Discussion Post

One of the posts I found interesting when browsing the ChoralNet forums was a question about helping the members of the choir feel more like a community. Their post is here on the ChoralNet forum, but I'll summarize a little. Essentially, new members had joined the choir at the beginning of the school year, and they were having trouble connecting with the older members of the choir. They had already done "ice-breaker" activities at the beginning of the year, and still there had been no progress, which resulting in a "very quiet, shy choral sound". 

This surprised me, as I never really considered how important a connection between members of the choir is, and how vital it was to the overall sound. I think it's also a different situation for high school; in university, if we don't get along with someone, we deal with it as we still have to work with them in a professional manner. However, in high school, unity with everyone is not generally a main concern - they tend to stick together in smaller groups. It's also always difficult for the new person to break into a tight-knit group, and I can understand the awkwardness this might cause amongst the members.    

The comments in the post gave the teacher suggestions generally using other icebreaker activities, but I felt that maybe talking to the older students about this problem individually, or putting them in a more independent or leadership-type role involving the younger students might be more helpful. For example, the teacher could pair one older student with a younger student and have them work on their parts together, or some other such activity. This would give the older student a mentor-type role for the younger/newer choir student, and this would also allow them to get to know each other better in a smaller group setting.

What are some other methods the teacher could use to improve the overall morale of the choir members, beyond that of the general "icebreaker" type activities? 

Response to the TEDTalk by Itay Talgam, "Lead Like the Great Conductors".

This entry is in response to the TEDTalk Lead Like the Great Conductors by Itay Talgam. 

I liked his discussion of how such a small gesture can create order, and how "noise becomes music". I think this really sums up the importance of the conductor's guidance to a band or choir. As well, he illustrated on how the various "moods" shown by each composer can influence the band - such as Riccardo Muti, whom Talgam described as "commanding",which was very evident from the video clip.

As well, I enjoyed his use of contrast between different composers. It was interesting to note the different styles of each person - some conductors convey a lot of emotion through their body movement or facial expressions, which other conductors like Strauss have far less facial expression. Much like when performing, each person has their own unique style of conducting, and it's interesting to see how vastly different styles can both be effective. Herbert von Karajan's take on conducting was very interesting: "Yes, the worst damage I can do to my orchestra is to give them a clear instruction. Because that would prevent the ensemble, the listening to each other that is needed for an orchestra." I feel like this is a very unique outlook, as in the conducting classes I had taken during my music degree, I was always encouraged to be as clear and concise as possible. I'm not sure if I necessarily agree with his methods, but it's fascinating nevertheless, and it definitely works for him and achieves the effect that he wants.

His contrast of conducting styles also brought up the subject of how conductors and players are on each other, such as when he was discussing Carlos Kleiber, "You're not really given any instructions, but the forces of the process itself keep you in place.That's what he does. The interesting thing is of course the rollercoaster does not really exist. It's not a physical thing. It's in the players' heads. And that's what makes them into partners. You have the plan in your head. You know what to do, even though Kleiber is not conducting you. But here and there and that. You know what to do. And you become a partner building the rollercoaster, yeah, with sound, as you actually take the ride." It was intriguing to see how all of the conductors used various methods to express what they wanted, regardless of whether it was considered standard conducting practice or not.