Choir Lesson Reflection

Choir has only recently become a part of my musical world. In school I was always in concert and jazz band, and only once did we ever interact with the chorus in the form of Mozart's Requiem. Last year, I became a member of the small choir at my church in Milford, CT. Luckily for me, the music director is very good at what he does (and helpful to those of us who need it most). I have learned a lot by observing how he warms us up, presents pieces, and works through them. I was able to use some of that experience in helping my very competent group formulate a mock lesson plan.

Some techniques I saw in other groups that I found particularly effective were having the choir sing in various intervals and in rounds. I thought this generated great sounds and also could be used when tricky intervals within a piece are common. In fact, all of the differing warm-up exercises were helpful insights into different approaches.

Some other insightful comments from Professor Schneider regarding the efficacy of movement while singing to promote expression, making a conscious choice regarding conducting vs. snapping, and the accepted norm of warm-up exercises descending from head voice to chest voice also proved extremely helpful. I feel like this exercise has given me many approaches to getting my feet wet in leading a choral group.