Directing a Primary Choir

[Nicole]

(Posted on Yahoo Group by Lisa G., Toeele UT)

I'm a stake primary music leader and have just been given the assignment to conduct a primary choir for stake conference. I am looking for ideas and helpful hints from anyone who has been there and done that.

We have selected the music: I Feel My Savior's Love, He Sent His Son, and If the Savior Stood Beside Me. For the first two songs, the children will be just singing the melody while the piano or organ plays an alternate accompaniment. There will be times for boys alone
or girls alone to sing different sections. For the last song, we will need some of the children to learn a second part.

I am mainly looking for rehearsal tips to make everything go smoothly. We have four practices before the big day. They should know the words to most of the songs, except for having to learn or refresh the last two verses for I Feel My Savior's Love.

So, if you have directed a children's choir for an occasion like this, give me your most useful tips! What worked really well? What would you do differently? What should I try hard NOT to do?

I want ideas for maintaining their focus and interest for 45 minutes to an hour. I want ideas for teaching the second part. I also want ideas for helping their performance etiquette and helping them sing like a real choir.

P.S. We are making this an invitation-only event. The children will be selected by their primary presidents, according to who they feel can handle sitting for 2 hours during the meeting and whose families will commit to coming to all or most of the practices, as well as who the presidents, through prayer, feel would most benefit from the
experience. It will be mainly 10 to 11-year-olds singing. We only have 46 choir seats and 7 wards, so we have to limit somehow, but I'm afraid of people getting their feelings hurt.

Thanks in advance!

[prsd4tim2]

We did this in our stake 3 years ago and it was wonderful! I was so excited to be asked to direct this choir. It was so much fun and so rewarding. The sister who said you would remember it forever was correct, but more importantly the children will remember it forever also. I am not a voice teacher or choir director, except in church, but my daughters were singers, both in individual voice lessons and in a wonderful children's chorus we have in our town, so I had watched people teach them and picked up a few things that were helpful - invaluable, in fact for this experience.

First, we asked that each primary learn the songs so that we weren't teaching the song, but only bringing the children together into a choir. I started with a little talk about how important it was that we set a good example for all the people in our stake, what a privilege it was and how we had never been allowed to do this before because the stake leaders were afraid the children were not mature enough to behave well. I let them know that they couldn't talk, get up and leave the meeting, or fidget while stake conference is going on, and enforced that for the practices. Arrange the children so the most well-behaved children are in the center and those who are more easily distracted are on the edges. I moved the children until I had the arrangement that worked. This was as simple as saying "Sally, please change places with Jill". If they can't behave, you need to know that and deal with it NOW, not in Stake Conference. You will need to judge whether or not you need additional adults to sit with the children. I recommend an adult at each end of each row or alternate rows, but you may not be able to if choir seating is an issue.

You may need to teach them some musical skills so that their voices carry and blend. Teach them to sing from their diaphragm. Have them put their hands on their stomachs and tell them to pretend they are sipping through a straw. That is what it feels like when they breathe from their diaphragm. Then have them sing just one note "ahhhhhhhhhh" until their breath runs out.

Teach them that they need to open their mouths so the sound can get out. You can demonstrate this by letting them hum, and then having them sing a note with their mouths wide open.

Teach them what your hand movements mean, by telling them as you do it - what does it mean when beating time, loud, soft, holding the note, etc. Have them practice standing and sitting.

Tell them it is important where they put their hands while they sing. They may clasp them in front, behind or hold them straight at their sides. I asked them "Where should you put your hends when you sing?" at odd intervals during each of our rehearsals. By the end of the 2nd one, everyone could both answer the question and remember to actually do it when they were singing. I finally relented and allowed the boys to put their hands in their pockets because it kept them still.

Give them cues. One of mine was to watch for when I stood on the box. When I stepped up, that meant that the next thing was to watch my hands so they knew when to stand. Have them smile. You may need to deal with some children who are either not singing loudly enough or singing too loud, and teach them to blend. You can say something like, "Sally, listen to Karen and Joe and try to match how loudly/softly they are singing." When they get it right, praise them to the skies. When it sounds great, tell them so!

If the children don't know the harmony part, you could have those children come 1/2 hour earlier than the others. Most chlldren can learn harmony, but they need to be taught it as though it was an alternate melody. If you have the children sing harmony, do have a helper - another adult who will lead one of the parts (your choice - I usually sing the harmony part so I can focus on that) and sing with one group so they know who to watch and don't get confused, at least until they are confident, then have both parts join together and watch you, and your helper can step aside.

Most important of all, remind them to "sing their testimony" and if you feel the Spirit during rehearsals, point it out. I sometimes ask "Did you feel that?" Describe what you are feeling so they can recognize it too.

During our rehearsals, I stressed over and over how important it was for them to watch me. I told them I might be nervous too, so if they were watching and I made a mistake, we would all make the same mistake together and no one but our pianist would know. Well, of course, I did make a mistake, BUT they were watching, and the only one who was confused was our wonderful pianist who figured out where we were and played along as though nothing was wrong. It was great. Afterwards, several children said, "Sister, you made a mistake but we were watching." I was so proud of them.

In the end, remember to have fun with them. This really is a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Enjoy it, and try to help them enjoy it too, Hope this helps! Good luck!