"I'm hearing a lot of..."

"Some people find fault like there is a reward for it."
                                                                  -Zig Ziglar

Managing quirky personalities is one of the most challenging (but also fun) aspects of choral conducting. You must have a genuine affection for people's quirks in order to be a successful choral conductor. Indeed, without a sincere appreciation for those little eccentricities, it would be hard to make it through even one rehearsal.

In this post, we'd like to address what Chuck Prestinari, Chorus Master of the San Diego Opera, calls the "section police". You know those well-meaning souls, the ones who offer artistic suggestions thinly disguised as questions: "Did you want a pure 'oo' or more of a Southern California 'eeww'? Because I'm hearing a lot of 'eewww'." How a conductor handles these "questions" (aka forward suggestions to that person sitting behind and to the left of the chorister asking) can be a deciding factor in whether or not the conductor or the choristers are running the rehearsal.

We've already discussed at length the issue of taking questions during rehearsal. We are of the opinion that the conductor should exude such a clear sense of purpose that choristers don't have an inclination to pose extraneous questions. But there will always be those individuals (who really are well-meaning, and often leaders in the choir) who feel the need to voice their immediate concerns, even when those are completely unrelated to the conductor's goal for that moment or rehearsal.

"I'm hearing a lot of" is another way of saying, "I know you're working on teaching us notes and rhythms right now, but I'm way ahead of everyone else so I want to work on vowel shape". In later rehearsals, it could also mean "I know you gave this direction once in an earlier rehearsal, and I feel like I'm the only singer in the section who is doing what you have asked." The goal of both of these statements is indeed to get the best overall sound from the section; however, that goal may not (and often doesn't) match the current goal of the conductor. If the conductor found that particular issue to be an immediate problem, he or she would have addressed it.

How does a conductor approach the "I'm hearing a lot of..." issue, without making a chorister feel unimportant or unvalued? It may seem natural to simply allow the chorister to have the floor for a moment, since more often than not the chorister is pointing out a valid issue. But we've seen this practice turn a well-planned rehearsal into absolute chaos on more than one occasion. If the choristers begin to sense that they can so easily distract you from your rehearsal plan, it can quickly devolve into a free-for-all.

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KRISHAN: When I first started conducting, I was extremely sensitive and took everything personally. Looking back, I was actually quite thin-skinned, because I wasn't yet confident in my abilities. Back then, I tended to interpret any question that wasn't aligned with my immediate agenda as a challenge.

As I've matured as a conductor, I've come to recognize the good intentions behind these questions, and I've become much more patient and good-humored about interruptions. But I'm still fairly relentless in executing my rehearsal plan, so I always prefer to avoid getting bogged down in secondary (or tertiary) concerns. When people in my rehearsals say, "I'm hearing a lot of 'eww'", my go-to response is usually, "Yeah, 'oo' would be good. But I'm not really worried about that right now." I try to gently validate the chorister's point, while at the same time making it clear that there are other more important issues at the moment.

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KIRSTEN: At Point Loma Nazarene University, music majors are required to sing in Choral Union each semester. The Choral Union produces a performance of Handel's Messiah every December, and presents another large choral masterwork in the spring. This choir is made up of an average of 125-150 undergraduate music majors, music minors, and community singers who are interested in participating. This creates a wide variety of vocal quality, experience, and knowledge among the choir- and this is the setting where I first noticed the plague of "I'm hearing a lot of."

Several college students would often want to point out throughout the rehearsal what they were hearing from other members of the chorus who, though perhaps more experienced in years of singing, were not currently studying voice and music theory as intensely as the student. Our conductor, Dr. Keith Pedersen, would politely address their concerns while still moving forward with his detailed rehearsal plan (down to the minute.)

What these students sorely lacked was the "big picture" mentality that a conductor needs to have. Though the person next to you may have less-than-perfect vowel shapes and diction, the conductor is listening to the sound of each section and the choir as a whole. The number of singers performing with correct vowel shape/diction could easily be enough to create the sound that the conductor is looking for, regardless of the discrepancies of a few other singers.

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We encourage singers to trust their conductor, and if they have a concern about another singer's vocal technique, to bring their concern to the conductor before rehearsal, after rehearsal, or during a break. As conductors, we care immensely about the sound of each individual singer, but we also have to put first the sound of the group. Taking questions before or after rehearsal gives the conductor the ability to decide how to address an individual singer's concerns without being put on the spot during a rehearsal.

Our choristers need to feel valued, and need to know that their opinion matters. While we don't want to get caught off-guard during rehearsal, we still need to be aware of how our stronger choristers feel about the sound of their section. At the same time, we must deflect veiled criticisms of other singers, and constantly foster an environment where singers of diverse backgrounds can work together respectfully.