Pop Music ≠ Bad Technique

"There can be nothing exclusive about substantial art. It comes directly out of the heart of the experience of life and thinking about life and living life."
                                                                                           -Charles Ives


Perhaps you've seen a middle school choir dance. You've probably heard a middle school choir sing.

What is more rare, however, is a 6th grade choir singing a pop song from the radio in a beautiful, light head voice with perfectly blended vowels and exquisite technique - each performer totally engaged in the song and dance moves.

Andrea Squires from Desert Canyon Middle School is doing it right with her 6th grade chorus - so much so that after their concert, their performance video went viral. In this news clip, Ms. Squires states that prior to singing the arrangement of the popular Silentó song, her choir performed an aria from a Handel opera. Her students, obviously well rounded in their education and singing technique, performed "Watch Me" complete with dance moves - which sparked conversation between choral educators and conductors nationwide on social media and in forums. We've decided to take this opportunity to discuss the benefits of performing pop music with healthy choral technique.

https://www.facebook.com/FOX10Phoenix/videos/1037333936315153/

Modern pop music offers an unprecedented array of musical challenges. Complex syncopated rhythms, dramatic register shifts and close harmonies are just a few of the difficult aspects inherent in this repertoire. As choral conductors, we need to be fluent in a variety of musical styles: everything from 16th century madrigals to 19th century church anthems, to gospel, 21st century minimalism and beyond. Ideally, we have respect for all of this repertoire, bringing the same healthy technique and professionalism to everything that we perform. Many of us will find ourselves serving as Chorus Master for a Symphonic Pops program, prepping a choir for a film score, or leading a gospel anthem at church. It's essential for us to have proficiency in all areas of the repertoire, so that we can convincingly "sell" it to our choristers with solid, healthy vocal technique (regardless of our individual areas of specialty).

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KIRSTEN: In the 2014-2015 school year I was working at two different high schools with their respective choral groups - one during the day, and the other after school. It was quickly evident in the fall that each group had very specific and unique strengths. My after school group was comprised of excellent readers and sight singers, eager to rehearse challenging classical repertoire and expand their knowledge of music theory. My in-school show choir was comprised of students with outstanding natural talent and intuitive musicality. The show choir was always ready to perform, and several of them could make up interesting harmonies on the spot.

Each choir, regardless of their strength, also had to learn a piece that challenged them in their weakness. I taught my after school choir pop arrangements despite their resistance, in order to challenge them in rhythmic and stylistic aspects. For the same reason, my show choir learned important pieces of classical repertoire, and participated in classical choral festivals. Regardless of their strengths, I also needed to ensure that their education was well rounded, and give them a taste of a new style to broaden their technique and overall understanding of music.


KRISHAN: When I started SACRA/PROFANA in 2009, I knew that pop music would be a small but important part of our repertoire. Because so much of the group's repertoire is incredibly esoteric and challenging (Ligeti, Schoenberg, etc.), I felt that it would be important to balance that with music that is fun and bright, and keeps the vibe of the group fresh and down-to-earth (I talk about that duality at length in this interview).  So from the very beginning, about 10% of our repertoire was comprised of pop arrangements. In creating these arrangements, it has always been my goal to infuse the original pop song with as much thick choral texture as possible.

A great example of this is the video that we shot last summer, an arrangement of Madonna's hit "Into the Groove" from 1984. I wanted the opening of the arrangement to feel like a piece by Steve Reich or Philip Glass- something outside the vocabulary of 80s pop music. So even though the arrangement is fun, even goofy at times, putting a strict "choral" frame around it ensured that it would be sung with the same rigor and technique that SACRA/PROFANA brings to all of the music that they perform.

**

We live in a society of eclectic tastes. The replacement of the CD by the iPod and by services like Spotify has radically changed the way that people listen to music. It's not uncommon to find opera, hip-hop, heavy metal and country music all on the same electronic device. Today's pop music itself is incredibly diverse- so much so that one might be intimidated by the sheer breadth of it all. But pop music represents a contemporary vernacular idiom, one that we as conductors need to be familiar with. While this music may ultimately represent only a small portion of what we perform, we should nevertheless be capable of performing it well.

Put Your Phone Away

"You don't build a bond without being present."
      -James Earl Jones


In a recent post, we talked extensively about using modern technology to advance your choir's marketing profile. In this post, however, we'd like to talk about when not to use modern technology.

Call us old-fashioned, but we believe that a conductor's smartphone has no place on the podium. In fact, all smartphones should routinely be put away during a choral rehearsal.

Smartphones are remarkable inventions. They can serve as solutions to an incredibly variety of issues: everything from taking measurements, to finding directions, to identifying metronome marks. But smartphones are also, by their vary nature, supremely distracting. A flashing screen tends to pull focus from everything else in its vicinity, and is rivaled only by other flashing screens in its competition for your attention.

As a rule, we ask our singers to put their smartphones away during rehearsal. Our rehearsal time is precious, and we require our singers' focus for every minute that we have them (and if we're doing it right, we're not giving them an opportunity to get distracted).

And yet, we've seen conductors in community, educational and professional settings whip out their smartphones on the podium and think nothing of it. We've seen conductors take selfies on the podium, check their e-mail, and even take phone calls during rehearsal. Sometimes a conductor may access his phone for a legitimate artistic purpose, such as checking a metronome number (via an app). But in doing so, the conductor necessarily gets distracted by the screen, and by all the notifications that have popped up since the phone was last put down.

An absolute necessity of effective leadership in any position is the ability to be fully present. Checking your phone, for whatever reason, takes your focus out of the rehearsal environment and into the myriad concerns of life beyond the rehearsal. You simply cannot be mentally, emotionally, psychologically or socially present for your choristers while being diverted by text, e-mail and social media notifications.

Every conductor needs a real metronome (not an app) and a watch. (Exception: one might use a smartphone only to indicate the start time of rehearsal, just to be sure that rehearsal begins exactly on the hour. When doing this, the phone should be on "airplane mode" so that no calls, texts, or notifications can come through.)

This principle applies to rehearsal breaks as well. Remember that even during the break, a conductor is "on the clock"- ideally, chatting with choristers or taking questions that weren't addressed during rehearsal. But in our modern era, many conductors simply retreat to their smartphones during break or at the end of rehearsal. While this is certainly easier for many conductors than socializing with choristers, it destroys rapport and sends all the wrong signals to the ensemble.

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KIRSTEN:  I love my iPhone. I am certainly not one of those "I-wish-we-could-go-back-to-flip-phone" people. I check and send e-mail from my phone often. I enjoy social media quite a bit; in fact, many of you are probably reading this post because of my love for social media marketing. I like taking pictures and videos, and having quick communication with everyone I know.

However, this easy access to communication is not appropriate for live performance.

This past Sunday, my new organization the South Shore Children's Chorus (founded January 2016) had its Inaugural Concert.  The Saturday before the concert, several of our older students performed the Fauré Requiem in collaboration with two other youth choral ensembles. My colleagues were conducting on Saturday night - so my job was purely logistics. This meant that I had the luxury of sitting and enjoying the performance. At the start of the concert, I settled in to my last-row seat, excited to see our students perform.

Instead, all I saw during the emotionally grand organ introduction to the piece were screens. In an audience of about 100-125, I saw over 35 people pull out a smart phone or tablet and click "video." This was in addition to the several cameras that the professional videographer had set up prior to the concert. I was distracted and disappointed, which immediately took me out of the glorious live performance that was happening all around me.

Going home, I knew something had to change for my Sunday concert. As the Inaugural Concert for the organization, the event would set the tone for all of our future events. I came up with a plan, woke up early the next day, and printed inserts for every program. These inserts asked for the attendee's name and e-mail address, and instructed them to leave the insert in the pew at the end of the performance.

At the opening welcome of the performance, I offered the 250+ person audience a deal - if they did not use their personal electronic device to film the performance, I would give each of them a free download of the concert filmed by a parent who doubled as a professional videographer. I could not have anticipated how well this would be received. Parents approached me after the event and thanked me wholeheartedly for making this happen. It changed the tone of the concert, as parents were not distracted, and were able to interact and engage in the live performance of their children. Children could see their parents' eyes, and could connect with them while singing.

This is now going to be a tradition for my organization. I hope to continue to encourage concert-goers and musicians alike to engage with the live music without the distraction of flashing screens.


KRISHAN: Unlike Kirsten, I'm more annoyed than edified by my iPhone. I generally look for every opportunity to untether myself from it, for as long as I can get away with. While I do appreciate the convenience of being able to check traffic on the fly (a handy tool whether in Boston or SoCal),  I have little other practical use for all the bells and whistles that smartphones offer (and if you ever see me staring at a screen while waiting in line at Starbucks, please slap me).

For years, I carried in my bag an old battery-powered metronome (which always seemed to mischievously turn itself on in the security line at the airport). After years of hard use, I dropped my metronome one too many times, and ended its long life unceremoniously a few months ago. I haven't yet got around to replacing it, and have instead been sheepishly using my iPhone as a metronome these past few months. Before a recent rehearsal with the Boston University Singers, I was fiddling with my phone at the podium, checking a tempo on my metronome app in the minutes before downbeat. While I was doing this, a text popped up from a colleague in San Diego, asking me for important information that was needed immediately for a grant application. That took me into my e-mail, where I found the necessary info and forwarded it to my colleague in California. But by the time I had completed this, it was a few minutes after the scheduled start of rehearsal, and my focus was completely gone. I was now thinking about the urgency of my colleague's request, and wondering what other loose ends might need my attention on the other side of the country. Imprudent use of my smartphone had taken me out of the rehearsal mindset, and I performed poorly that day.

**

One of our very first blog posts discussed the ways that a conductor sets the tone for the ensemble. A conductor who is willing to give him- or herself entirely to the people in the room is a rare commodity indeed in our increasingly distracted age. Yet this is exactly what classic leadership requires.

There's a great line from a movie (whose title escapes us at the moment). While attending an important meeting, the main character is asked to enter someone's number into his phone. He replies that he hasn't brought his phone into the meeting. When asked why, he responds: "Why would I need a phone? Everyone I want to talk to is right here."

Put your phone away, and show your ensemble that there's no one else you'd rather talk to.

What Is Professionalism?

"Being positive in a negative situation is not naive. It's leadership."
         -Ralph Marston


We can all agree on the value of professionalism. Regardless of our individual areas of expertise. we are constantly encouraged to "be professional". And indeed, professionalism in and of itself is certainly a worthy goal. But what exactly is professionalism?

For the choral conductor, we suggest a basic set of values under the overarching umbrella of professionalism. These include:

• timeliness (in rehearsal and in communication)
• respect for your position and for the individuals with whom you work, as expressed in your manner of dress, speech and demeanor
• preparedness, both musically and mentally
• the ability to manage logistics and protracted calendars
• positivity

The last value listed may seem subjective compared to the others, but we believe that positivity is a key ingredient to professionalism when working with groups of individuals. Like the football coach who is able to give an inspiring speech to his team after a crushing loss, choral conductors should be able to "turn on" positivity for the benefit of their ensembles, even in difficult circumstances. 

Merriam-Webster defines professionalism as "the skill, good judgement, and polite behavior that is expected from a person who is trained to do a job well." This is an adequate encapsulation of what it means to be professional in any arena. 

Too often, however, we see a blatant lack of professionalism from conductors, who as leaders should be setting the tone for their organizations. How many times have we seen a conductor exhibit one of these behaviors:

• being late to his/her own rehearsal, or walking in just before the scheduled downbeat
• lack of professional dress (flip flops, jeans, shorts, etc.) and lack of professional demeanor (profanity or overly emotional, personal statements)
• lack of musical or mental preparation
• failure to plan far enough in advance to execute successfully
• negativity or lack of positive affirmation

Let's face it: being professional doesn't come naturally to most of us. The majority of us really have to work at being on time, dressing professionally, and staying positive when things get discouraging. We would certainly be more comfortable conducting a rehearsal in sweatpants and a t-shirt, but we realize that that isn't necessarily the way to convince our ensemble to invest in us. It takes an effort to exude professionalism, but by doing so, we empower ourselves and our ensembles to reach greater heights of artistry. 

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KRISHAN: Grant Gershon, who has conducted the Los Angeles Master Chorale since 2001, is one of the most consistently professional conductors I've ever known. And yet, no one would describe him as "straight-laced". A native Californian, Grant embodies so many positive traits that we associate with that great state: openness, geniality, energy, fun. But, as a chorister under his baton from 2008-2010, I was struck by his almost uncanny consistency. A formidable talent, his score preparation is always first-rate, even on world premieres by avant-garde composers. No matter what the repertoire is, Grant approaches it with the same respect and enthusiasm that he brings to the great masterworks of the canon. His "vibe" could be described as "laid-back"; but the truth is, when singing with Grant, you don't realize how hard you're working. On more than one occasion, I saw him handle a challenge from a prickly chorister with sprezzatura, his grace and good humor diffusing a potentially disruptive situation (in similar situations, I've often asked myself, "what would Grant do?"). On top of all this, Grant communicates deep respect for the people he leads. I once had the experience of socializing with him at a bar in Wisconsin, where we were staying overnight as part of a brief Midwestern tour. I don't remember all the details of our conversation- let's just say that the drinks were flowing freely and our hotel was only a few blocks away- but I do remember that, even in that situation, I didn't notice a change in his demeanor. He was more personal, of course, but he never lapsed into profanity or let the surroundings become an excuse to breach the professional bounds of his relationship with his choristers (as other conductors might have done in those circumstances). He was, as ever, our conductor, even in a social setting, and I've never forgotten that powerful example of true, consistent professionalism. 

KIRSTEN:  I have never been one for dressing up. If I could live every day in a t-shirt and jeans, I would. Doing my hair is always a hassle, and I've never been particularly good at make-up. However, for my first job teaching an after-school high school chorus the year after graduating college, I realized very quickly that I needed to set myself apart from my students by how I dressed and acted. I tried to convince myself that year that wearing jeans with a nice top would do the trick, but looking back I wish I had realized that it only worked against me. Even though it is very much against my nature, I now wake up an hour early to ensure that I am ready for the day, in a carefully picked wardrobe of brown, black, or grey dress pants, professional work tops, jackets, and cardigans. I noticed that once I began taking the time to look professional, I began to be more confident in my own inner professionalism.

**

A good rule of thumb for professionalism is to err on the side of caution. No one is going to take us to task for being over-prepared, and it's unlikely that we'll find ourselves over-dressed for a rehearsal, audition or interview. Professionalism communicates respect for the people we lead. Perhaps more than anything we can say, our consistently professional demeanor reflects the ensemble's value back to them. 

Shameless & Strategic Self-Promotion

"Without promotion, something terrible happens- nothing."
                                                                              - P.T. Barnum

We live in an image-obsessed society. Social media provides every individual with the opportunity to create their own "brand". We can take selfies with our smartphones, edit them and refine them in a matter of seconds, and immediately upload them to a social media platform for instant "likes". In fact, self-marketing is easier than ever.

This trend goes hand in hand with the overwhelming migration of services to online platforms. Does anybody call the box office to order tickets anymore? We use the internet to research organizations and individuals, and whether we like to admit it or not, we make instantaneous judgements based on the information that we find there. We base our perception of popularity on the number of "likes" that an individual or organization garners through Facebook posts. It is therefore imperative that we take marketing seriously, and that we stay ahead of the curve, or at least keep pace with the rapidly changing technological media age in which we find ourselves.

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KIRSTEN:  In November of 2015, my colleague and I decided to team up and establish a new children's chorus, with the specific intention of serving the South Shore communities of Boston. This was going to be tricky - we were going to begin rehearsals in January rather than the fall. We knew that we needed to recruit hard and fast in order to reach our goal, and to fill our four ensemble levels with singers. First and foremost, we needed a logo. I reached out to a friend from college whom I had worked with before on several logos, and he came up with an image for us that I was proud of. The decision was also made that teal would be our "color" - and so the marketing escapade began.

Almost immediately, a website and a Facebook page were born. Official e-mail addresses were created, a Google Voice number was set up, and business cards were printed.

My colleague drafted a press release about the founding of our organization, and sent it to every newspaper in the area. A local paper picked up our story, and interviewed us well before our first rehearsal.

Audition requests began rolling in, and before we knew it, the South Shore Children's Chorus was serving over 40 students weekly. We gave each of the students as much "merch" as possible with our logo - a lanyard, a canvas bag, a music folder, several pencils, and a rehearsal water bottle. The students began feeling like they were part of a special team, and we began noticing an immediate change in the community aura of our organization.

When our more advanced ensembles were called to perform on local access cable, I knew it was time to order the t-shirts. For the performance, each student was wearing a bright teal t-shirt with our logo. We took that opportunity to take promotional photos of our choristers in their new t-shirts, and these pictures immediately replaced all the rehearsal photos on our website.

During the interview process for new teachers for our growing organization, several candidates made the comment that they were surprised that the organization was brand new: "It looks so professional - I had assumed it was a long-standing organization." Even the reporter that came recently to write another article about our organization's growth made a similar comment. SSCC presents itself to the online community as professional and organized. This helps parents to trust us, and students to want to be involved.

Marketing and branding for your choir is so important. It's not hard to get people involved when they are convinced by what they see. So convince them!


KRISHAN: My ensemble SACRA/PROFANA existed online before we existed in the physical realm. I created a website with my bio, the ensemble's mission and generic music images before I had actually recruited a roster of singers. I felt that it was supremely important at that moment in time for SACRA/PROFANA to have an online presence; I already knew what I wanted the vibe of the group to be, and the website successfully conveyed that. Of course, as the organization grew and developed, the website changed as well (it's been re-designed four or five times in our 7-year history) and the content became more specifically relevant to our community. But the basic identity of the ensemble has been articulated online since well before our first concert.

As a former Yale student, I was an early adapter of Facebook. I began using it back in 2004, when it was only available to a few Ivy League schools.  Similarly, SACRA/PROFANA was one of the first choruses in San Diego to have a Facebook page; there was a time when we had more "likes" than the San Diego Symphony! To their credit, the Symphony has since hired a full-time employee for these types of things; the Symphony now has about ten times as many "likes" as SACRA/PROFANA- they've obviously learned the importance of having a strong online presence.

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Here's another important thing to bear in mind: if you're using social media, you need to stay on top of it. Many organizations now employ a part-time individual (a few hours a week) who has the responsibility of updating Facebook, Twitter, etc. on a regular basis. There's nothing worse than visiting an ensemble's Facebook page and seeing that it hasn't been updated in 2 or 3 years (it would almost be better for that ensemble to not have a Facebook page at all, because having a barely-active page communicates organizational negligence). Even choruses that only perform 2 or 3 times a year can find things to post about during the slow months; there's never a shortage of interesting choral news and videos to share on social media (btw, this is also a great way to network online). Once a week should be the minimum for updating social media.

Perhaps in a future post, we'll take a moment to lament the superficiality of our current cultural milieu. One could certainly pine for the days when "being social" meant actually leaving the house and spending some time interacting with fellow humans in the real world. But technology has its benefits; online marketing now allows us to reach audiences all over the world. Whether we love it or hate it, social media is here to stay, and it behooves us as choral leaders to make use of all the tools at our disposal.