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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Some directors dread doing musicals, and even avoid them. I direct both a Christmas and a spring musical every year, because I believe that the positive benefits of these performances are huge. I am well aware of the cons, the biggest of which is simply the work. A LOT of work! Depending on the musical, there’s dialogue, staging, costumes, sets, props, and choreography. I guarantee that there will be some aspect of undertaking a musical that will take you outside of your comfort zone. Here are some things to consider:

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Our role as church musicians means that we, almost without exception, lead amateur singers. Thus, we are teachers first and foremost, and most of our work is in that important role.

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Amid the many questions we ask ourselves as church choir directors, one of the biggest is repertoire-related: What should we sing and why? While a single blog post can’t address that question thoroughly, I’d like to provide a few simple reasons why—as we continually choose between the myriad anthems, canticles, and cantatas that cross our desks—we shouldn’t neglect the category of the hymn concertato.

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Part Two: A Proposal for Children’s Choir Rehearsals

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Part One: A Philosophy of the Children’s Choir

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