There are two important silences whenever a piece of music is offered, whether in church or the concert hall. The first silence precedes the music; it can be as short as a heartbeat, or as long as the conductor decides. This silence is for "anticipation and preparation", as everyone gets ready for the music to come. The music then grows from the silence. When the music has ended, there is another important silence, the "receiving" silence. In this short pause, the audience can sometimes be heard to inhale as they receive the music and its meaning, and choose what to do next. Clap? Hold still and quiet, savoring the moment? The receiving silence calls upon the listeners to make a decision.

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Introducing Asian Hymnody

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Children have an incredible capacity to mimic sounds, so there is no reason why shaping good vowel sounds and giving detail to some consonants should wait until children are in upper elementary school. I have become a firm believer that we should model our best diction and be intentional about teaching and reinforcing good diction with our youngest choristers. I introduce diction awareness to my PreKindergarten singers the first day of rehearsals in August. We make choir fun, but infuse good diction training throughout everything we sing: warm-ups, singing and counting games, hymns, anthems.

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This is the second half of a two-part series on planning a successful Youth Choir Tour. This segment addresses places to sing and serve, daily details and how to make the experience meaningful for all involved.

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If you are fortunate enough to lead a youth choir, then the words “youth choir tour” may have been uttered to you at some point. These words may have come from a hopeful youth, an overly anxious parent, or that pesky, subliminal voice that urges each of us to keep trying new things to enhance and develop our music programs. These words may fill your heart with fond memories, or they might incite deep fear: “Is our group really ready to go on the road?” you may ask. In this two-part series, I will share some insights into planning a successful youth choir tour.

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When you’re hungry, what do you crave? Comfort food (macaroni and cheese, mashed potatoes, steak)? Something gourmet (escargot, anyone?)? Nutrition-packed fruits and veggies (mmm, zucchini)? Exotic cuisine (Thai or Japanese)? Or, perhaps “fast-food” (hot dogs, hamburgers, pizza)?

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With Easter but a week away, it seems somewhat odd that I would be working on writing this blog about planning. But then again, this is precisely the time that I had planned to write this blog. So to everything, there is a time and a place.

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In last week’s blog post, I tried to make the case for the use of movement in children’s choir rehearsals. In this blog post, I have included a variety of resources to help even the most unsure of movers to get started. This list is by no means exhaustive; it is merely a jumping-off point to the great wide world of musical movement.

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As anyone who works with children can attest, children are movers. They are bodies in constant motion. As conductors, we often spend much of our time fighting against that natural urge by requiring them to sit in adult-sized chairs for the good portion of an hour. How much more would our littlest singers get out of choir if their natural propensity for movement was woven into the rehearsal, rather than squelched?

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Introducing Latin American Hymnody

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