rehearsals.
We are not expecting many to continue but are open to recruit new members. I don’t think there will be auditions, but an ability to read music is specified. Some of our extras, I’ll be honest, do not match our expectations, in more ways than one. I guess numbers will probably not be an issue, but quality will.
Even one person can make a huge difference.
One lady who has joined us for our last two monthly evensongs has unwittingly caused quite a few problems and provoked much concern about the recruitment process.
Comments
However, there is another issue, at least in some places: do you expect all singers to be "committed Christians" who see their singing as part of their spiritual service, or merely to be folk, probably sympathetic to the church, who enjoy singing? (There's probably an Anglican/Nonconformist, or perhaps Evangelical/Other divide here).
As for the willing but unable…. Arrgghh at your peril
To turn up for weekly choir practices and three or four services a month surely entails some kind of Christian commitment at some level?
At least one of our number ( a lapsed churchgoer but already confirmed) came for the music and grew in faith to the point where she one day realised she felt ready to take Communion.
Competence? To hold a tune, and a part, with willingness to practise together and at home. And to be capable of following what is going on and to be ready to sing without faffing about.
We very much see our role as leading the musical side of worship rather than a performance, but this needs to be executed to performance standard.
The apprenticeship idea might work, though seems better suited for children and young people than mature adults.
The committed Xtians bit certainly doesn't work with bellringers. Ready to be committed? Oh yes! Xtian? Don't make me larf!
To summarise, it’s a delicate balance between performance and pastoral care, which can only be perfectly maintained by the grace of God, thoughtful leadership and good luck.
Our small church has excellent singing and (deliberately) no choir, though a number of the congregation sing in other choirs.
I think my place has two separate issues
- potential recruits for the choir itself
- Those who turn up ( with or without attending choir practice) just to sing at the monthly Evensong.
The latter will have experience elsewhere. They are useful additional voices, but need to familiarise themselves with our ways or mess up. One additional tenor sings too loudly, has not rehearsed so is not aware of agreed breaths, dynamics, unison/ harmony. An additional soprano hasn’t a clue where we are in the service, and swoops up to notes.
Their attendance is not reliable.
For morning services we need reliability. If not prepared to commit, they won’t last.
But there are unspoken rules. With a temporary choir master, it is unclear who makes the rules, who decides who or what is acceptable.
Extra singers wear robes if they have them from their own church. If not, we do not supply them, so they wear black.
I dare say it will work itself out somehow.
Over the years I've had some success making invitations for people to join on a short-term, specific basis -- for a particular event or activity. Occasionally one sticks around. I've had some success with "Bring a _____" to rehearsal: spouse/significant other, neighbor, friend, cousin, co-worker, etc. This works very well with children, but adults have enjoyed it too. Occasionally one sticks around. I've also had a some success Unison Anthem Month, to eliminate apprehensions about having to read/sing harmony parts. Every now and then there will be some pushback from a more accomplished choir member, which is usually about stringing unison anthems together for that long, but I use occasional unison anthems throughout the year, so it's never been a dealbreaker. I don't know if it's cliche these days, but a Taize liturgy can be a wonderful doorway into music/choir participation. It also tends to be good spiritual-music therapy for the existing choir.
All of this to say that I wish my church choir could find another 10-12 members!
Our place is a congregation of around 300, with just under 30 total in the choir. (I’m not sure exactly, as some new folks have come along lately.) A handful of us are trained (two of us have music degree), some are very good untrained singers, some are acceptable singers, and a few do their best, bless their hearts. But everyone really wants to be there and finds meaning in participating. We are as much a community that cares for one another as we are a group that sings together.
We rehearse every Thursday (with occasional exceptions) and sing every Sunday, as well as other days like Christmas Eve, Ash Wednesday or Holy Week Services, from September through May or into June (depending on when Pentecost and Trinity Sunday fall). All but a few members of the choir are present on a typical Sunday, and Sunday singing consists of leading the congregation in hymns and service music as well as at least one anthem, choral prelude, etc. We sing a very varied repertoire.
We’ve been very fortunate to have choir directors who know how to work with our voices, who challenge us, and who manage to coax out of us a sum that is far greater than our many parts. And we have a congregation that regularly lets us know, in various big and little ways, that we are appreciated.
We don't ask, although in practice, everyone is at least willing to look like a "committed Christian". If people just want to sing, there are local secular choirs (that a couple of our church choir members also sing in), so I think everyone who joins the church choir does so because they at least feel like part of the church community in some way.
Don't assume that members of a choir aren't committed just because they don't take part in discussions about faith, or in Bible study groups.