ChorTeach Vol. 4, No.

3 Spring 2012
Practical Teaching Ideas for Today’s Music Educator
Dr. Terry Barham, editor
tbarham@emporia.edu or tbarham@sunflower.com

Welcome to ACDA’s online magazine for choral director/music educators. The articles below have been gleaned from
state and division online and paper ACDA newsletters around the United States and from submissions by seasoned choral
directors with topics germane to the profession.

ChorTeach, our name, is derived from the German word for chorus, chor. It is pronounced, as most of you know, like the
word, core. I hope ChorTeach’s articles will be a breath of fresh air for you, provide you with a few ideas or techniques that
give you a lift and help your singers reach the goals you and they have set. ChorTeach is designed for those of you who
work with amateur singers at all levels.

If you have written an article and believe it would be of interest to ChorTeach readers, send it to me in Word.doc format. I
will get back to you after reading it.

What’s in this issue?

• Adolescent Identity Formation and the Singing Voice by Nana Wolfe, Greensboro, North Carolina

• How About a 5-5-5 Plan? Five Songs, Five Weeks, Five Concerts! by Deborah Fristad, Lake Orion, Michigan

• Spatial Disorders and Dyslexia in the Choral Classroom by Jeffrey Kitson, Columbus, Nebraska

• Who’s Afraid of Renaissance Music? No-Fear Solutions for Middle and Senior High Choirs
by Michael Zemek, Rock Island, Illinois

• Church Choir Directors/Organists: Conducting Gesture and Active Listening in Rehearsals and Worship
by Jason Thoms, Broxville, New York

ChorTeach Volume 4 • Issue 3 1 www.acda.org/publications

 Adolescent Identity Formation and the Singing Voice
by
Nana Wolfe,
Greensboro Youth Choir, Greensboro, North Carolina
(Reprinted with permission from North Carolina’s Carolina Caroler, Vol. 13, No. 1 Spring 2011)
Adolescents undergo tumultuous emotional, psychological,
physical, spiritual, and social change compounded by the search
for individual identity. Identity refers to who a person is and
how he or she identifies him/herself (Flannery 54). Self-esteem
is the positive and negative evaluations given to one’s own
identity (55). Identity is developed through self-esteem and
external influences—family, peer groups, the media, etc.—and
manifests itself in the physical voice. Identity and the voice are
interconnected.
During adolescence, teenagers begin to pull away from
their families and seek the approval of their peers. Within social
peer groups, teenagers experiment with various identities which
may differ from what was learned, encouraged, or discouraged
at home.These emerging adults seek their true and unique iden-
tity by “trying on” various forms of self-expression. Often, they
conform to the expressions and appearance of a peer group
in their search (Johansen 136). Hence, they are learning—and
experimenting with—an identity (158).
To help guide adolescents through this process in a healthy
manner, adolescent psychiatrist Joseph Nowinski encourages
parents and adults to foster resilient identities (Nowinski 90).
The qualities of a resilient identity include awareness of talents
and abilities, acceptance of personal limitations, optimism, and
individualism—all qualities that help young people navigate
the pressures of adolescent life. If an identity can be learned
and positively constructed, it can also be suppressed or even
annihilated.
Abraham Maslow describes the vulnerability and weak-
ness of a resilient identity: “It is easily overcome, suppressed
or repressed. It may even be killed off permanently . . . [It is]
weak, subtle and delicate, very easily drowned out by learning,
ChorTeach Volume 4 • Issue 3
by cultural expectations, by fear, by disapproval, etc.” (Maslow
191). In today’s society, there can be many negative influences
on identity, e.g., family relationships, peer relationships, cultural
expectations, the media, and more.
What is our role as choral educators in the identity forma-
tion of our adolescent students? How significant is our role?
Voice pedagogue Kristin Samuelson posits the idea that
the singing voice can be an indicator of identity, as well as a
shaping influence. Samuelson worked with two late adolescent
women who showed symptoms of puberphonia (also known as
mutational falsetto in young men). In this state, a person dem-
onstrates child-like vocal behaviors after the physical changes in
puberty have already occurred, i.e., speaking in a higher range
than his/her natural speaking voice (Samuelson 25).
Throughout the study, Samuelson noted that personal
development simultaneously occurred as the voice improved
into a healthier state of singing and speaking. She concludes
that, “Emotional development manifests itself in the speaking
voice, and the speaking voice carries over into the singing
voice” (Samuelson 27). If puberphonia is left untreated, it “will
most likely be carried into adulthood and become part of the
individual's identity” (34).
If vocal problems can affect identity, isn’t the opposite,
healthy vocal progress, also true? A young person’s identity can
be nurtured and developed (or diminished and weakened)
through proper and positive training of the singing voice.
For adolescents in particular, the training of the singing
voice can be extremely influential in their process of identity
formation. How many of us have witnessed students become
more confident as they learn to sing more efficiently and with
greater coordination and freedom? I once taught a young female
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student who stuttered in every sentence she spoke.
She began high school as a shy, introverted young woman
with few friends. After she joined choir and began taking voice
lessons, she discovered she had a beautiful singing voice. She
became more confident as a singer and blossomed as a person,
exhibiting greater happiness, confidence, and social ease. She
even stuttered less.
This past fall, I conducted a survey of adolescent female
chorus members. Below are a few responses that illuminate the
correlation between identity and singing:
• “Singing is the voice of my spirit rather than just my voice.”
• “Your singing voice kinda’ shows who you really are.”
• “Since I started to sing, I have become more open and less
shy.”
• “My confidence has increased as I have become more com-
fortable with my voice. I have become more comfortable
with myself.”
These young women are verbalizing their inner experience
in relation to singing. The connection between self-esteem,
identity, and the singing voice is readily apparent.
As choral educators, we have a unique role in helping
build resilient identities in our students through the training of
the singing voice. Being aware of the relationship between the
singing voice and identity should influence how we prepare
for rehearsals, what repertoire we choose, how we teach rep-
ertoire, and how we relate to our students. Here are several
practical questions for you, a conductor/teacher, to reflect upon:
• Am I encouraging confidence in each individual, personally
and vocally?
• Am I creating a safe place for students to share their thoughts,
opinions, and feelings?
• Am I teaching my students to be supportive of one another?
ChorTeach Volume 4 • Issue 3
• Am I choosing repertoire that positively influences my stu-
dents in this stage of their lives?
• Am I creatively teaching in a manner that helps engage stu-
dents in a deeper, more meaningful way?
• Am I creating a joyful, fun, and hard-working musical envi-
ronment?
Our methods depend, of course, on the age, developmental
level, and background of the students we teach. We should be
mindful of our singers’ particular stages of identity formation.
In her book, Freeing the Natural Voice, Kristin Linklater
states, “To free the voice is to free the person, and each person
is indivisibly mind and body” (Linklater 8). Music-making and
teaching music are a profession and our passion, but confident
and expressive individuals with resilient identities is our respon-
sibility and privilege.
Ask yourself: Am I doing my part to nurture the individual
identities of every one of my students, even the challenging
ones, those who don’t seem to fit in easily with others? You
can change lives through teaching healthy singing technique
and rehearsing choirs! All of us can and should have that as a
goal, don’t you think?
Works Cited
Flannery, Daniele D.“Identity and Self-Esteem.” Women as Learn-
ers. Hayes, Elisabeth and Daniele D. Flannery. New York:
Jossey-Bass Publishers, 2001. 53–78. Print.
Johansen, Geir. “Modernity, Identity and Musical Learning.” Soci-
ology and Music Education. Ed. Ruth Wright. Burlington, VT:
Ashgate, 2010. 51– 62. Print.
Linklater, Kristin. Freeing the Natural Voice: Imagery and Art in the
Practice of Voice and Language. Revised and expanded edi-
tion. Hollywood, CA: Drama Publishers, 2006. Print.
Maslow, Abraham M. Toward a Psychology of Being. 2nd ed. New
York: Van Nostrand Reinhold, 1968. Print.
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Nowinski, Joseph. The Identity Trap: Saving Our Teens From Them-
selves. New York: American Management Association, 2007.
Print.
Samuelson, Kristin. “The Impact of Puberphonia on the Female
Speaking and Singing Voice.” Journal of Singing—The Official
Journal of the National Association of Teachers of Singing 55.4
(1999): 25–35. Web. 30 Oct. 2011.
Problems tend to growl at us like cowardly dogs. If we
face them and challenge them, they back away. If we
run from them, they run after us, snapping at our heels.
—Freddie Mitman
How About a 5—5—5 Plan?
Five Songs, Five Weeks,
Five Concerts!
by
Deborah Fristad
Lake Orion High School, Lake Orion, Michigan
(Reprinted with permission from Central Division’s Resound,
Vol. 35 No 2 Winter 2012)
With winter concerts a thing of the past, I believe we teach-
ers should reflect on how our high school choirs managed to
learn so much music in a limited time. Here’s what happened
at my school. Let’s call it the 5–5–5 plan—five songs in five
weeks for five concerts.The secret this year proved to be daily
sectionals, working on five songs each day for five weeks to
present in some combination at five concerts.
ChorTeach Volume 4 • Issue 3
My goal was to instill a sense of responsibility in each mem-
ber of each section of the choir to learn the music quickly and
independently. A sense of urgency was needed, so a timeline
was set. Each selection was first introduced to the full choir.
Then I pointed out areas which might prove challenging, and
I discussed possible approaches which would be productive.
Each day was marked by a plan and specific, targeted goals.
Students were divided by sections and assigned specific prac-
tice rooms. Every 10 minutes, the groups rotated to the next
practice room and worked on a different selection. Student
leaders with keyboard skills helped with starting notes or dif-
ficult intervals encountered.
I worked in one of the sectional rooms to address specific
issues. For the most part, students practiced without help from
the keyboard. Becoming secure with notes, rhythms, and texts
made the students more comfortable as we added their part to
others.They were able to sing more accurately and confidently.
Within a few days, they were able to address dynamics,
phrasing, vowel shapes, syllabic stress, and consonant placement
because they were comfortable with notes and rhythms. After
a 50-minute round of sectionals, we gathered as a full choir to
put parts together and hear our progress.
With block classes lasting 90 minutes, we often had time for
another short round of sectionals. At the end of every rehearsal,
we evaluated our progress.
A key ingredient was rotation through different rooms.
Physically changing locations helped keep the blood and energy
flowing. If frustration or boredom set in, it was time to move
to another room.
The sectionals forced the singers to take responsibility for
learning their parts. They became better at taking directions
from a peer or temporarily stepping into leadership roles. Sing-
ers came to appreciate the challenges faced by section leaders.
Cooperation was the norm.
Everyone seemed to contribute to the group effort and
the goals.Transition times from one room to another provided
moments for good humor and quick conversations, keeping
the classroom tone positive. In the last five days before the
concert, fewer sectionals were held, as you might expect, so
that we could spend most of the time focusing on nuances and
shaping the music.
The rotating sectional strategy worked well. Despite the
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short time frame, a sense of calm, focus, and freshness pervaded
our performances because individuals truly knew their parts.
There was also a strong sense of accomplishment that comes
from individuals taking personal responsibility and working in-
dependently for the benefit of the team. We’ve already started
the next 5–5–5 plan. Festival season starts in five weeks!
To the world, you may be one person, but to one person,
you may be the world.
—Anonymous
Spatial Disorders and Dyslexia
in the Choral Classroom
by
Jeffrey Kitson
Central Community College, Columbus, Nebraska
(Reprinted with permission from North Central Division’s
Melisma, Vol. 30 No. 2 Spring/Summer 2011)
Mark desperately wanted to be a music major, was talented
and passionate, but he knew he was missing one important
skill—he couldn’t read music. He would never be able to read
music because he suffered from a spatial disorder caused by
being dropped on his head as a child.
As he described it, Mark saw the world differently. Straight
lines were often tilted—he asked me once why things weren’t
falling off my perfectly straight shelves; words would blur to-
gether; letters would touch when they shouldn’t, and, worst of
all, things would appear to move forward and backward, in and
ChorTeach Volume 4 • Issue 3
out of focus, on his bad days. There was nothing that could be
done, supposedly. This was a permanent condition.
Learning was extremely difficult for Mark. He wanted to try
college, so he ended up at our institution, a two-year college,
as a theatre major. His singing improved, but academically, the
challenges were too much, and after three years, he gave up.
Meet another Mark. When I first saw him at a recruiting
event, he said he didn’t read music that well but he wanted to
be a professional session musician. I smiled. I was looking for
potential.Then he told me he wrote in letter names below the
notes in his high school band music.
Mark enrolled in my large ensemble and class piano. He
struggled. He had many insights into the construction of any
work—form, structure, etc., but he couldn’t play the music.
One day I noticed that he was looking down at the piano keys
and never at the actual sheet music. He was trying to sound
everything out and then quickly memorize. I called him into my
office to chat about his progress and reading skills.
I say this with utmost respect. Mark is a nerd, and when he
told me he had never read an entire book, I knew something
was amiss. He said that sometimes notes and staff lines bleed
together. I handed him something on my desk to read aloud.
He did pretty well, but he was adding non-existent words and
removing others that were printed.
“Mark, I think you’re dyslexic.” I sent him to the Student
Services office for a referral. There are many dyslexics in the
world. Certainly, some of them must be musicians. How do they
deal with notated music?
Judy Boussat, Sacramento State University, has undertaken
extensive research for the American String Teachers Association
(ASTA). Here are two of her suggestions for helping dyslexics
who are musically inclined, sing in choirs or play in bands, etc.
• Thicken the middle line of the staff, and also the middle bar
line.
• Place alternating blue and green lines at the beginning of
each staff.
I tried these two techniques with Mark and they worked.
His reading improved immediately. His comment? “Whoa.That’s
way easier!” Then he added, “I went to Student Services and
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made my appointment with a doctor. Student Services think
you are a quack.” “Why?” I asked. “Because they believe I’m
fine, and you don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Student Services thought he had a reading retention prob-
lem rather than a physical problem deciphering what was in
front of him. With what I had seen, I disagreed, but internalized
it, wanting to be professional. “Meet with a doctor,” I replied,
trying to be positive.
Within a week Mark was back in my office. He had been
diagnosed with a spatial disorder that acted a bit like dyslexia.
Special glasses were prescribed that vastly improved his vision
and reading skills. His musical progress has been remarkable
ever since.
A few days ago, the first Mark walked into my office—with
special glasses. Since our first talk, he had had an accident that
changed things. When he went to a doctor, Mark explained his
situation. The doctor responded, “I can fix that.” Mark has had
nearly perfect vision ever since. “When are you going to teach
me to read music, Jeff?” he asked with a broad smile on his face.
It pains me to think that both of these young men went
through almost their entire schooling experience suffering with
severe visual disabilities. This story should be a reminder for all
of us music educators, especially those in two-year colleges, to
be alert to signs of learning disabilities. You can make a huge
difference in the lives of students by being proactive and caring.
How sad it is that some of our students with visual dis-
abilities are called dumb or stupid or worse when a correct
diagnosis and/or glasses can completely change the situation
and give hope and a new life to a person.
Even if you are labeled a quack by those who are supposed
to be helping and advising students at your school, be a strong
and persevering advocate. Being observant when around your
students may be all it takes. Believe in them and their resilience.
You can be instrumental in opening up an entirely new world
for students who struggle with disabilities.
ChorTeach Volume 4 • Issue 3
Who’s Afraid of Renaissance Music?
No-Fear Solutions for Middle
and Senior High Choirs
by
Michael Zemek
Augustana College, Rock Island, Illinois
(Reprinted with permission from Illinois’ Podium,
Vol. 38 No 2 Winter 2011-2012)
Recently, I attended an enjoyable high school madrigal din-
ner complete with well-performed Renaissance and contem-
porary carols. Following that event, I began to wonder why all
too often the inclusion of vocal music from the Renaissance
period is relegated entirely to select Madrigal Ensembles in
school music programs.
As we know, music reached a sophisticated level of de-
velopment during the Renaissance, and a considerable body
of music survives. Hundreds of works from this era are legally
available for free at sites such as <www.cpdl.org>. We should
not be intimidated by this superb music. Rather, basic issues
surrounding style and performance practice can be addressed
so that we are able to offer an exciting experience with this
compelling music.
In two ways, Renaissance choral music is especially suitable
for performance in middle and senior high school choirs. The
first centers on adolescent vocal characteristics; the second
deals with the flexibility with which this music can be performed
without a loss of stylistic authenticity.
My goal here is to brush off the cobwebs from our music
history texts and choral literature classes and examine how
several important performance practices can be observed in
ways that are stylistically accurate yet manageable by adolescent
singers.
First there are the two schools of approach to authenticity
that compound the problem of performing Renaissance music.
One approach seeks utmost faithfulness to period instruments,
methods of tuning, vocal styles of the time, etc. Unfortunately,
this approach may fill some with anxiety and unnecessarily
lead one to dismiss the inclusion of Renaissance literature in
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programming.
A second approach seeks thoughtful adaptation of the
music for use in today’s world. For reasons of practicality, I will
discuss a few of the performance practices of the Renaissance
based on this second approach for use in our choral programs.
Vocal Considerations
The range and tessitura of much of this music is within the
ability of senior high school singers, and a large portion is also
suitable for middle school students without alteration. Because
pitch was not fixed, transposition of a composition to a suitable
key is acceptable.
Outside of convents of the era, women were excluded
from participation in liturgical services. Therefore, we often
think of Renaissance music as being sung exclusively by men
and boys. Keeping the sound of a boys’ choir in mind may help
direct your choices when it comes to vocal color, but women’s
voices should not be excluded from today’s performances of
madrigals, motets, and masses, in my opinion.
Renaissance music fits the tone quality of most adolescent
singers. It utilizes the tone of young singers with little or no
adjustment of vocal color. Remind your singers to sing freely
with a clear, steady, and forward-placed tone that is not pressed
or forced in any way.
Most adolescent voices are marked by a slight natural vibra-
to which is appropriate for this style. Extreme vibrato and big,
mature sounds do not fit. A solution for including a developed,
mature soprano voice in a Renaissance madrigal might be to
have her sing an inner voice instead of the highest soprano part.
Lastly, Renaissance choirs were small by today’s standards,
so it is important to keep that in mind when determining which
choirs or small ensembles will offer the most stylistically correct
performances of this music.
Instrumental Accompaniment
The vast majority of music written prior to 1600 was for
voices both with and without instruments. Music originally
intended for instruments alone owes much to vocal models;
however, there is a general misconception that all Renais-
sance choral music should be performed a capella. A majority
of compositions from the Renaissance era, both sacred and
ChorTeach Volume 4 • Issue 3
secular, may be played instrumentally or by a combination of
vocalists and instrumentalists depending upon what is available
in a given situation.
One of the most important points to remember when
selecting music to perform with your choirs is that no score will
indicate exactly what forces to use. Sixteenth-century musicians
experimented with different sounds. Most of the time, they
utilized the instruments and singers available to them.
It is entirely appropriate to have brass, string or woodwind
instruments double vocal lines or even substitute for missing
vocal parts. Care must be taken to balance vocalists and instru-
mentalists from the standpoint of dynamics. Such choices can
provide an opportunity for you to collaborate with instrumen-
talists in your school and community.
Notation and Editions
One of the challenges for the modern choral conductor is
determining if his/her printed score accurately represents the
music as originally performed. Inserting musica ficta in a printed
score that contains few, if any, accidentals can make a huge dif-
ference in performance. Conductors must be judicious in their
selection of performance editions.
Most often you must rely on the qualifications of an editor
for tasteful use of musica ficta. In many modern editions, ac-
cidentals are placed above or below a staff or in parentheses
indicating that, in the original source, accidentals were not
notated but would have been common practice at that time.
I recommend you compare several editions of the same work
to arrive at a historically accurate and satisfying performance.
Text underlay in Renaissance choral music can also present
challenges. Again, conductors must rely upon qualified editors,
but a knowledge of styles, performance practices, and com-
mon sense can equip you to make minor alterations whenever
modern text underlay is problematic.
Markings for dynamics and articulation were unknown in
original scores of the Renaissance, but we can assume that Re-
naissance musicians were no less concerned about expression
than musicians of any other era. The dynamic range of Renais-
sance music was narrow, and contrasts were achieved through
texture rather than volume. I believe that subtle shadings of
dynamics exist within what would otherwise be an overall
medium dynamic level.
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 Musical Examples
To illustrate a few of the performance practices as well
as modern day practical applications we can follow to make
Renaissance music more accessible for our singers, I offer a few
staples of the repertoire by Morley, Byrd, Bennet, Palestrina,
and Praetorius.
Sing We and Chant It by Thomas Morley
Interpretive Analysis
With his strong sense of tonality and feeling for dance
rhythms, Morley was a leader of the English madrigal school.
His use of the Italian balletto form with its “fa-la” refrain may
account for much of his popularity.
The form of this work is strophic—the same music is uti-
lized for each stanza. The melody is written in four-bar phrases
except for the last three measures of each strophe which are
three bars in length.The verses are chiefly homophonic.The “fa-
la” refrains are polyphonic. Two types of non-harmonic tones,
passing tones and suspensions, can be found.
Practical Applications
A popular work for young choirs and advanced chamber
choirs alike, Morley’s Sing We and Chant It has vocal ranges
and tessituras comfortable for all vocal parts. Voice crossing
between tenors and altos is common. If needed, those two
parts may be switched. While written in Mixolydian mode,
the strong tonic and dominant arrival points give the effect of
being in major, making it more accessible and easily learned by
singers of all levels.
I Thought That Love Had Been a Boy by William Byrd
Interpretive Analysis
The texture is basically homophonic. The soprano I line
presents a continuous melody, while the remaining voices pro-
vide harmonic underpinning.The text is set in a light, lyric man-
ner as was common in classical mythology. Love is portrayed
as a blindfolded boy—think of Cupid.
Practical Applications
One genre of English secular songs, often referred to as
madrigals, was intended for a small group of soloists, thus I
Thought that Love had been a Boy would serve well as a contest
ChorTeach Volume 4 • Issue 3
or concert work for a small ensemble. Ranges and tessituras
are appropriate for middle and high school voices, but it may
be desirable to have a few tenors or changing voices join the
altos to achieve a unique sonority.
In most editions, the tenor part lies too low for altos, thus
concerns about balance may be warranted. Instruments, e. g.,
strings or woodwinds, could double vocal parts or alternate
with the voices. Instruments could also play the lower parts
with one singer or a unison choir performing the soprano line.
Weep, O Mine Eyes by John Bennet
Interpretive Analysis
The melodic contours found in the voice parts present
fine opportunities for sensitive shaping. The four-voice texture
is rather simple, but subtle rhythmic construction creates an
impression of counterpoint. Voice pairing (SA,TB) creates lovely
contrasts of timbre. As is common in Renaissance vocal music,
the clarity of the text and the subtle application of syllabic and
harmonic stress points are important.
The successive entrances at the beginning of Weep, O Mine
Eyes outline a triad based on the Aeolian mode. The most
important word, “weep,” is reiterated, and a natural crescendo
occurs. The words,“Weep o mine eyes,” are set with a descend-
ing scale figure, a good example of text painting.
Practical Applications
Since shaping and expression are built into the structure
of most of the melodic lines, rehearsing them separately can
help achieve the required independence and balance between
parts. In my opinion, a capella performance is the best means of
realizing this work’s full potential. Intonation can be challenging,
but attention to tall, healthy and matched vowels plus energized
breath will make a big difference.
Special attention should be given to the descending lines,
slow tempo, and successive entrances of voices. Carefully
consider the size of the ensemble so that an intimate feeling is
nurtured. This composition is suitable for advanced junior high
singers if performed in a key comfortable for all voice parts.
Agnus Dei from Missa Veni sponsa Christi
by Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina
Interpretive Analysis
An important type of Mass composition employed by Re-
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naissance composers was the parody Mass. An entire work or
selected sections of a previously composed work—a madrigal,
motet, or chanson, e. g.,—were borrowed and reworked for
each Mass movement. Missa Veni Sponsa Christi (Come, Bride
of Christ) is a parody Mass based on a motet taken from a
Gregorian chant refrain.
Marked regularity of rhythm is characteristic of the Agnus
Dei. Much of the harmony consists of triads and chords in first
inversion resulting from the use of imitative counterpoint and
canon. Triadic harmonies and subtle dissonance give Palestrina’s
polyphonic music a transparent quality which never obscures
the text.
Practical Applications
Although Renaissance choirs may not have been large
when compared with today’s choruses, a number of motets
and mass settings can be sung successfully by today’s larger
choirs. This exquisite work should be sung in a free flowing
and sustained manner. Singers will find a challenge in shaping
the long phrases.
Psallite by Michael Praetorius
Interpretive Analysis
Using a chorale melody as the basis for an attractive work
in the style of a motet, Psallite contains a melody which is split
into small motifs employed in dialogue between groups of
voices and used as points of imitation. Each voice enters with
a descending perfect fourth on the word, Psallite. Apart from
this motif, the voices move mostly in conjunct motion. Imitation
and homophonic writing are evident throughout. The texture
is often varied by voice pairings—i.e., sopranos and altos sing
a phrase which is answered by tenors and basses. The overall
form of Psallite is ABA.
Practical Applications
This well-known work is performed and enjoyed by choirs
of all sizes. A “hook” for young singers, it is especially effective
with middle and junior high school singers.With a few modifica-
tions to the bass line or by choosing a well-crafted edition, Psal-
lite’s ranges are well within this age group’s ability. Unchanged
male voices can sing a combination of the alto and tenor parts.
The use of both Latin and German texts also serves as an
ChorTeach Volume 4 • Issue 3
introduction to singing foreign languages.
Summary
With mostly minor adaptations of musical scores, perfor-
mances of Renaissance music in today’s secondary schools can
broaden and enrich the horizons of middle and high school
singers while remaining stylistically faithful to performance
practices of the time. Directors have viable options in the forces
employed (voices, instruments, or combinations of both) and
in musical execution (tempo, balance, dynamics, phrasing, music
ficta, etc.).
The use of Renaissance choral music encourages perfor-
mance of diverse styles often unfamiliar to young singers of
today.This era’s choral music is especially suited for singers when
considering factors such as appropriateness of texts, aesthetic
appeal, and melodic interest in all voice parts. Tasteful adapta-
tions can be made to the music while remaining faithful to the
intent of the composers.
Books on style and performance practice
Brown, Howard Mayer, & Stanley Sadie, eds. The Norton/Grove
Handbooks in Music: Performance Practice Before 1600.
Norton, 1990.
Garretson, Robert. Choral Music: History, Style, and Performance
Practice. Prentice Hall, 1993.
McGee, Timothy. Medieval and Renaissance Music: A Performer's
Guide. University of Toronto Press, 1988.
Poe, Frances. Teaching and Performing Renaissance Choral Music:
A Guide for Conductors and Performers. Scarecrow Press,
1994.
Choral textbooks containing helpful summaries of
Renaissance performance practices
Collins, Don. Teaching Choral Music, 2nd ed. Prentice Hall, 1999.
DeVenney, David. Conducting Choirs, Volume 2: Music for Class-
room Use. Roger Dean Publishing, 2010.
Garretson, Robert. Conducting Choral Music, 8th ed. Prentice
Hall, 1998.
Phillips, Kenneth. Directing the Choral Music Program. Oxford
University Press, 2004.
9 www.acda.org/publications
Roe, Paul. Choral Music Education, 2nd ed. Waveland Press,
1994.
Life is more meaningful when you are always looking to grow
and working towards a goal.
—Les Brown
Church Choir Directors/Organists:
Conducting Gesture and Active Listening
in Rehearsals and Worship
by
Jason Thoms
Concordia College, Bronxville, New York
(Reprinted with permission from New York’s Choral Cues,
Vol. 41 Winter 2011)
From my vantage point, many East Coast church choirs are
led by an organist/choir director who, in many cases, is primarily
an organist. He/she also directs the choir. This situation presents
a number of dilemmas. This article will focus on two issues:
conducting gesture and listening.
Does this description fit you? If so, I suggest you think about
and even set up a video to see what you do with your hands
when you work with the singers. The choir and the organ are so
very different, as we all know. What you think your gestures are
accomplishing and what is actually occurring may be miles apart.
Do you know what your choir sounds like without the
organ or piano? Can the singers perform their parts a capella?
ChorTeach Volume 4 • Issue 3 10
How do your conducting gestures affect the choir? Such ques-
tions are important. Of course you want the choir to grow as
singers and musicians.
Conducting Gesture
Your conducting gestures are a conversation between you
and the singers. Beating time and giving cues may be helpful,
but communicating ideas, emotions, dynamics, eliciting nuance,
and shaping the music are far more important. I imagine you
think about these issues as you play, but how do help the choir
achieve these goals both in rehearsal and in worship? Here are
a few ideas to consider:
• Conduct the music in front of a large mirror
What do your gestures look like? Are they expressive? Do
you just beat time? Are you communicating musical ideas visu-
ally? Even if you conduct from the organ on Sundays, you owe
it to your choir to master basic, expressive conducting gestures.
• Video yourself during rehearsals and worship
If you conduct primarily from the organ, video yourself in
that position. Put the camera behind the choir so you get the
choir’s view. When you watch the video, turn off the sound.
Focus only on what you see. Look carefully at your face, pos-
ture, arms and hands, and how you speak (too loud, too soft,
energized, etc.)
• Get away from the organ
Even if your choir never sings a capella, you should plan to
do so on a regular basis in rehearsals. If you always accompany
the choir, you cannot hear what your singers are actually sing-
ing below a certain dynamic level. They will use the piano or
organ as a crutch.
I have often heard choir members say,“I can’t sing this piece
without the accompaniment.” That is not their fault; it is ours.
Have your singers rehearse without accompaniment as much
as possible so that you can hear everything. More important,
your singers will realize they can sing alone. When you step
away from the organ, communicate only with your hands. If
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you must say something, it may mean your gestures are not
expressive and clear.
• Choose appropriate music
Even if you would like for your choir of seven or eight to
sing Stanford, Bach and Rutter every week, it may not be pos-
sible or wise for the choir or for you. I advocate simple quality
music for worship. Spend time getting to know and understand
your singers.What will be most musically effective and workable
for them? You want them to have a feeling of success. Unison
anthems can be building blocks and can help you improve your
listening skills and visual communication through conducting
gestures.
• Expressive face and eyes
What is the number one complaint about church choirs
from their organists and choir directors? “My singers never get
their faces out of the music.” Directors, are you buried in the
music all of the time? I have found that the more I look at the
choir, the more they look at me. Organists, of course, are look-
ing at the score while trying to listen, conduct, and turn pages.
If I am a singer and see you, the director, with your head down
most of the time, why should I look up? Force yourself to look
at the singers often!
Listening Is Paramount
The primary role of the choir director/organist is to listen
to the singers. If you are not listening intently to the choir, how
can you improve it, adjust your gestures accordingly, or bring
out the many musical nuances built into the music?
Suggestions for Improving Your Listening Skills
• Have the choir sing unaccompanied in rehearsals
The best way to hear what the choir is doing is to listen
to them. Don’t play the piano at all. You may not like what you
hear, but what you are hearing is what you are covering up
when you accompany in early rehearsals. The more the choir
hears itself a capella, the better the choir will be, in my opinion.
ChorTeach Volume 4 • Issue 3
• Don’t sing along or play parts all of the time
Nearly every choir director has the problem of singing
along with a struggling section or pounding out the part for the
sheep that have gone astray. Play it for them; sing it to them, but
then let them do it on their own. Listen and make corrections.
They will grow musically.
• Change seating pattern
If you have trouble hearing the men, how do you know if
right notes are being sung? Move them to the front of the choir.
Change can be helpful, both for you and for the singers. If you
have eight sopranos and two or three men, reposition the men
in the middle of the front row. As we all know, you will always
be able to hear the sopranos!
Change will challenge the singers and make them more
independent and better listeners, but the end product is worth
it. Stronger, independent singers mean better singers and a
better choir, I believe.
To effectively lead your choir in worship, you must be able
to hear them, communicate via clear conducting gestures, listen
to the results, and give meaningful feedback with gestures and
words. The give and take will make you and your choir better.
For the organist/choir director, these ideas may be quite
challenging. They may take concerted effort to put into place.
The learning process may be slow, but the more you work at
the suggestions and encourage your choir to develop more re-
fined skills, the better your communication will be in rehearsals
and during the heart of worship.
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