Magazine Article - Sing Up - Let's get the whole place singing!

Setting up a choir is as inspiring and rewarding as it is enjoyable. Directors and participants of the Chorister Outreach Programme (COP) explains how to get started - and keep going.

Forming a new choir can be a daunting prospect but, remember, you do not have to "go it alone"! A team approach is fun, effective and less exhausting ï¿½ parents, as well as fellow teachers, are a source of people who may help you out, so get them involved.

Like many projects, choirs tend to flourish when they have a clear purpose, so begin by finding an exciting performance goal to aim for. If you need help, itï¿½s likely that your local Music Service organises concerts. Or, you could get in touch with your local church to sing at a service or just ask them if you can use it as a venue. You could also get in touch with your local hospice/care home.

First steps

Start by involving those children who you already know love to sing and choose a time that's easy for everyone. Fit it around their existing timetable - lunch time, break time, immediately after school - trying to avoid clashing with popular clubs and activities.

Choose some music that youï¿½re confident you can teach and the children will respond to. Plan your rehearsals so that they are simple to lead, beginning with unison songs. Later, you can move on to rounds and eventually harmony singing via descants and partner songs - kids love a "mash up".

Give the choir an immediate goal: perhaps a simple opportunity to show off what the children have achieved by performing a favourite song in assembly (an excellent opportunity to encourage others to join, too).

The next level

Once you are up and running youï¿½ll eventually need to develop your choir further. Sometimes this is as simple as choosing a challenging but exciting new project. You could contact your local choral society/adult choir and see if they want to join forces for a special occasion. Some of the most successful work in our projects has been working alongside adults ï¿½ both professional and amateur - giving children a real sense of how they might sing in the future.

One of the thrills of forming a choir is to hear the initial raw enthusiasm gel into a blended sound. It is important that you work on improving singing technique and vocal health so personal study at this stage is vital. Lynette Alcantara, professional vocal coach and animateur for Kingï¿½s College, Cambridge COP, offers the following advice:

- Hydration - drink plenty of water to lubricate the vocal folds.

- Good posture - will enable your singers to do their best, improving the sound and looking good too! Chests should be broad and spines elongated. Donï¿½t allow children to sing sitting on the floor as they will strain their necks upwards to look at you, entrenching bad vocal and postural habits.

- Efficient breathing - prevents neck tension, ensures good intonation (tuning) and tone, and increases vocal stamina. Allow the air in rather than forcing it in. Shoulders should never rise when inhaling!

Celebration time

We all know that children enjoy celebrating their achievements so create opportunities for this. You should also involve older children as leaders in order to retain their interest. Former Lichfield Cathedral chorister Eleanor Sterland says that ï¿½as a music student it's a great way for me to learn and see how music can be taughtï¿½. Itï¿½s a perfect way to nurture the talent that you have already developed.

One of the great difficulties in running a choir is battling with the enormous amount of pressure on children's time in today's world, which can often mean the loss of members. Retention is a major issue for maintaining the quality of your choir. Paul Morris, Director of Music at St Peter's Collegiate Church in Wolverhampton, adds that it's important to ensure that there are, "events that enable the children to bond and team build outside the choir, such as social and sporting activities and visits. Above all, they have to feel that they're achieving their musical potential - not just once at a big occasion, but day by day and week by week. A little individual praise goes a long way."

However, never forget that itï¿½s your enthusiasm and enjoyment of singing that's the most important part of running a choir. Fran Loretto, Primary Teacher and Singing Leader, believes that "giving people the confidence and power to sing together and knowing that you have enabled that, is the best feeling in the world".

Non-musical practicalities

Always take a register - ask parents to forewarn you of any absences to instil a sense of commitment.

Consider all health and safety/child protection issues in advance. A good rehearsal space ensures a satisfying rehearsal.

Connecting with the children

- Consider varied ways of learning: include physical exercises for the kinaesthetic, listening exercises to help the auditory, and plenty of visual cues for visual learners.

- Make sure you use engaging metaphors and teach songs in unexpected ways.

- Why not try using over-the-top actions, which can be effective in aiding learning and retention, eg. Ainï¿½t no mountain high enough contains ample opportunity for enthusiastic physical participation!

- Play to your own strengths and personality - children really respond to leaders who work naturally.

Structuring the rehearsal

- Begin by making sure everybody is clear about the objectives.

- NEVER skip a warm-up - your ears and their voices will pay for it later in the rehearsal. Look in the Voice Box online for some ideas. See whether the songs you intend to teach contain phrases that can be extracted and turned into exercises.

- Always start and finish the actual rehearsal with pieces that they know, like and enjoy. This ensures that they begin on a high and finish with a sense of success.

- Include short songs that can be learnt quickly (giving a sense of achievement) with songs that require more concentrated learning.

- Vary the pace and method of teaching - teach some songs aurally and others (particularly those using unusual languages) with the lyrics/music to develop aural and reading skills.