All of us struggle with putting together an effective, efficient, and affective program. Almost always we are left only partially satisfied with the result, the response, the overall flow and sequence, and the long-lasting impact of the program on our singers’ lives.
There are several steps that seem essential to consider as you begin the process towards a great program for any ensemble and audience. Study: Enjoy the endless hours of finding the great repertoire that honors all of the qualities that are a part of your choir. Consider all of the hidden talents that are on those risers! Use all of the resources at your immediate disposal in the case of thousands of instantly downloadable pieces, recordings, and trusted colleagues that can assist in unlocking this rich safe of choral masterworks for singers of all ages and abilities. Enjoy the messiness of the process, don’t get locked down too early, first find all of the best possible repertoire for each group. Use only the best publishers and their best music along with repertoire from every genre as well over the duration of a student generation of singers.
Voice matters! Consider carefully the tessitura, the age of the singers, the range of the score, the dynamic and flexibility demands, the gender of your singers, their respective maturity, and thousands of other factors. Know that they will love to sing anything that you believe in but may not be able to at the present moment. A careful diagnosis and full realization of their present skill sets is critical before finalizing your program.
Finally you must make the selection. Consider carefully its purpose in this program, with these students, at this moment in time. Know your singers, beyond their voice; how deeply do they think, what is their maturity level, poetic literacy, group identity? What keys have you selected, how has the rhythmic flow been conceived. Is there a sameness to the meter of the pieces? Is the harmonic language unique for each piece? Does the texture vary enough? Are there aspects of unpredictability and transcendence that are captivating even for your 5th grade choir? Does it balance?
Unto the final stage, synthesizing your program. Give it time to ferment. Have you carefully conceived of all of the logistics? Have you developed the program design fully, does the program order work? Is the instrumentation enhancing the overall effect? Have you considered how best to involve the audience: when should they applaud, when should they sing, how can they become involved in the process? What is the impact at any given moment in the program? How do you want your singers to feel, your audience?
Putting together a stimulating program requires many hours and a great amount of reflective time. Your personal study, and final selections, as well as your synthesis is critical to overall success.
(The ACDA National Conference is just one of the many benefits of membership in the American Choral Directors Association. Join ACDA today.)
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