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Choral Caffeine: Recruiting for Church Choir

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One of the non-musical tasks every choral conductors has to perform is recruiting singers. Okay, I know there are a couple schools in the country where a staggeringly high percentage of student sing in choir, the rest of us poor mortals have to sell, sell, sell!  It’s even harder in a church.  In an educational environment, choral ensembles are generally part of a curricular offering – a church has no such motivator.
 
Lee Barrow might have formulated at least a partial recruiting solution for the church choir director.  In his article “‘Choir Lite’ – Less Time, Just as Filling!” (ACDA Southern Division Newsletter, Fall 2008), Lee shares his method for recruiting singers for a limited time – it seems rather like ‘trial offers’ so many firms use to motivate consumers to try their services.  
 
As Lee puts it, “I developed several yearly invitations to join the choir with a short-term commitment which I designated ‘Short-Term Choir’ or ‘Choir Lite.’ At least twice each year, I advertised the idea, which included a six-week period leading up to a major performance occurring most often at Christmas and Easter.”
 
Did it work?  Lee said, “The short-term commitment got them in the door, but the camaraderie and sense of fulfillment kept them coming back. This method of recruitment was far more successful than all of my previous efforts combined.”
 
(To access the full article, simply click the highlighted title. For additional articles on a dazzling array of choral topics, visit  ChorTeach.)
 

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  1. Hi Friends:  I’ve just had my “lessons and carols” service on Dec 11th with my 1st time singers and Junior church kids (10 kids) from our church, mostly made up of mostly our Philipiano congreation and it was a huge success. I picked carols that were new and old to them and had many people come up to me afterwards and say that they want to join the choir. We are involved in a contemporary worship setting, with three  worship band/ teams..however the  husband and wife pastors (who were both in the choir) want the choir to participate in worship once a month. I’m thrilled! The Junior Church Coordinator excitedly came up to me and said, “Ian, when are you going to be working with the kids again, they loved working with you…and want to work with you again very soon!”  All of my 40 years of choral and vocal training is paying off…this is so rewarding, I’m hoping for a future 60 voice Senior Choir and our church loves to sing. This experience really made my Christmas 2011!    

  2. I have also tried the short-term committment thing, with some success.  I don’t get many new regular choir members from it, but people lead busy lives.  Those who can do church choir generally do it.  And my regulars don’t mind- and in fact enjoy- the “short- termers,” particularly if all are putting in the same rehearsal time.

  3. I have tried the short term choir thing, but I always have very mixed feelings about this.  It’s a good way to bolster the choir numbers at critical times, and of course, you hope they stay, but I do feel it’s a bit unfair to the choir members who come every week faithfully, not just for the “fun” bits.
     
    Mari Reive

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