Hi, L.  I would suggest that if you envision a choir that will duplicate what already exists, then it will probably attract the same people who are already involved in the other "local concert choir" and be seen as competition rather than as something new and different.  So, how can you make it different?

 

That depends ENTIRELY on your own background and musical interests, because you'll do best with what you're most familiar with and thoroughly believe in.  But beyond that, think about who in your community is NOT involved in the existing ensembles, and think about WHY they are not involved.

 

Maybe it's because we just had auditions for our 19th annual Summer Musical, but it occurs to me that the folks who are really interested in musical theater, or popular music in general, might be one population that is underserved.  And in that case you would be talking about a showy group of some kind (which you seem to be describing in general terms) rather than a traditional choir.  And such an ensemble can be quite successful with volunteer performers, IF it is something that appeals to YOU.

 

Perhaps worth thinking about, at least.  And yes, in this case I would definitely start by announcing either auditions or interest meetings, just to test the waters.

 

All the best,

John

 

 

 You could do what I did. Start an adult community women's chorus that performs music that that is oriented more to the lighter side than classical. The audience will be somewhat different and you will have access to more singers, because the mixed chorus will have to limit women for balance purposes. Just flood the media with audition notices and see who shows up. We started with 12 women and are now, after 10 years, averaging in the mid 30's but still growing. Consider joining Chorus America - they have all kinds of resources for starting up choruses.

 

Bill Paisner

Director, Southwest Women's Chorus

I totally agree with the comments of John Howell and Bill Paisner.  I recently heard Bill's group at a festival in Los Angeles.  Their sound is lively and they project an audience-pleasing enthusiasm.  Bill has obviously found a successful niche that serves a wide community.

 

I am just completing my seventh year with a women's community chorus in Long Beach, California, Women of Note.  As Bill says, there are fewer positions for women in existing choirs because there are fewer men willing to sing.  We reach a previously  unserved audience.

 

My chorus sings an eclectic repertoire.  We sing some of everything from all periods, though we emphasize contemporary music written by women and for women.  We learn at least 15 songs for each concert, so we hold music.  My singers like the variety of music we sing and don't have the time or inclination for memorizing.  They mostly read music and sing much music that professional choirs would not memorize, either.  Obviously, Women of Note appeals to women who like a wide variety of music and would be bored singing only one kind.  They are women who want to continually develop their vocal and music reading skills.  I give my singers free personal vocal coaching when they request it.  This has greatly improved our sound and our ability to address jazz and pop music as well as classical with appropriate tone for each.

 

Best of luck in putting together your community choir.  Do not be discouraged.  It may take you some time to get the character of your group decided upon and focused.  Your singers can help you.  Having a community choir is richly rewarding.

 

Carla Strandberg, Director

Women of Note

 

 

Hi there, I started a community choir 20 years ago in Vancouver - where there were already millions of choirs ... (okay, an exaggeration but really there are loads of great choirs here). I started a mixed adult choir with 13 people - I knew most of them and word was spread by mouth and by posters I put up in cafes. We have been at between 50 and 60 singers for around 10 years. It took around 5 years to get to 40 and after that its stayed pretty stable. I think you have similar aims in mind that I originally had - I started the choir in order to be a sort of a service project, a way of giving back to the community with the skills that I had. We have raised money for 20 years for many local charities, its an important part of every concert we do. I think that was a draw for some people to join. Also, I really wanted to do some world music, and not as much classical music as other choirs, which is something I couldn't find much of in the choral scene 20 years ago - of course it has changed over the year and there are many choirs now in Vancouver doing loads of cool repertoire from around the world as well as the standard classics. But I think that was a draw originally too. And we sing about half of our repertoire from memory, and we try to sing everything in its original language. But the other draw is that we don't sing any Christmas music. Don't get me wrong, I completely adore Christmas music and love to sing it every year. But having grown up with choral music I was quite honestly a little tired of always spending October - December practicing Christmas music. So we just don't do any, and I tell everyone that in September. Singers can easily get to sing Christmas music in a whole lot of places so I'm not depriving them of any opportunities, and none of them seem to mind. As a matter of fact, that is a big draw for some people as well, especially people who don't have Christmas as one of their own traditions or as one of their favourite traditions. I have had a couple of people leave over the years because they wanted to sing more classical music, and that was cool with me and I directed towards some other choirs that could satisfy their own needs better. I tend not to make my sopranos sing higher than a G, and that's mostly based on the voices that do come and join the choir.

 

In any case I agree with John Howell who posted here that it depends on your own interests - I basically went with everything I was interested in, and lo and behold there were others who wanted to come along. I do auditions to "place vocal ranges", and I find that having even the fact that I have an audition (undemanding as it may be : happy birthday or amazing grace where I jump in with some harmony to see if they can hold their melody) means that pretty much everyone who shows up to audition can actually sing in tune. If someone comes along who can't sing in tune, I do advise them that they would benefit more from individual vocal lessons for a little while than from jumping straight into a choir because of the harmony... usually they will take my advice and the choir sounds pretty good.

 

Best of luck with the choir, and good on you for starting the process. Definitely talk to other choir directors, I have singers in my choir who sing in one or two other choirs as well - there are plenty of enthusiastic singers to go around. And the world always needs more singing of any kind!!!!

Amy Stephen

amystephenmusic.com

Wonderful reading in the above posts.    I started a community choir because I wanted to sing unaccompanied music from around the world in harmony and needed a few other singers to make it sound good.    Although I'm a classically trained musician, I have a passion for the music of Africa and Eastern Europe etc. and most choirs just treat this music as fluff - encore material at best.   I wanted it to be the core of a community group of singers.  

 

As I was forming the group I came across the posts of Chris Rowbury in the UK who wrote a series of very helpful and inspiring posts on how to start a community choir.   

 

http://blog.chrisrowbury.com/2008/11/how-to-start-your-own-community-choir-1.html   Perhaps it will help you as much as it helped me.

 

 All the very best - it's a very exciting journey.

 

Jane Becktel

www.morningsong.com.au

Hi,

I think that you should do a "trial" of the interest in your area.  You're on the right track with having a group that's about something bigger than the music, and using your musical talents to make a real difference in the world.  That purpose or mission alone will help differentiate your group.  But what you don't know is if you have the singers in your area that will want to come. 

 

I suggest you pick a fundraiser or issue that you'd like to pursue.  Then start a "one-time-only" special group to perform for your special event.  If you get alot of interest and the event is highly successful, you not only have your answer but you have your starter group.  "Come join a choir" will get less interest than "Come help raise money for Haiti relief".  Then after that fundraiser is a resounding success, while people are still on a high from doing good and havin fun, you can suggest that they get toether for another event.

 

For fundraising efforts, I suggest you pick something that will have alot of appeal locally.  Either a national thing that is getting alot of attention like Haiti or the Gulf oil spill, or a very specific issue locally like saving a children's home in trouble.

 

In our choir, we've found that using music to make a difference in the community has revitalized the whole choir and increased our community recognition and support.

Good luck and let us know how it goes!

 

Misty Decker

CappellaFestiva.org

 If you want to do it, then just do it. I tend my own garden and let the other directors tend theirs.  You'll get different people because you have a different vision... Start with 12 friends and colleagues and GO!  There aren't a lot of "outside the box" choirs... PLENTY of room ... I started a community chamber group in my area with the same idea.  I wanted something besides "stand up there in black and sing" because, at least in my area, "stand up there in black and sing" doesn't bring in any audience under 55, and although I love our 55 and up audiences, I want the choral arts to survive for younger generations in my community, and they won't if I'm not speaking their language. They want an "experience" not a "performance".   

 

We change format about every 3 or 4 songs, memorize several (not all... yet), use color, ... feature local visual art and photography on the theme at the concert ... I write instrumental lines for some pieces to add color and interest, do a variety of music,  (I avoid show choir stuff and broadway... but I do mix up classics of the choral canon with tasteful, well written arrangements of popular melodies, Beatles, etc if the texts weave together well), I throw in small group pieces to challenge the more professional singers,  poetry is read woven between songs ... social issues are addressed sometimes... (last concert was "Peace"... audience participated in responsive reading, had various poems read as the choir moved to the next position underscored with cello)...  

 

Check out what Kathy Saltzman Romey is doing with The Minnesota Chorale's Bridges Program, or Craig Hella Johnson with Conspirare, or The Alchemy Project.  The book "Wisdom, Wit, and Will:  Women Choral Conductors on Their Art" Edited by Joan Catoni Conlon,  Chapter by Kathy Saltzman Romey , Emilie Sweet and Shekela Wanyama,  Building Bridges:  Choruses Engaging Communities (Choral Activism in the 21C) will give you a good shot in the arm.  

 

My group is 5 years old, we just added our third performance venue to the spring and winter concerts because we can't fit everyone, and this is in a fairly small community (20,000) where I was told there wasn't a need for another choral group. I stopped asking for opinions and just went for it.   Evidently there is a place for "different".  

www.collavoce.org

 

I'd love to hear how it goes.  This subject is near and dear to my heart.  Can you tell?  : )

 

 

I am privileged to lead a small but artistic ensemble of singers here in MusicCity, and have the pleasure of sharing that experience with my dad and my oldest son.

Nashville Singers was formed 18 months ago. We started with four founding members and have grown to 11 active singers. We met just twice monthly for the first 10 months and have been meeting three times monthly for the last eight months. We have developed a repertoire of over 20 (memorized) songs in the last 18 months. About 1/3 of those songs are holiday songs. Everyone is a volunteer.

If I had to summarize what I think are the mission-critical elements of success, they would include:

1. GOOD PLANNING

• ADOPT A PHILOSOPHY FOR SUCCESS: Begin with the end in mind. (Stephen Covey)
• HAVE A PLAN: Have your mission and vision clearly defined. Have a business plan put to paper with a budget and timetable for implementation to support your mission and achieve your vision

2. GOOD LEADERSHIP - Secure (and Develop the Skills of) Good Leaders:

• Assemble a core group of administrative worker bees to implement the plan.
• Develop a succession plan to groom future leaders.
• Secure an inspirational musical leader that keeps rehearsal interesting and keeps your members coming back week after week.
• The leadership mission of Nashville Singers is to seek, develop, use and enhance the skills and talents of each member to such an extent that progress seems limitless.

3. HIGH EXPECTATIONS & STANDARDS: Have high expectations of your leaders.

• Groups that have high expectations of their leaders will attract highly competent leaders.
• Have high expectations of your singers. Good singing attracts good singers. Bad singing scares good singers away.Expect the singers to take a role in running the chorus. Whether they serve on the board, on a committee, or just commit to a single task, like making the coffee, spreads the workload, avoids leadership burnout, and gives them more ownership in the process.

4. SING GREAT MUSIC:

• Sing great vocal arrangements of great songs.

• Diversify your repertoire to appeal to a broader audience.

• You can't go wrong singing songs people already know.

5. TAKE CARE OF YOUR VOLUNTEERS:

• GIVE GUIDANCE TO YOUR VOLUNTEERS: Assemble critical elements like job descriptions for the board and committees, and governing documents.

• RECOGNIZE THE CONTRIBUTIONS OF YOUR VOLUNTEERS:

  The only three motivators I have found to date are peer pressure, recognition and incentives.

6. SECURE FUNDING TO IMPLEMENT THE PLAN

In 2009 70% of our revenues came from member dues. The other 30% came from performances and other sources. Student dues are $10 per month. Standard dues are $20 per month. Dues can be paid for in blocks of six or 12-months. When we secure 501 (C) 3 status we can begin developing funds from donors and sponsors.

The resource allocation for Nashville Singers in 2009 was:

34% marketing and public relations
19% sheet music and learning media
16% rental fees for rehearsal facility
09% professional/legal fees
09% membership expenses for name badges and music binders
08% communications (website and telephone/voice mail)
100%

7. GOOD COMMUNICATION: Keep your members informed. Our members receive an email from me every week, usually four days before a rehearsal. The desired outcome of the meeting is articulated. The rehearsal schedule is communicated, including every song that will be rehearsed. While I do everything in my power to adhere to this schedule, it is subject to change.

8. INVEST IN MARKETING, DEVELOP AND IMPLEMENT A PLAN

• BUILD A GREAT WEBSITE: The Nashville Singers website was launched months before our first meeting. From "day one" the strategy has been to give any visitor to the Nashville Singers website the impression they were discovering a Middle Tennessee arts organization that was established long ago and NOT look like a start-up operation.
• BUILD A QUALITY BRAND AND PROTECT IT: Nashville Singers, Inc. is chartered by the state of Tennessee as a nonprofit organization and will soon be recognized by the IRS as a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) organization. Our chorus name is also protected by a service mark (SM)

• INVEST IN NON-TRADITIONAL MARKETING:

  The Nashville Singers website is the critical marketing tool that drives the success of our social media marketing campaign and plan, which has always included Facebook. We added Google Ads to the mix in the beginning of 2010. Our social media advertising campaign targets men in Tennessee with any singing-related reference in their Facebook profile. Our current social media marketing campaign has undergone some modifications, but has been running since we held our first meeting in November of 2008. Total social media ad cost over the last 18 months: $739.03 (about $44 per month)

• TRACK RETURNON INVESTMENT (ROI):

  What has this investment generated for Nashville Singers?
  This social media campaign has yielded:
  3,533,513 ad impressions, (tons of awareness for a start-up group looking to establish their identity in a town full of other musical ensembles)
  1,781 visits to our website, (26% of all site traffic)
  38 inquiries into visiting a meeting or joining, (47% of all inquiries)
  20 guests, (39% of all guests)
  4 members, (57% of all new members)
  
  I would caution any group against investing in social media paid advertising unless your website is in good shape and makes a good first impression. A chain is only as strong as its weakest link.

9. CREATE A FEEDBACK MECHANISM: We conduct a membership satisfaction survey of our members once annually. We conduct a survey of our guests at their first meeting. This helps you make course corrections if you're not adequately meeting the needs of your customers or prospects. If you're not prepared to modify your plan based on the feedback receivewd, do not waste anyone's time with a survey.

10. HAVE FUN! Make sure your singers have fun at every meeting or performance.

Disclaimer: While we do have "our act together" in so many areas, we do not yet have chorus costumes, risers, or professional quality PR photos. We do have a photo session scheduled in July of this year in preparation for the release of our first CD before the end of the year.

I hope anyone reading this post finds the information provided helpful in starting a community chorus.

All the best,

Todd Wilson
Director of Music & Marketing
www.nashvillesingers.org
214.533.5419

P.S. I have a six-week gap between consulting contracts from May 15 to June 30. If your group is interested in exploring or scheduling a coaching or consulting session in the areas of performance coaching, marketing, public relations, or organizational management, visit www.toddwilson.info.

Thanks Misty and Janine.

lol... "stand up there in black and sing" - you heard me!

L

I started a choir some time ago - we just finished 17 years. We remain a 30 voice chamber choir, but also sponsor a community children's choir and our own orchestra. I did this in a population of about 250,000 people in which there existed (and continue to exist) 5 community groups of varying levels of professionalism.

 

Every choir that exists had to be started by someone  - with a vision.  We had a speciatly and a vision that made us unique from the other choirs in the area - the specialty doesn't matter, because we have outgrown that particular emphasis. To start, I did several things (most of which I continue to do.)  I called every voice teacher whose name I could get and whose phone number I could find.  I called every church and school choir director whose name I could find . I called pastors of churches.  I explained who I was, that I was considering starting a community choir, and could they give me names of singers who might like to know about this potential effort.  I called over 250 singers to come up with the first 30.  We organized a board (which is now vital to our success and expanded vision) and, well, here we are.

 

Wishart Bell

Vesper Chorale Inc.

ACDA Central Division R & S Chair for Community Choirs