CozyMusic Choir workshop

Over the years we have been made to believe

that patience is the key to choir growth.

When things don't work, we normally hear,

"don't worry they will learn" don't worry

we will improve.

"Don't worry we will get there"

Does any of these sound familiar? Yes

However i have visited choir which have

been on ground for 20 years and nothing has

changed.

If we do not understand and put the correct

mechanism on ground, your choir will be in

the same spot for many years or improve at

the pace of a snail

The growth and development of a choir is

based on structures which are monitored and

given a timeline, a target to develop.

I will start with number 1, 2 and 3 as they

go together.

(1) Admin Desk

(2) Spiritual desk

(3) Skill desk

When new comers joins the choir before they

start functioning they should have met

80/90% requirements from the supervisors of

this desk.

There will be a from with 4 signatures

*The supervisor of the Admin desk gives a

pass mark and signs

*The Supervisor of the Spiritual desk gives

pass mark

*The Supervisor from the Skill desk gives

pass mark
The form is taken to the music director and

he puts his signature after approval from

the other there desks.

So lets see the functions and requirements

to be met from the three desks

I will be sending an audio at stages to

make it clearer

Download the audio and listen as we

continue

THE ADMIN DESK

When new comers join the choir, the first

desk they should stop by is the admin desk.

The duty of the admin desk is to walk choir

members through

* Rules and regulations booklet and explain

* Days, time and rehearsal modes

* Uniform and dress mode

* Introduction of various leaders in the

choir and their functions.

* enlighten them about dues.

* Compliance to dressing

* Promptness to church service and choir

*rehearsal in terms of days and time

* Dues and general compliance to laid down

structures.

This desk educates the choir members on

every structures that needs to be known

The uniform personnel falls under this

desk.

As choir member visits this desk, the

uniform person is beside, taking a session

to educate them on dressing requirements

and modes

Choir members who passes through this desk

are monitored for 2/ 3 Months and if they

pass a certain percentage of requirement,

they get a approval from the Admin desk

That is they must meet up with

Dues

Time

Proper dressing

expected conducts for 2/3 or more months

before they get an approval from the

Admin's desk

(2) THE SPIRITUAL DESK

This desk has people that will

* Explain the vision of the church

* Vision of the choir

* Spiritual aspect of choir membership

* Provide or recommend books and audios

that talks about the roles of a levite.( A

must read and listen)

* Ensure members goes through foundational

school of the church

* Ensure all choir members belongs to a

cell.

This desk group choir members and puts them

under different leaders for spiritual

development

Eg-: Sister Peace( Sister Joy, Ruth faith

and Hope

Brother John handles( Bro Uche, Nathan and

femi)

That is the spiritual desk groups choir

members under more matured ones for

mentorship

After requirements have been met from this

desk the choir member gets the approval

from this desk.

For those just joining i will make a pdf

(3)THE SKILLS DESK

The skills desk is the next desk every

choir member should pass through

This desk is normally handled by a Vocal

coach or an experienced Pianist.

Here

* The choir member's pitch is checked

* Capacity to modulate checked

* Capacity to sing any part checked

* How well you can take a solo, praise and

worship

* Test of you understanding of what Chest,

head etc voice is, in theory and practical.

* Other tests for music and singing skills.

After the tests.

*You would be given (or buy) books on music

theory to read

*Books on Vocal development

*Audios for daily vocal warm ups and

workouts
* Given simple and technical songs to score

with occasional assistance from the coach

* Specific workouts can be added ,depending

on each singer's weakness

After you have read the books ,shown prove

of song scored by singing and met 80, 90%

requirements from the skill desk.

You will get approval from the supervisor

of this desk and then present the form to

the music director for his signature,

saying you have passed the three desk and

fit to resume active singing in the choir

This desks are from new comers as well as

those already in the choir.

Any choir member who passes through these

three desk ,would have developed discipline

and musically capacity and if your choir is

made up of 15 people, be sure you have 15

giants well equipped

Let me send an audio to wrap up these three

before we continue.

Listen to the audio as we continue

4 Sound department.

No matter how good your choir members are,

bad sound will set them you back.

1 Employ and pay a good sound engineer

2 If you can't pay, send the one you have

for training let him come Back and train

others

3 Get a good sound engineer at two months

interval to check your sound

4 Sound check is key before every service

5 Get gifts and food for sound guys, it

reduces the tension btw choir and them

6 Make a plan to get better equipments

Make a yearly plan for sound training,

choir can save, ask the sound guys and

church to add to it and send one sound guy

yearly for training

If you like carry the anointing, terrible

sound will bring you down

No 5 CONFLICT RESOLUTION

Conflict resolution in the choir.

Sometimes its easier to govern a nation

than to govern a choir.

Don't wait for conflict before you call for

meeting.

Ask " is there any issue you wish we

address, or write on a paper and submit.

Choir members might have ministered

powerfully outside but lots of bitterness

inside.

The best time to resolve conflict in choir

is when there is no conflict

Meaning that Sunday the choir did so well

is the best time to ask ,is there any thing

we need to address

Somehow there is always issues in the choir

even when all seems well

So don't wait for the outburst of quarrel

before you resolve conflicts

Have a timetable for the question

"Is there anything we need to resolve or

improve on" regardless if there are issues

or not in the choir

(6) MAKING CHOIR INTERESTING ALL YEAR ROUND

As a music director ,you need to have a

plan to make choir interesting all year

round.

Have a plan for every choir rehearsal to

make it interesting

The most interesting times in choir are

concerts, special programmes, thanksgiving

etc times.

After these, it seems the choir gets back

to the normal activities and less

dedication to rehearsal.

You want to learn how to replicate and

maintain the same excitement and energy at

all times.

Listed below are some activities that would

make interesting choir.

* Visit other choir to observe.

* Attend programmes as a choir.

* Enlist for choir competitions

* Invite vocal coach to have sessions with

the choir.
* Invite popular gospel ministers to have a

session with the choir

* Organise training for new Praise and

worship leaders:- After few months of

training, you start them up with weekly

praise and worship.

* Have monthly prize(something small) best

choir members.

* Organise internal choir competition.

Sometimes you can keep the rod and use

interesting activities to engage the

interest and willingness of the choir.

There is an approach of shouting, breaking

head and fines to make choir members comply

But if your the choir is interesting, you

will not need Rod to make them comply

People will rush to attend choir rehearsals

when it is fun, interesting.

Even those that don't sing will want to

join, in fact members from other church

will want to attend your rehearsal if it is

always engaging and interesting

This is the last one

Before this may i mention that i didn't put

prayer among the list because Prayer is

just the normally thing.

You should have at least 30/45mins minutes

prayer before any rehearsal starts

And have retreat once every 3 months or as

directed

No 7 Instrumentalist management

The issue of instrumentalist can sometimes

be overwhelming

Very few people understands instrumentalist

and fewer people knows how to manage them.

I have seen a choir who after every 8

months is calling for audition of new

instrumentalist.

I have also seen many instrumentalist who

have stayed in choir for 15 years, just

become lazy and careless about choir

activities, don't score songs again, come

late and etc.

Any choir that is going to grow to standard

must have good instrumentalist and how to

manage them.

Some tips

*If any decide not to be paid, it's okay

* If any wants to be paid, pay them

* Don't let 99.9% of times their phones

rings becomes " Where are you" or are you

back from holiday we need you to play the

drum*
Call them just to say how are you.

* When an instrument is bad, make effort to

repair and if you cannot, sincerely

explain, and keep explaining till it's

fixed.

* Playing the instrument doesn't make one

born again, invest spiritually in them if

you want them to be spirit filled.

* Paying instrumentalist doesn't make them

a commodity, you will keep changing

Keyboardist every 4 months if you think

money can get any.

* Make sure all instrumentalist attends a

cell and are put under personal mentorship

If your choir must grow ,you need skillful

and committed instrumentalist

Explaining no 7 can take another 3 mins,

its a topic of its own

Instrumentalist have their own faults and

the people handling them have their faults

too.

Prayerfully with love, you will have the

best instrumentalist