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CJ Replay: Igniting Senior Voices in Multigenerational Choirs

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The February 2017 issue of Choral Journal features an article titled “Passing the Torch: Igniting Senior Voices in Multigenerational Choirs” by Victoria Meredith. You can read it in its entirety online at acda.org/choraljournal. Click “Search Archives” and choose February 2017 from the dropdown menu.
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A multigenerational choir provides an opportunity for singers of all ages to learn with, from, and about each other as they make music together. Depending upon the ages of the members of the ensemble, increased challenges in repertoire selection and rehearsal techniques confront the conductor seeking to achieve musical satisfaction for all. The thrust of this article is to address the age group most prevalent in multigenerational and intergenerational choirs: seniors. Many multigenerational choirs combine senior adults and younger singers of various ages. A brief survey of some typical types of choirs that incorporate seniors is presented below, followed by suggested guidelines for repertoire selection and related rehearsal techniques. There are several reasons for such a focus.

1) As adults mature, vocal changes often occur that make them uncomfortable singing in the choir or unsure that they are making a meaningful contribution to the group. This might be viewed as similar to what adolescents experience when their voices are changing.

2) Most formal training for conductors is focused on working with children and young adult to middle-aged singers. Normally, little attention is paid to vocal changes that aging adults might be experiencing.

3) There are many fine resources about working with children, adolescents, young adults, and beyond but few devoted specifically to conducting senior adults. At a time when the fastest-growing segment of the population consists of retired people, this is a gap that needs to be addressed for conductors working with that age group.

4) Repertoire selection guidelines and rehearsal suggestions that are essential for choral success with older singers can also benefit younger choir members.
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There is usually a specific purpose for combining singers of various age demographics. Each ensemble has its own reasons for being formed and its own musical and non-musical goals to be met. Membership in multigenerational groups may be by audition or open to all and may include many styles of musical repertoire. One aspect they all have in common, however, is a wide age span, creating unique challenges for the conductor.

The conductor of a multigenerational choir must ask several questions. The answers will probably reveal both musical and non-musical facets that will have a direct impact on the music selected and on the approaches taken to working with the group.

What is the function of this choir?
Who are these different age groups of singers being combined?
Why are they being combined?
How can I best meet the individual and collective needs of the groups in this combination?

People sing in choirs for many reasons as they seek to achieve aesthetic, social, spiritual, psychological, and physical goals. When asked why they sing in a choir, individuals of all ages often reply that they “just love to sing” or that “singing makes me happy.” Why they sing in a specific choir is often related both to favorable personal interactions with that particular group of people and to the types of music that the group performs.

While there is an ever-growing list of physical benefits to be gained through singing, from lowered blood pressure to a heightened immune system, for most singers these are not the primary reasons that they devote their time and energy to choral singing. In fact, most are not aware of these potential benefits. Commitment to a choir is more likely to be explained by a balance between the musical or social aspects of choral singing.

An intergenerational or multigenerational choir offers the added dimension of experiencing the universality of singing by combining voices with people across the lifespan. It is the conductor’s responsibility to make the experience musically meaningful for singers of all ages.

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Read the rest of this article (and more!) in the February 2017 issue of Choral Journal, available online at acda.org.

CJ Replay: Expanding Students' Musical and Vocal Ideals in an Urban Community Children's Choir

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The February 2016 issue of Choral Journal features an article titled “Discovering Voices: Expanding Students’ Musical and Vocal Ideals in an Urban Community Children’s Choir” by Nicole Becker and Jeanne Goffi-Fynn. You can read it in its entirety online at acda.org/choraljournal. Click “Search Archives” and choose February 2016 from the dropdown menu. Below is an excerpt of the article.
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“Singing here I feel trapped and oppressed in one voice,” Jewel, age 12, wrote in her first choir reflection.

An experienced gospel singer at church, Jewel wrote this shortly after joining a choir in which, for the first time, she was encouraged to engage her head voice. The intensity of her reaction illustrates the significance of the issue this article addresses: frequently, as choir directors seek to broaden students’ vocal and musical palettes, students perceive a mismatch between their teachers’ ideals and their own. It is critical to acknowledge this mismatch and the tension it creates, because the way students sing and the way they respond to choral training are influenced tremendously by the way they want to sing.

Singers whose musical ideals diff er from those of their choral directors will only engage in choir if they feel welcomed, respected, and empowered. This article offers an approach to choral training that seeks to broaden children’s musical ideals and abilities by training them in healthy, flexible vocal technique within a rehearsal environment that values and nurtures students’ diverse forms of musicality. The goal is to empower young people to discover their voices. Literally this means unleashing the potential of their singing voices.

In a larger, figurative, sense, it means leading singers to realize that their voices—their opinions, interests, ideas, and other authentic expressions of themselves—matter. This approach has been developed through our work with a non-auditioned community chorus for children ages 10-14, based at an urban graduate school of education.

Voice training is personal work. Our voices provide our first and most deeply instinctual way of communicating in our environment, and our voices are thoroughly shaped by our conscious and unconscious sense of who we are. How we speak and sing are not only vehicles for our self-expression, they are an embodiment of it. As Mora Andrews writes, “Our identity is projected through our voice.”

Thus, we approach voice work as a holistic process involving myriad interrelated psychological, social, and physiological factors. Working together as the music director and the voice specialist of a children’s choir, we address these overlapping factors as we work with our students over time, seeking combinations of approaches that will enable children to discover their voices and share them with pride. Vocal work is integrated with other musical work throughout the process; sometimes we address vocal technique directly, and other times we cultivate singers’ natural musical responses in order to guide their approach to singing. We seek to create an environment in which students feel safe and encouraged to share their voices fully.

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Read the rest of this article (and more!) in the February 2016 issue of Choral Journal, available online at acda.org.

CJ Replay: Interview with Ann Howard Jones

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The May 2015 issue of Choral Journal features an article titled “About the Music: An Interview with Ann Howard Jones” by Sean Burton. You can read it in its entirety online at acda.org/choraljournal. Click “Search Archives” and choose May 2015 from the dropdown menu. Below is an excerpt from that article.
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What was your childhood formation as a musician?
I was surrounded by music from as early as I can remember. It was an era when most households had a piano whether it was played or not, and while my mother could play a little, her mother was an active church organist and singer. One of my first memories was begging to go to my grandmother’s church to watch rehearsal. I don’t know why exactly, but I was fascinated by what was going on.

On the other side of the family, everyone was playing instruments by ear. It used to amaze me how they could do that so well. My grandfather would sit at the piano and improvise songs for us on Sunday afternoons. I am not sure what kind of impact that ultimately made, but it certainly was not unusual for music to be constantly present in our household.

Remember, I grew up in the small town of Cresco on the far reaches of eastern Iowa, and much of the music making was in the home. Because of programs like Community Concerts, we heard the Robert Shaw Chorale, the Roger Wagner Chorale, and other groups of that level on tour, but mostly the music we experienced was that which we made.

Would you share some thoughts on how you train conductors?
It is important that every student be very well-informed historically and analytically, so there is a significant emphasis on advanced studies in music history and theory here at Boston University. The platform from which we come merits study, and to be credible artistic leaders, we must know it thoroughly. We have to know how the music is constructed and its context in order to reveal the composer’s intent. The more well-informed, historically grounded, and analytically secure a conductor can be, the stronger they can lead.

Conducting students should always participate in ensembles, because they have to know not only how to lead ensembles but how to be in ensembles. In terms of how we teach teachers, I think the conductor should establish some basic disciplines then strive to attain that which may seem unattainable by encouraging ownership from the musicians from day one. Let’s not forget there is also the need to be able to express oneself. We lean heavily on the ability to speak articulately and how to utilize gesture effectively and appropriately.

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Read the rest of this article (and more!) in the May 2015 issue of Choral Journal, available online at acda.org.

Choral Conversation: Rosephanye Powell

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Choral Journal’s ongoing column called Choral Conversations” features interviews with noted choral conductors and composers. The seventh interview in this series took place with Rosephanye Powell in the March 2020 issue.

You can read the interview in its entirety online at acda.org/choraljournal. Click “Search Archives” and choose March 2020 from the dropdown menu.
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What is more important to you: the text or the music?

In one sense, I consider the text to be of primary importance since the text is the message to be communicated. In another sense, the music is of equal importance with the text. In addition to providing harmonic support, the music plays an equal role with the text in communicating the message and meaning of the text. I begin composition by immersing myself in the text, repeating and memorizing the text in addition to reading about the poet.

Through this immersion, the music begins to develop as I seek to express the sentiment and heart of the message awakened in me. The rhythm of the poetry influences the rhythm of the melody and the shape of the vocal line. The mood and energy experienced as I recite the poetry determine the text setting, tempo, form, rhythms, and harmonies. In contrast to the spoken word alone, music can serve to enhance the meaning of the text, painting mental pictures of it for the performer and listener. At the same time, music can detract from and betray the meaning of the text if its marriage to the poetry is not given serious consideration in composition.

What advice do you give composers who are entering the field today?

The advice I off er is to strive to develop one’s craft and distinct voice compositionally. The development of a career in composition is one that requires patience and persistence. I caution composers not to compose for the sake of composing. Rather, compose because one has a message to share or a story to tell through music. Then, people “get it” and connect to it. From lessons learned while a young composer, I inform composers to submit to one publisher at a time and wait several months before submitting to another. They should be sure to get a poet’s permission before setting their poem to music.

Also, when arranging someone else’s music, composers should be sure to obtain permission from the composer to do so. Finally, if one is having difficulty being accepted by an established publisher, consider self-publishing through one’s own website. Or, consider working with a non-traditional publisher who will allow the composer to keep ownership while providing online exposure and distribution for a fee or a small percentage of the sales.

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Read the rest of this interview (and more!) in the March 2020 issue of Choral Journal.

Choral Conversation: Emma Lou Diemer

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Choral Journal’s ongoing column called Choral Conversations” features interviews with noted choral conductors and composers. The second interview in this series took place with Emma Lou Diemer in the May 2019 issue.

You can read the interview in its entirety online at acda.org/choraljournal. Click “Search Archives” and choose May 2019 from the dropdown menu.
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How do you select texts for your choral works?

I look for texts that are not wordy, not “preachy,” not burdened by overly weighty thoughts that do not need to be set to music. I like poems about nature, love, joy, praise, remembrance, sadness, texts that have rhythm, imagery, sometimes humor. Brevity is an asset because words/phrases can be repeated. (Some of us have written works using just the word “Hallelujah!) Emily Dickinson is a favorite of composers perhaps because of her brevity and depth and quantity. The lightness and rhythm of Renaissance poets is enticing.

When looking through sources I find that the first line is the most important, and that ensuing ideas/images need to be striking, moving. A text becomes more vivid and understandable as one sets it to music and finds inspiration in the sounds of certain words and their meaning. In a recent work written for the Huntsville (AL) Master Chorale, the poet at the time of the writing of the poem was ten years old, and she had won first place in a Young Writers contest. Her poem, “My Apple Orchard” has a fl ow that poems must have and an innovative use of punctuation: “Inside my orchard, summer green. Quiet. Gentle. Still. Serene…Lush grass shadowed by bushes…” I found the word “shadowed” especially conducive to repetition and the pauses easy to set.

Never feel that composers are so interested in the music they are writing that the words have no importance. It is the sound of words that encourage the music. Of course, the Bible has some of the most beautiful texts in existence. I have set almost all the psalms either vocally or chorally or for instruments.

Looking back at your career, what impact, if any, did your gender have on your development?

This is a huge aspect. Women composers can readily be accepted as the writer of piano pieces for children, songs (especially pop songs that are popular, whether it is known that a woman composed them or not), perhaps short organ compositions. But women have written masses, symphonies, concertos, much of it neglected or of short life. I’m sure there was (and still is) a great deal of impact especially regarding publication and performance. Female composers may tend to be looked upon with suspicion by publishers and performers unless there is a women’s festival or a conscious effort and need/obligation to include music by women. However, women composers of music for film have become prominent and outstanding. I would not like to be labeled a “choral composer” or “organ composer,” etc., any more than men have liked to have those labels when they have written music in many kinds of mediums. My main interest is to write music, and it has been a great joy to do so for most of my ninety-one years.

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Read the rest of this interview (and more!) in the May 2019 issue of Choral Journal.

Choral Conversation: Carol Beynon

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Choral Journal’s ongoing column called Choral Conversations” features interviews with noted choral conductors and composers. The fifth interview in this series took place with Carol Beynon in the October 2017 issue.

You can read the interview in its entirety online at acda.org/choraljournal. Click “Search Archives” and choose October 2017 from the dropdown menu.
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You are the founding and co-artistic director of the Amabile Boys and Men’s Choirs of London, Canada, and work extensively with men’s choirs. Gender identity is one of your research subject areas. As a female conductor, do you address masculine identity in rehearsal settings with male singers?

It’s interesting that you ask about gender because I was challenged recently, yet again, about being a woman conductor of male choirs. It’s definitely not a question that would ever be asked of a man conducting any kind of choir, and it assumes a rigid binary of genders that we now know to be a societal, hierarchical construction.

With respect to masculinities, focusing on our singers’ individual and collective identities is multifaceted and complex terrain. Having a “male-only” choir has actually helped us recruit more boys and men to singing such that I believe we may have the largest community-based, male choral organization in Canada. There is a body of literature that expounds the advantages of single gender learning, which I won’t go into here except to say that in terms of increasing the number of males singing, this model has worked well for us.

While we work with boys and men from age eight and up, masculine identity is not something we talk overtly about; rather, we live it through our experiences and expectations of singing and travelling together. Character development, for example, is part of our mission, and we promote that in various ways—through repertoire that focuses on aspects like social justice, solidarity, acceptance, inclusion, peace, and cultural diversity, to name a few.

Within the choirs, we deconstruct and make explicit texts and musical motifs that help us see the world through different lenses. We talk about how music can be a powerful form of communication to deal with life’s complexities in a shared way. Singing can help us to understand and deal with sensitive topics. We also involve the boys and men in professional workshops on male singing with leading music teachers and conductors; in these sessions, they openly discuss the impact of singing on their sense of self and being; how it impacts not just their musicianship but forces them to question their own values, ideologies, and their ever-changing identity. It’s interesting to note that when they perform publicly, the boys and men present a different view of masculinity from the norm to their audiences, and they are often questioned about that.

What advice do you have for young conductors?

The greatest gift a conductor can give herself is to become a sponge. I recommend that all conductors—young and old—observe (or better yet, sing with) as many conductors as possible. Watch everyone, and rather than be critical of what they might be doing, ask yourself what you can learn. If you hear or see something that’s exceptional (or not), try to analyze why that is. Question, question, question! Talk to people; talk to yourself! Watch carefully, analyze, question, and open your mind to the informal learning opportunities that surround you each and every day.

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Read the rest of this interview (and more!) in the October 2017 issue of Choral Journal.

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