Singing in a choir is fun, good for the brain and, from the perspective of this long-time choir nerd, good for the soul. But what's the secret ingredient which makes singing together so incredible? In this article, we're going to find out what makes a choir a choir, how voice parts come together, what does a conductor do and why choirs come to rehearse.
What makes a choir a choir?
A choir is made up of people who come together to sing. According to London-based conductor James Dixon, "[a choir] can be as small as two people who just want to sing a tune together, to hundred-strong voices accompanied by a symphony orchestra."
Conductor Julee-anne Bell says that "to have this common goal, it helps for everybody in the choir to be on the same page as much as possible." Bell, who is blind, uses Braille music to conduct her choir in Kingaroy, Queensland.
Freelance choral director Elliot Rentoul points out that often there might be other things that unite people in a choir. Rentoul directs the Brisbane Pride Choir, which is "where LGBT community or allies come together not just because we love to sing, but because we care about our community."
For singers in Melbourne's Rewire Musical Memories Choirs, singing together has therapeutical benefits as well as forming a supportive community. "Our particular choirs are therapeutically designed based on what we know about how music works with the brain," says music therapist, conductor and coordinator Zara Thompson. These choirs are formed for people who have dementia as well as their carers and volunteers, and structured in such a way to be inclusive of this dynamic disability.
What do you call people who sing in a choir?
A person who sings in a choir is often called a chorister. Dixon, who worked in Sydney before moving to the UK explains the cultural difference: "In Australia, a chorister generally refers to anyone who sings in a choir, but in the UK, the term applies specifically to children who sings in a church choir."
Who are the different members of a choir?
Most choirs consist of people singing in different voice parts as well as a conductor, and often, an accompanist who plays the piano alongside the singers. The most common voice divisions are soprano, alto, tenor and bass. Some choirs also include baritone and mezzo-soprano.
Put simply by Bell, "the soprano is the highest part in the choir, and alto is often the second highest group, though technically you have mezzo-soprano in between. The tenor is the higher male voice part while baritone sits in the middle ground, and the bass sings the lowest part in the choir."
Bell adds "sometimes you can have two or three of any given parts depending on the piece of music. Sometimes there are two soprano parts, with one higher than the other, sometimes they're just singing different things in the same note range."
Rentoul says in the context of LGBTQIA+ choirs, it's important to use the voice part names without ascribing genders. "[In our choir], we have a few cisgender women whose voices are dropping in range, so they sing with the tenors, while male countertenors do sing quite high. So there are a lot of criss-crossing," they say.
Bonus trivia
A choir who sings without accompaniment is called a cappella.
What does a conductor do in a choir?
You might've noticed someone up the front of a choir waving their arms around. But what is it that this person, the conductor, actually does? Bell says "a conductor is like a captain of a ship who makes sure it goes in the right direction, but they also make sure the ship stays safe." In other words, the conductor is the CEO of the choral world who can set rules and expectations.
In Bell's community choir, knowing the score isn't a prerequisite. "I don't want people to feel that not being able to read music is a barrier, but I make it a teaching opportunity. So if I say, 'we're going to go from the beginning of the repeat,' I'll explain what that looks like and where they'd find it on the page."
Bell and her choir develop ways to work with each other. "The fact I use Braille music means I can't read music and use my hands to conduct at the same time," Bell explains. She also needs extra time to find her spot on the complex Braille scores. But Bell does share the load with others in the choir, for instance when describing what musical signs look like in print.
For someone like Dixon, working with community and professional choirs mean he can set different expectations. "With community singers, I focus on getting the foundations of notes and expressions in place and building confidence in their musical ability, whereas with singers who can sightread or have many years experience, we spend more time working on musical details."
Rentoul says what's really special about being the person at the front is how they can shape not only the repertoire, but also the culture of the group. "It's important to me to make everyone feel safe, welcome and included, foster curious learning, and strive towards musical excellence." Rentoul tries to push against the stereotype that community choirs aren't as good as the professionals by programming music which challenges but excites the singers, and factoring in audience participation.
As an inclusive choir with neurodivergent members, the Brisbane Pride Choir try to provide quiet spaces as well as adapting lighting and noise in rehearsals and concerts. "I've got chronic pain and need the support of a back brace and seating when performing, so I understand how important a small adjustment can be to make sure everyone is included," Rentoul says. "I think being open to having conversations with people is the first step. Being willing to change what we're doing to help everyone participate to the best of their ability does take a little bit of extra thought, but it's so worth it!"
Thompson says "in addition to emphasising the beat and keeping time, which is what a typical conductor would do, we will also show the melodic contour by moving our hands up and down to indicate where the melody is going." She adds "this can help with people with dementia as well as some of the carers who might not necessarily have sung in a group before."
Why does a choir need to rehearse?
Joining a choir often means attending regular rehearsals. Most choirs meet once a week or more in the lead up to a performance, which can be a big commitment for some people. But both Bell and Dixon say spending time with each other is important for their choirs.
Bell says "practice makes us better, happier and more confident with each other, which is how we get used to singing our part while hearing others around us." Meanwhile Dixon shares how he plans regular rehearsals. "With some of my children's choirs, I'd keep it to 45 minutes maximum, whereas I'd spend at least one to two hours with my community choirs each week."
Rehearsals can also be a place where choristers can bond and just be with each other, Rentoul points out. "If you're a bit more of an introvert like me, you can just come to rehearsal and just sit amongst all these like-minded people and sing."
Having a regular rehearsal can help choristers have some consistency, according to Thompson. "Dementia is a dynamic disability, where people can feel fine one day, then the next day everything is completely different." But unlike regular choirs, Thompson is much more flexible about attendance. "We don't enforce any structures on people. They can, they will, they're able to come if they choose."
Rewire Choristers do love to come to rehearsals. The reason, Thompson says, is because "we know that people with dementia can have a positive experience from singing together. An hour later, they might not remember even doing it, but that positive feeling will remain."