Recruiting for church choir

Date: July 19, 2010

Hi there

I am currently in the process of trying to come up with ways to recruit singers for my church choir. It is a congregation of about 200, and the choir currently is about 10 people without ringers. I was thinking of hosting a night before actual rehearsals begin where we would sing through some anthems and enjoy desserts after, just so people who were curious could see what it is like and enjoy the fellowship.

Is that a good idea? Any other ideas that may help people get involved?

Any input is greatly appreciated!

Robert Judge

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Replies (8): Threaded | Chronological

Lee G. Barrow on July 19, 2010 8:06am

Robert,

You might consider a "short term" choir. I explained how I did it in my article, "Choir Lite: Less Time, Just as Fulfilling," which was printed in several ACDA division newsletters and in ChorTeach, vol. 1. Issue 2:

http://acda.org/files/ChorTeach-Vol1Iss2.pdf

Lee Barrow

Lisa Mischke on July 19, 2010 8:12am

Robert,

I once read that most people join church choirs because of a personal invitation, and that's been my experience as well. I keep an ear out for good voices and make personal contact. I even recruited one of my most enthusiastic choir members because I heard him speak as a lector and noticed his melliflous speaking voice.

Lisa Mischke

Eugene, OR

Allen H Simon on July 19, 2010 1:39pm

There's a whole section in ChoralNet's resources on recruiting and auditioning, which includes church-choir threads and specifically an "open rehearsal" such as the one you suggest.

Robert Judge on July 19, 2010 3:01pm

Thank you all - your help and advice is much appreciated!

Doug Haney on July 20, 2010 5:32am

Robert:

It occurs to me our church choirs are "recruiting" every time we present a musical offering in worship.

The personal invitations and short-term projects are good ideas. But alongside this the choir itself must attract new singers.

Do your singers sing with an energy and engagement that is so winsome that other people - who may not have sung for decades - long to to join?

Doug Haney

Wilshire Baptist Church

Dallas, Texas

Wayne F. Miller on July 20, 2010 7:36am

Good morning,

These are all good suggestions, and for Lee's suggestion, I just printed out the full edition of the online articles from his link. Good stuff!

As part of my recruiting process, I invite all known prospects, as well as make a blanket invitation to the church body, to our annual choir retreat. This is actually just a 9:00-3:00 day of devotionals, short break-out sessions, a clinic with a local fellow church musician, and a preview of anthems and Christmas music. I usually invite myself (my choir) to the clinician's church so that it actually feels like an off-site retreat. I will usually have between 6 and 10 "lookers". In a choir of 30, if I get 3 new people, that's a 10 percent increase.

Just a thought.

Wayne

John Howell on July 20, 2010 10:25am

Wayne et al.

This isn't at all the same thing, but for about 18 years I've been teaching a Survey of Music course for NON-music majors, and I have always asked them for both contact information and a very brief musical autobiography. Based on those bios, I have contacted a select several every semester with the primary purpose of asking whether they have continued their music in college, but with a definite secondary purpose of recruiting for my Early Music Ensemble.

I could do a generic class email, but I never have. It's too easy to ignore one of those. It's the personal contact that seems to be appreciated, and sometimes does pay off. This Fall, however, I'll be adding a 200-student on-line Music Appreciation class, which is going to be an adventure in the first place! And I may give the generic announcement a try with this class. (And I should mention that we have always been a small Music Department, and our ensembles could not function without non-majors in them, some of whom are every bit as good as our majors!)

All the best,

John

Jan Lanterman on July 20, 2010 4:00pm

I've found it very helpful to spend time circulating at the coffee hours following services. Not only does it help recruit singers, but it's nice for members of the greater congregation to feel a connection to the music director.

Jan Lanterman

First United Methodist Church

Napa, California

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