Smiling is the main one I'd recommend. One choir director who I sing with always tells the choir a funny story at the start of rehearsal to get them smiling.

It begins all the way back with your warm-ups:   are they only the 'careful', tuning kind of warm-ups, hums, and simple patterns that require little thought?  While these are most necessary, if it is energy you are looking for, find at least one warm-up that is rhythmic, and a pattern that requires thought, or is simply fun -- you'll know when your choir likes it or is challenged.  many of these have to do with diction, which will also help the energy issue.

--shaping phrases based on the word stress and meaning of the text (create a warm-up in parts for practicing cresc/decres as you will want it in the phrasing)

--show in your face, the expression and energy you want from them -- and exaggerate in rehearsal if needed.

--take 2 minutes to let each section come up with one analogy for what they are singing about or one idea of who is talking and to whom -- quickly share out those 3-4 ideas and then try the piece again.  It's as much involvement and commitment that you want as just energy.  Connection to what they are doing is crucial for you to see/feel their energy.

--experiment with gestures outside the beat patterns, with your left hand -- they will surge when you indicate that

--don't begin the piece until you have complete focus from everyone -- and then hold that as you create the music and deliver the text

Good Luck!

J.Antista

Sarah:  I definitely don't advocate this as a general approach to vocal production, but perhaps it might help to do warmups this way, or at least some kind of exercises.  (And this is purely practical, not theoretical, which would get us into questions of what IS "life" and what IS "energy"!)

 

I noticed that when I took my ensemble into the recoding studio (which I tried to do at least once a year), their singing was similarly lifeless even though on stage, with an audience in front of them and a hot showband cooking behind them, they had PLENTY of energy!!  But in the studio I was the only audience and there was no showband (they had prerecorded their tracks as the first step in the process), so they fell into rehearsal mode.  So I tried simply asking them to put an accent on every syllable.  AND IT WORKED!!!  Once they could FEEL the energy, they could SING with energy, even though I didn't insist on their continuing to sing with accents.  I suspect that it got their abdominal muscled involved and even improved their breathing and breath support.

 

I think it's worth a try.  And of course if you can record "before" and "after" versions and then play them back it can bring the lesson home.  Just ask them which sounds better!!

 

Of course I also cut loose and made faces at them and acted like an idiot (not my usual demeanor!) if it seemed to loosen them up, and that's worth a try, too.

All the best,

John

I like the ideas that I've seen here.
Here are some that I've found helpful:
1. Have them speak and/or sing the text with tremendous exaggeration. Part of the challenge--especially for youg singers--is that they don't have a reliable self-awareness. In other words, when they are singing what they think is "big" or "quiet", it may not come across that way. Have them explore the upper and lower limits of their pitch/dynamic ranges.
2. MOVEMENT. This frees up the voice and the spirit. Incorporate it into many/most of your warm-ups. Wherever it is tasteful, use it in performance.
Some even push the limits on this, as with Randy Stenson's choirs:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CcOqzHl3DIE 
3. Have them speak and/or sing some phrases staccato. Since they are breating and re-articulating more often, they can't help but use more energy. Next transition to marcato; finally to the articulation you want.

I'm always looking for more ideas on this also--especially once they are on stage--so I'm glad to hear from others.