5 Dumb Things Directors Say to Their Choirs

The music director is a Transformational Leader. Leaders get things done. Leaders know how things get done. Leaders influence others in the following ways:

1. Positively
2. Negatively
3. Neutrally

The choice is yours. Which do you choose?

Music directors have a specific amount of time to influence people and produce a final result that is of the highest quality. Leaders are judged by results created. The results created by musical directors are immediately evident, so we are, as conductors, as good as our most recent result. Staying on top of our game as leaders in a music environment is dependent on consistency and clarity of purpose.

Leaders teach others how to behave, it's more obvious and directly apparent with music than in organizational non-musical functions, however, there are many similarities.

This month's Monday Morning Email's "Leadership Tools" will focus on the leadership skills of the musical director. These skills create high quality musical performances. These skills are also transferrable to non-musical functions. The musical conductor can set the bar for a high standard of leadership excellence because as a musical conductor, we understand that paradigm. Our leadership influence extends past the musical ensemble, however, the musical ensemble represents the core of high functioning which is inspired and maintained by the musical conductor as leader.

Over the next 12 months, Leadership Tools will highlight examples of leadership from the perspective of the musical conductor.

This month: Dumb Things Directors Say to Their Choirs.

1. "Circle the Note!"

After missing a note the director says to the choir (or section) "circle the note." Don't deny it, you most likely have said this at one time or another over the years. So, what's wrong with this statement? The choir (or a noticeable part of the choir) missed a note, a rhythm, a dynamic, or something else. You want them to learn from that mistake and not repeat it - correct. Well, if the singers simply circle the note, etc. then they have indicated that there was (and is) a problem to fix. The error in this directive is lack of specificity. What is the correction? What will rectify the error? How will the singer know what to do when they return to this place when singing in performance? They will simply know that there was an error and might develop stress over that problem when singing that section.

The correct leadership directive is to instruct the singers on how to mark the section so that the correction is obvious when singing again. When directors say to an amateur choir, "Mark your music," many singers don't understand HOW to mark the music so that the remedy is evident. Create a short list of marking or symbols and teach the choir how and when to use them. For example, some common errors are:

• Too large an interval when singing a descending phrase - use an up arrow it indicate keeping the pitch up
• Surprise dynamic or other marking after a page turn - use a "look" symbol with glasses and an arrow pointing to the page turn which is several beats before the end of the page (by the way, I am convinced that music publishers pay bonuses to editors that place a major surprise right after a page turn!)
• Diction, vowels, consonant placement, etc. - teach IPA symbols or use another way for clearly marking these important places. We want to lecture about the rules, but making sure that these rules are universally applied is key to making great music
• Endings such as final 'd' or 't' or 's'. - We tell them where we want it, but having them mark a specific placement for these is key

The bottom line: When giving directions in musical situations and in non-musical situations be specific. If you want specific results, give specific directives. Don't assume.

2. "Watch the Director!"

Certainly people have heard this statement before, so why so we repeat it like they have never been told this? They may not look because there is little reason to look. Or when they don't look, you don't address it nonverbally.

My simple definition of a leader is three-fold: 1. a leader is a person who gets things done; 2. a leader is a person who knows how things get done; and 3. a leader influences others. The musical director is a transformational leader - first transforming singers into a choir, then transforming the choir into an ensemble. Musical directors can lead a spiritual transformation in people's lives. We impact people with our every action. So, getting singers to watch is a leadership issue. Be compelling and engaging. Be intentional in teaching singers what your movements mean. Be prepared so your nose is not in the music. I remember Lloyd Pfautsch teaching me that many, if not most, of the mistakes a choir makes are directed mistakes.

The bottom line: If your choir (or committee) is not actively engaged, look in the mirror and decide how you can inspire a change. Be intentional. Be inspiring. Be what you want to see reflected in those whom you lead, musically and in other settings.

 

3. "Speak the Text"

We teach people to sing differently than they speak, so when we ask them to speak the text to clarify the rhythm, pronunciation, or just get familiar with a complex text, we are teaching them to do what we don't want them to do - that is, to sing with speaking diction and not singing diction.

When learning complex texts under the baton of Robert Shaw (such as the Mozart Verpers), he would ask the choir to sing the text on a single note. This gave us a chance to rehears the complex Latin text without adding the extra focus of having to think about the pitches. As you may know, Shaw would also have choir sing the notes using his famous "count singing" technique to learn the pitches and rhythms independent of the text. Next, he added this technique to learn the text independent of the pitches. Finally, we got to sing the music as written.

The bottom line: We teach those whom we lead how to function in the system we have created. In musical settings, we teach people to rehearse properly and to learn the fundamentals of the music so they can be free to let the spirit of the music emerge. If we master fundamentals, we are able to be fully present to let the artistry emerge. In non-musical settings, like committee meetings, we teach members to under-function when we over-function. We also do not use our musical rehearsal planning skills to plan meetings. Plan for results, then plan how to get there. Rehearse excellence in meetings and develop a culture of excellence in the team. Meeting or rehearsal - it's the same - rehearse for excellence or rehearse for mediocrity - it's your choir. You are the leader.

4. "You are Singing Too Loud"

The dynamics are written in the music and the singers may not be paying attention. Or maybe your key tenor or soprano just needs more attention, so they sing too loud. Saying that they are too loud is ok, but like in #1 above, the instruction is not specific - how loud? Maybe the entire choir is singing forte and the marking is piano. Then, the correction is just that - why are you singing forte when the music indicates piano.  

We go for compliance when we should be going for commitment. We want singers to be responsible for what's written in their music so we can guide the music making and shape the final result. If we constantly have to spoon-feed singers with defining what's already notated in the music, then we are teaching them to under-function.

The bottom line: In both musical and non-musical settings, create a culture of high performance teamwork. Ask for excellence and teach participants how to achieve it. By the way, the Transformational Leader is also the cheerleader. Reward excellence with praise - it goes a long way to improving enthusiasm and commitment.

5. "Why Did You Sing the Wrong Note?"

It is not typical that people intentionally sing the wrong note or rhythm, so why blame people for trying? Once in a rehearsal for a major performance, Robert Shaw addressed a soprano who had missed the same note, three times in succession. In response to her plea of, "I'm sorry." Shaw replied, "Don't apologize, just slit your throat!" Funny, yes, but demoralizing to the soprano. However, the rest of the section did not miss that note (nor did she).

We certainly are frustrated when people make what we feel are stupid mistakes, however, the mistake might not be stupid to them. We all have a different frame of reference and a different set of skills. Volunteer choir singers are there to serve and to enjoy making music together. A critical word from us can really damage the relationship as well as their spirit.

The bottom line: It is most likely that a singer did not intend to sing the wrong note, so don't be harsh when correcting the problem. Be specific and identify the problem and give a specific correction. It might mean playing the part so they can hear the interval. When volunteers show up for rehearsals, meetings, or other events they show up because they want to be there. When you raise the bar on excellence, you raise the satisfaction level for everyone, especially the volunteer. Raise the bar and provide the nurture that enables people to increase their ability to achieve excellence.