Q&A: How do you get your congregation to sing?

Tags

church choir, Church service, Congregation

Although I can’t take credit for the singing of “my” congregation, which was already singing well when I took the job, maybe a few suggestions will help.

• Play an introduction:  2 phrases or the refrain usually work well.

• If the hymn is new to the congregation, play an entire verse as the introduction.

• No ritard at the end.  You want the congregation to sing in tempo.

• Add time (silence, to let the congregation know when to breathe) before the 1^st verse, and between verses (at least a one-beat  rest).

• Use 8′ and 4′ stops so the congregation can hear you.
• If you are playing the organ, introduce more silence in hymn-playing than in other music you play.
• If you are playing the piano, your playing needs to be assertive and more percussive in hymns, with less pedal.

• Have the choir face the congregation during hymns.

• Rehearse hymns in advance with the choir (important words, phrasing, tempo).

• Ask the choir to sing the 1^st verse in unison.

• Play the 1^st verse as written (no added notes, no rubato).

• You could have a mini-workshop during the service to introduce an unfamiliar hymn.

• Include notes in the bulletin:  something interesting about the tune, composer, or poet.  Or speak briefly during the service once in a while.

• Ensure that your hymn-playing is very clear, with silence for breaths, good rhythm, and enthusiasm.  Are you playing too slow?  (If everyone keeps running out of breath, it’s too slow.)  Too fast?  (If people don’t have time to get the words out, it’s too fast.)  If the hymn is new to you, ask the choir to help you find the tempo.

• Sing every hymn several times during the week before the service. Singing gives you the tempo, and you will breathe with the congregation.  Keep in mind that you may have more vocal training than those in the congregation.  Untrained singers need more time to breathe, find the next verse, etc.
• Change stops between verses.
• Find other ways to add variety.
• If you want to change key between verses, play an interlude of at least 2 bars so people can tell what’s going on!  (One chord will only confuse them.)
• Listen to what’s going on during the hymn in the service.  You might come up with something on the spur of the moment.

• Attend services at other churches to hear what they do with the hymns.  (I learned a great deal that way!)  Many churches have more than one service on Sundays, or mid-week.  Experiencing the singing in different denominations is fascinating.

• Find a hymn workshop. Whether it be singing or playing, there is a lot to learn.
• Organize a hymn sing.
• If having the choir lead the hymns by facing the congregation still doesn’t result in progress, disperse the choir members throughout the congregation.
• And above all, don’t be boring!

Good luck!

How do you get your congregation to sing?

Please share your thoughts in the comment section below!

Related post

• Creative hymn playing (gretchenspianos.wordpress.com)

E-books

“Goal-oriented Practice: How to Avoid Traps and Become a Confident Performer” gives every musician a fresh perspective!

My book frees up time to learn more music, memorize, or do something else entirely!

“Goal-oriented Practice” is also available in print!

Goal-oriented Practice

sold in 8 countries!

August 2011 review by pianist Robert W. Oliver

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Applause, with variations

Tags

Applause, Carnegie Hall, concert, Maryland, New York Times, Riverside Church

Image via Wikipedia

When is applause acceptable? Is it sometimes out of place?

This topic has been in my mind since last Sunday morning, when my choir was applauded immediately after singing the anthem.

My feeling was that applause was most welcome at that moment. In thinking it over after the service, many varied scenarios ran through my head.

Early on

While growing up in the Midwest, applause was never heard in church, whether that be a service or a concert.

A later surprise

Many years later, I was taken by surprise when playing a concert in a church in Maryland with a cellist. When we entered to begin the concert, there was no applause.

Things had changed.  In an earlier time, I would not have expected to hear applause in a church.

Audience questions

Programs often included a line encouraging applause during concerts held in churches. Audiences were frequently unsure what the norm was, and it changed from place to place.

Another audience instruction sometimes appears that requests no applause until the end of a group in the program. (Applause after ever song in a voice recital can add a lot of time to a program, as well as interrupting the theme of a set or story line of a cycle.)

Spontaneous reaction

A few years after the Maryland concert, I attended a service at The Riverside Church in New York in which the sermon received a standing ovation!

This was a first in my experience. The preacher had been channeling his Pentecostal roots, and the congregation was appreciative.

Other genres

In other genres, such as jazz and opera, applause during performances is expected. Think of especially well-navigated solos and ensemble sections, for example.

Just last week

A concert review published last Monday in The New York Times included the following quote:

Mr. Norrington encouraged applause after Mr. Denk stormed with aplomb through Beethoven’s long, wild cadenza.

That means that the audience at Carnegie Hall applauded at the end of the 1^st movement!

My opinion so far

It strikes me that applause probably varies depending on geographical location, venue, and type of audience.

If applause is spontaneous, but not an uninformed response (i.e. following every song), and doesn’t feel forced, then it can be a wonderful thing.

What have you encountered in your own performances or in concerts you’ve attended?

Please share your thoughts in the comment section below!

E-books

“Goal-oriented Practice: How to Avoid Traps and Become a Confident Performer” gives every musician a fresh perspective!

My book frees up time to learn more music, memorize, or do something else entirely!

“Goal-oriented Practice” is also available in print!

Goal-oriented Practice

sold in 8 countries!

August 2011 review by pianist Robert W. Oliver

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2 ways to involve the congregation

Tags

"Come We That Love the Lord", "Just As I Am", choir, Church service, Congregation, Hymn

Image via Wikipedia

When the congregation is invited to participate in new ways, the music in the church service becomes an experience that engages everyone‘s interest.

Part of my job as the Director of Music is to build the music program.  So I’ve been thinking about how to do that.  My plan is to involve both the choir and the congregation.  Each group has a great deal to contribute.

Why should the choir and the congregation always be separate?  Some congregations sing very well!

Does the congregation have to be restricted to singing only the hymns and a response or two?  Do they feel included when all they are doing is sitting there, watching the choir?

And what about the choir?  Do they always sing in the same spot during the service?  Could they sing an appropriate response once in a while?  Could they sing a verse of a hymn, or alternate verses with the congregation?

Two things I’ve tried that have succeeded:

Anthem

On a recent Sunday, the choir sang the hymn “Come, We That Love the Lord” as the anthem.

1.	Come, we that love the Lord,
	and let our joys be known;
	join in a song with sweet accord,
	and thus surround the throne. 

2.	Let those refuse to sing
	who never knew our God;
	but children of the heavenly King
	may speak their joys abroad. 

3.	The hill of Zion yields
	a thousand sacred sweets
	before we reach the heavenly fields,
	or walk the golden streets. 

4.	Then let our songs abound,
	and every tear be dry;
	we're marching through Emmanuel's ground,
	to fairer worlds on high.

Based on the text, they sang the 1st verse in unison, 2nd verse with unison men (“refusing to sing,” I thought, would sound more emphatic with men’s voices), 3rd verse soprano and alto (“sacred sweets” had me thinking of angels), and final verse SATB with the congregation (which tends to sing in unison).

The minister announced near the beginning of the service that the choir would like for the congregation to join them in singing the final verse.  He told them the hymn number then as well.  When it came time for the anthem, I happened to glance toward the congregation.  Not only did everyone have their thumb marking the page, but they were sitting on the edge of the pews!  Their participation was so enthusiastic and welcomed, one parishioner began applauding at the end!

Hymn

“Just As I Am” is a well-known hymn with 6 verses.  I felt that it was important to find variety somehow, as the text calls for quiet singing throughout.

When the congregation knows a hymn so well they don’t need the music, let them sing a verse on their own!  Get them started, then play at least one more verse with them.  By that time, you will be able to tell how comfortable they are.  You can stop playing for an entire verse!  Of course, if problems begin to surface, you can jump back in.

1.	Just as I am, without one plea,
	but that thy blood was shed for me,
	and that thou bidst me come to thee,
	O Lamb of God, I come, I come. 

2.	Just as I am, and waiting not
	to rid my soul of one dark blot,
	to thee whose blood can cleanse each spot,
	O Lamb of God, I come, I come. 

3.	Just as I am, though tossed about
	with many a conflict, many a doubt,
	fightings and fears within, without,
	O Lamb of God, I come, I come. 

4.	Just as I am, poor, wretched, blind;
	sight, riches, healing of the mind,
	yea, all I need in thee to find,
	O Lamb of God, I come, I come. 

5.	Just as I am, thou wilt receive,
	wilt welcome, pardon, cleanse, relieve;
	because thy promise I believe,
	O Lamb of God, I come, I come. 

6.	Just as I am, thy love unknown
	hath broken every barrier down;
	now, to be thine, yea thine alone,
	O Lamb of God, I come, I come.

In this case, I stopped playing after the 3rd verse, so the congregation and choir sang the 4th verse on their own.  I chose the 4th verse because the words express great vulnerability.  The outcome was wonderful!  No one perceived a sudden difference, as I had been playing quietly anyway.  They slowed down a little, but there was nothing that couldn’t be dealt with during the next verse.

Do you think church services should be participatory?

How have you involved your congregation in the music program of your church? 

Please share your thoughts in the comment section below!

E-books

“Goal-oriented Practice: How to Avoid Traps and Become a Confident Performer” gives every musician a fresh perspective!

My book frees up time to learn more music, memorize, or do something else entirely!

“Goal-oriented Practice” is also available in print!

Goal-oriented Practice

sold in 8 countries!

August 2011 review by pianist Robert W. Oliver

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How to practice for many different situations at the same time

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rehearsal preparation

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Keeping several balls in the air at once is something working musicians need to be able to do.

During college, I had a great deal of trouble putting one piece aside to work on another.  In order to handle lots of playing, I practiced longer hours instead.

Fortunately, I can trust myself to learn music by a certain date now.  A  practice log is indispensible for tracking a lot of repertoire, how much time you’ve been putting in, etc.

At the moment, I am practicing for:

1. operetta rehearsals;
2. chorus rehearsals;
3. church services (organ music, planning choir rehearsals);
4. timing service music to use later;
5. looking at anthems for the future;
6. thinking about a new solo piano program;
7. thinking about a summer concert series at the church; and
8. anticipating learning a cantata for a March 10th concert (don’t have the music yet).

Am I doing each of these every day?  No.

The rehearsal/service schedule looks like this:

My teaching schedule does not appear here, since that is a time commitment but doesn’t require me to play.

I have 2 or 3 hrs./day to practice.  To get everything done, it helps to keep the rehearsal schedule in mind.  It is also important to estimate how much total practice time is needed for each piece of music.  That way, you can split up the time available without panic, because you know you can learn the music by the date needed.

Practice segments

Sunday
I arrive at church at least an hour before the choir rehearsal.  This gives me time to “run” the entire service, get all my ducks in a row, and start thinking about the choir music for a few minutes.

Monday
Operetta first, to make sure I get through everything to be done in the evening rehearsal.  There is always a rehearsal plan, so I know which numbers to do.  (This is not always the case, but this conductor plans ahead.  Very helpful.)  This usually takes about an hour.

Then I start choosing music for the following Sunday.  My goal is to get about a month ahead (and I have quite a ways to go!).  Then there is no panic.  (“Will I find an appropriate piece in time?”)  Things remain a lot calmer when practicing is the only requirement.

Tuesday
Church, operetta, and Hampshire Chorus music.

After dinner, I look at anthems and organ music (on the couch!).

Wednesday
Church, Hampshire Chorus.

Evening:  music on the couch.

Thursday and Friday
Now I have 2 days with no rehearsals.  Practicing can be more relaxed.  First I work on church music for Sunday, then  spend some time playing through anthems and organ music I’ve looked at earlier in the week.  I usually skip the operetta for a day, picking it up again on Friday.

Saturday
Practice at church, deciding registration (stops), marking the bulletin, setting up music in service order.

How do you apportion your practice time?  Do you help your students do the same?  Please share your thoughts in the comment section below!

Related articles

• My new Director of Music position! (gretchenspianos.wordpress.com)
• Working with the choir and congregation for the 1st time (gretchenspianos.wordpress.com)

E-books

“Goal-oriented Practice: How to Avoid Traps and Become a Confident Performer” gives every musician a fresh perspective!

My book frees up time to learn more music, memorize, or do something else entirely!

“Goal-oriented Practice” is also available in print!

Goal-oriented Practice

sold in 8 countries!

August 2011 review by pianist Robert W. Oliver

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Phlegm!

Tags

Phlegm, time off

Image via Wikipedia

Discussions of phlegm are something pianists normally associate with singers.  But phlegm can cause problems for pianists, too!

If you are a singer or have ever played for them, you know the term.

Phlegm is the stuff that congests your sinuses, sits on your vocal chords, and generally gets in the way.  It affects the voice, so singers are especially vulnerable.

During last week and this week, I have it, too!  Phlegm is a big feature of the Disease of the Month, the one that’s going around.

Plan A

Usually, I would attempt to ignore a cold and practice anyway.  That is exactly what my intent was one day last week.

Just before going to the piano, I Tweeted about the way I felt, saying that I was going to practice anyway.  A fellow Tweeter who is also a collaborative pianist responded immediately, suggesting that I take care of myself instead.  Thanks, Geraldine!

This time, I listened.  Practicing would have gone nowhere.

Time for a Plan B

When your neck hurts, you’re so congested that it’s hard to read anything, you can’t hear well, and even your hands hurt, that’s an excellent time for a reality check.

Pushing through when you honestly don’t feel well is probably going to be counterproductive.  (But be sure you’re not just making excuses.)  You’ll miss lots of notes, be unable to shape phrases well (due to blocked hearing and body pain), and likely end up feeling frustrated.

So why not take some time off, get some extra sleep, and practice again when you feel better?

Taking a break

In the meantime, you can look at your music away from the piano and listen to recordings if you want to.

Taking time off when you need it is not a disaster.  Instead, taking care of yourself ensures that you will be fresh when you get back to practicing.

Day 12

Today, Monday, is Day 12 of this cold (or whatever it is).  Someone who had the same thing said she was congested with no change for 2 weeks.  The next morning, she woke up feeling fine.

Thursday, here I come!

Please share your thoughts in the comment section below!

E-books

“Goal-oriented Practice: How to Avoid Traps and Become a Confident Performer” gives every musician a fresh perspective!

My book frees up time to learn more music, memorize, or do something else entirely!

“Goal-oriented Practice” is also available in print!

Goal-oriented Practice

sold in 8 countries!

August 2011 review by pianist Robert W. Oliver

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Working with the choir and congregation for the 1st time

Tags

choir, Church, Congregation, Hymn

Image via Wikipedia

My first Sunday in my new Director of Music position was January 29th.  To get started, the choir came early so we could talk about what we wanted to do together.

And it was the choir’s suggestion!

On February 5th, this past Sunday, the choir sang during the service.

We had a brief rehearsal, which included singing the hymns and choosing another to sing as an anthem.

During our anthem rehearsal, I asked the choir to sing sentences, honoring the punctuation in the text.  Sometimes there is a comma and sometimes there isn’t!  Sometimes the thought continues where people have automatically taken a breath for years, breaking up the thought and thus the understanding.

One choir member said, “It’s just a hymn.”

I then discussed that part of the function of the choir is to lead the hymns.  And when the text means something to the choir, the congregation tends to notice, too.  When the text is meaningless, why bother singing hymns at all?

The choir took what I said and went with it during rehearsal.  I want them to step up to their leadership role.  The ratio of success in rehearsal and during the service was rather low, but we started at a higher level than I had expected.

We especially rehearsed “Precious Lord, Take My Hand,” which I wanted to do as a gospel number, even with an unaccustomed choir and congregation.

At first, someone commented, “It’s too slow!”  When I mentioned that this was written in the deepest grief, and when someone feels that devastated s/he can barely speak, we continued unchallenged.

What the choir member was actually saying was that she had to take a breath in the middle of a sentence.  When someone is sobbing, it’s going to be more like taking a breath in the middle of a word!

My goal was to remove all obstacles, experience the words, and express the emotion.  This is not a piece requiring great refinement.

When I asked the minister for a minute or two to introduce the hymn to the congregation, he was all for it.

Result:  Not only did everyone sing emotionally, they truly understood what they were singing and appreciated the introduction.  Many congregants approached me after the service to continue the conversation.

And when you’re building a music program, isn’t that the point?

The pastor and many in the congregation said the choir sounded better than ever!

Please share your thoughts in the comment section below!

Related articles

• My new Director of Music position! (gretchenspianos.wordpress.com)
• An unusual church organ (gretchenspianos.wordpress.com)

E-books

“Goal-oriented Practice: How to Avoid Traps and Become a Confident Performer” gives every musician a fresh perspective!

My book frees up time to learn more music, memorize, or do something else entirely!

“Goal-oriented Practice” is also available in print!

Goal-oriented Practice

sold in 8 countries!

August 2011 review by pianist Robert W. Oliver

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An unusual church organ

Image via Wikipedia

An unusual instrument

In previous church jobs and during lessons, I have played modern pipe organs, those with tracker action, and an electronic or two.  The organ at my new church job is entirely different from all of these.

This instrument has tubular-pneumatic action, probably built in the late 1800’s.  What that means to me is a very noticeable delay in the sound.  And the pedals sound late quite a bit.  Part of the reason for the sound delay is the placement of the pipes across the room from the console.  But a large amount of the delay must be attributed to the action as well.

I am happy to be playing an instrument with lighter action than a tracker, though.

16th notes

Last week I practiced a Buxtehude Toccata which includes some 16th-note passages.  The 16ths sounded behind, uneven, sloppy…  the piece may not be possible on this organ.

Pedals

And then there is the pedal board.  The American Guild of Organists accepted a standard for this country in 1903.  These pedals are not standardized.

The width of the pedals and the placement of the “black keys” is normal, and the slant at the ends is most welcome.  The difference is that from “B” to “C” and “E” to “F,” there is an extra space, as if there should be a “black key.”  (Look at the pic at the top of this post.  See the space between the 2 pedals above the 1st “i” in “Wikipedia?”)

Crescendo pedal

There is also a “crescendo pedal,” which looks more or less like a car  accelerator.  When opened gradually, the sound typically stays the same but becomes louder.  On this instrument, something completely different happens.  Let’s say you start with a flute stop.  Hold down a key, then open the crescendo pedal a little bit at a time.  Every inch or so, an additional stop plays!

Oh, and even with all stops “off,” the entire organ has sound when the crescendo pedal is slightly open.

I have yet to master this.  The changes are sudden.  You could be hearing a flute sound, then an oboe is added, making the total sound 4 times louder.  So using the crescendo pedal for dynamics is not going to work.

With luck, it should be possible to find the pedal level for various registrations each level creates.  We’ll see!

The plan

Here we have a learning experience.  It may be an advantage that I have not played organ for 8  years.  Now I can accustom myself to this instrument and its quirks at the same time, with few expectations of instant ability to play extremely fast, for instance.

Upcoming blog posts

Look for future posts about working with the choir and the congregation!  I love this position!

Please share your thoughts in the comment section below!

Related post

• My new Director of Music position!

E-books

“Goal-oriented Practice: How to Avoid Traps and Become a Confident Performer” gives every musician a fresh perspective!

My book frees up time to learn more music, memorize, or do something else entirely!

“Goal-oriented Practice” is also available in print!

Goal-oriented Practice

sold in 8 countries!

August 2011 review by pianist Robert W. Oliver

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Ottawa Chamberfest 2012 to audition amateur chamber ensembles

Tags

Arts and Entertainment, Ottawa Chamberfest

Image by dugspr — Home for Good via Flickr

Post requested by Abigail Reisner, Communications Assistant, Ottawa Chamber Music Society.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

OTTAWA, JANUARY 30, 2012 – Ottawa Chamberfest today announced the ACE (Amateur Chamber Ensemble) Workshop, to be officially launched at the 2012 edition of the Ottawa International Chamber Music Festival. ACE is a comprehensive learning experience for serious recreational musicians in preformed string, piano, wind, or brass ensembles. It will be offered as two five-day sessions during Ottawa Chamberfest 2012 (July 26 to August 9).

The workshop is open to adults, with a limit of three ensembles per session. Tuition is $600 and includes practice space at the University of Ottawa; one daily 90-minute coaching session; one group masterclass with a visiting festival artist; and seven-day passes to Ottawa Chamberfest 2012. Coaches are Roman Borys and Jamie Parker of the Juno® Award-winning Gryphon Trio, Cecilia String Quartet, Penderecki String Quartet, Afiara String Quartet, Eybler Quartet (early music), and Pentaèdre Wind Quintet.

Ottawa Chamberfest presents the ACE Workshop as part of its audience engagement mandate. Application deadline is March 1, 2012. A digital brochure and downloadable application form are available at www.OttawaChamberfest.com/upcoming-features/ace.

QUOTE

Roman Borys, Artistic Director: “We’ve been planning ACE for three years. We conducted a successful, unpublicized trial workshop in 2011 that culminated in an exciting performance on the last night of the summer festival. This year, ACE formally launches with positions for up to six amateur ensembles, in what promises to be one of the landmark events of Ottawa Chamberfest 2012.”

ABOUT OTTAWA CHAMBERFEST

Founded in 1994, Ottawa Chamberfest brings together the boldest names in ensemble and solo performance for two weeks of musical celebration in the nation’s capital. The world’s largest festival of its kind, Ottawa Chamberfest is a Festivals and Events Ontario “Festival of Distinction,” and winner of seven Lieutenant-Governor’s Awards for the Arts.

FOR MORE INFORMATION

James Whittall

Director of Marketing and Communications

Ottawa Chamber Music Society

T: 613-234-8008 x243

E: media@chamberfest.com

###

Abigail Reisner

Communications Assistant

Ottawa Chamber Music Society

4 Florence Street Suite 201
Ottawa ON K2P 0W7
T: 613.234.8008
F: 613.234.7692
E: [areisner@chamberfest.com]

W: www.OttawaChamberfest.com

New Music Minifest, March 10-11

Broken Hearts and Madmen (Black Sheep Inn, Wakefield QC)

New Music, New Places I (The Sacred Space: Beechwood, the National Cemetery of Canada)

New Music, New Places II (Irene’s Pub, 885 Bank Street)

Three New Music Experiences for $48

http://www.OttawaChamberfest.com/tickets