CHOIR MINISTRY

What is a choir? An organized company of singers. An art form.

What is ministry? Office, duties or work of a religious minister; to serve.

Choir Ministry is a community of believers serving the Lord and others thru singing for, to and through the Lord during
church worship services and other events.

Core Values of the Choir Ministry:

1. Primary Audience: God (Ps. 30:4, 47:6)
2. Servanthood (II Cor. 5:20)
3. Biblical, Christ-centered
4. Worship-based rather than entertainment

“Music is an agreeable harmony for the honor of God and the permissible delights of the soul.”
- Johann Sebastian Bach

Role of the Choir:

1. Worship God. (Ps. 95:1)
2. Reinforce the message from God’s Word through songs.
3. Edify the church through songs. (Col. 3:16)
4. Lead the church in congregational singing.
5. Spread the Gospel story.
6. Nurture musical talents and music leaders.
7. Discipleship among choir members. (Col. 3:16, Eph. 5:19)

“And He hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall see it, and fear, and shall
trust in the Lord.” Psalm 40:3

Who can be a part of the choir ministry?

1. A saved individual. (Eph. 2:8,9)
2. Loves to sing.
3. Desire to worship and serve the Lord. (Ps. 66:2)
4. Desire to learn, teachable.
5. Committed and humble.
6. Willing to work with others.
7. Passes the requirement set by the church regarding choir membership.

Areas of Development
1. Musical: Vocal, Musical Knowledge, Musicianship, Ensemble
2. Spiritual: Knowledge of God’s Word, Prayer Life, Witness, Fellowship
3. Social – Physical: Self-confidence, Relationships, Posture & Performance, Teamwork & Coherence

What makes a good church Choral program?

1. God-centered & Spirit-led.
2. Builds up the church and the singers, reaches out to the community.
3. Repertoire that contributes to the growth of the choir and its members.
4. Exciting Performances.
5. Excellent Rehearsals.
 "Powerful sources of spiritual enrichment spring from music... If the child is not filled at least once with the life-
giving stream of music...it will hardly be of use to him later on. Often a single experience will open the young
soul to music for a lifetime." - Zoltan Kodaly

THE CHURCH CHOIR CONDUCTOR/DIRECTOR

Qualifications:
1. Saved and a faithful-growing Christian
2. Spirit led (Gal. 5:22)
3. Knowledge in the doctrines/theology
4. Knowledge in music and its application
5. Able to play an instrument
6. Good diction
7. Understand the fundamentals of singing and can demonstrate
8. Leadership and social skills (I Chron. 23:3-5)
9. Passion to learn and teach
10. Committed, Industrious & Patient (I Chron. 16:37; 9:33)
11. Physically fit

Role of the Choir Conductor:

1. Leader of the choir.
2. Selection of the repertoire.
3. Coordinates with the Pastor about the theme.
4. Coordinates with the Pastoral staff and church officers regarding activities.
5. Schedules and oversee choir activities.
6. Guide and encourage the singers in developing their voices.
7. Teaches the choir, not only the song but music as well. Interprets the song.
8. Relays the proper emotion and facial expression of the song to the choir.
9. Inspire and motivate the singers in performing.
10. Arranges the choir to get the best sound and balance.
11. Sets the beat and conducts with clarity and resolve
12. Look for growth opportunities of the choir.
13. A friend to all choir singers, listens to their concerns and sometimes their problems.
14. Prays for all the choir members.

Selecting a song or repertoire:

1. Pray
2. According to the theme or message
3. A song you can play or sing
4. Study the music, understand the lyrics
5. Consider the vocal skills of the singers
6. Consider the time element of preparation
7. Consider the number of singers
8. Consider the ages of the singers

Interpretation of a choral piece:

1. Understand the lyrics, every song has a story and a message to impart.
2. Understand the melodic and harmonic elements.
3. Understand the relationship between the lyrics and the tune.
4. Understand the dynamics.
5. Feel all the musical elements.
6. Channel the emotions and expression to the choir.
Fundamentals of the Conducting Gesture (Carol J. Krueger):
1. Posture and Physical Stance: role model for singers
2. Arm and Hand Positioning
3. Vertical & Horizontal Planes
4. Delineation of the Ictus
5. Preparatory Gesture and Downbeat
6. Stopping the Sound
7. The Various Metric Patterns
8. Internal Releases on Various Beats and Final Cut-off
9. Dynamics
10. Starting the sound on each half beat (or portion of the beat) of the measure
11. Fermata: long break, short break, no break
12. Left Hand Positions and Functions
13. Cues

Conducting is more than just keeping the beat, it is an expression of music that uses the whole body.

“I play the notes as they are written, but it is God who makes the music.” -Johann Sebastian Bach

CHOIR REHEARSAL TECHNIQUES

Choir practice should be:
1. A time to worship God and know Him more.
2. A time to learn more about music and singing.
3. A time to learn and appreciate the song.
4. A time to fellowship with fellow believers.
5. A learning experience.
6. Serious but fun.

Suggested rehearsal format:

1. Devotion and Prayer time
2. Exercise
3. Vocalization
4. Music Reading
5. Learning the melody
6. Learning the different parts
7. Singing together
8. Singing with dynamics and expressions
9. Prayer

Rehearsal Principles (Dr. Lewis Gordon):

1. Begin and End Rehearsal with High-Interest Repertoire.
2. Plan for Variety in Activities.
3. Keep Singers Invigorated.
4. Avoid Vocal Strain.
5. Establish a Realistic Pace.
6. Make Efficient Use of Time.

Factors to Poor Rehearsal:

1. Lack of Purpose
2. Boredom
3. Interruptions
4. Lack of Rapport
5. Underachievement
"Music is serious fun!" - Bobby McFerrin

Additional activities for the choir:

1. Choir retreat
2. Music Theory lessons
3. Vocal Workshops
4. Sectional practices
5. Quartet exams
6. Attend choral concerts and workshops
7. Fellowships/Bonding sessions

“Group singing is cheaper than therapy, healthier than drinking, and certainly more fun than working out. It is
one thing in life where feeling better is pretty much guaranteed.” - Anonymous

Role of the Church Choir Member:

1. Pray for the choir conductor, accompanist and other members.
2. Attend practices regularly and on time.
3. In times of tardiness or absence, inform the choir conductor.
4. Prepare yourself physically, musically & spiritually.
5. Focus on the rehearsal.
6. Appreciate the opportunities to learn.
7. Respect the choir conductor and your fellow choir members.
8. Listen attentively to the instructions of the choir conductor and apply them.
9. Listen to your voice and to the voices of fellow choir members.
10. Vocalize properly.
11. When the conductor is teaching another section, follow with your eyes.
12. Sing only when asked.
13. Read the lyrics quietly and meditate on them.
14. Sing with joy and love for God, express and don’t be shy and look at the conductor.
15. Be friendly to other choir members and support each other.
16. Abides to the rules set by the church on choir ministry.
17. Discipline is very important.

“Do not be afraid to make mistakes during rehearsals, it is the right time to be corrected.” - MDAG

Purpose of Vocalization:
1. Open the vocal chords
2. Improve vocal quality
3. Improve phrasing (breath control)
4. Improve range (low or high)
5. Improve intonation
6. Practice tempo or rhythmic pattern of the song to be learned
7. Practice harmony and balance
8. Practice diction of difficult or problematic words in the song
9. Practice dynamics

"Musical training is a more potent instrument than any other, because rhythm and melody find their way into
the inward places of the soul." - Plato
SINGING
Three pillars of vocal production:
1. Proper posture: feet slightly apart; relaxed, straight back, neck, arms and shoulders; chin relatively parallel to
the ground
2. Proper breathing: inhalation, suspension, phonation
3. Proper placement: open, relaxed jaw; relaxed tongue; yawning or sighing effect; inner smile; resonators

Elements of singing:
1. Freely produced sound
2. Clarity of words
3. Loud enough to be heard
4. Good breath support
5. Well-executed phrasing
6. Heart and joy

“The goal of singing is not to reach the highest note or to sing loud, nor to sing the grandest song, but to make
the audience experience the song by clearly imparting its message through clarity of lyrics and beautiful sound
produced. Right facial and vocal expressions and doing it with joy from the heart. This, with the help of God
through the Holy Spirit.”
-MDAG

References:
A Guide to the Principles of Choral Conducting, James Davey
Breathing & Choir Conducting, Ildikó Ferenczi Ács
Choral Rehearsal Techniques, Ryan Wilson
Choral Techniques 1.1, Gordon Lamb
The Church Music Handbook, Lynn Thayer
The Choral Conductor and the Rehearsal, Lloyd Pfautsch
Vocal and Choral Techniques, Fairfield

Resource Persons:
Evangeline Geroy
Dr. Lester Sam Geroy
Ritchie Araneta-Asibal

Helpful sounds – excel in using the correct formation for singing and need short energy release
Voiced Bilabial Consonants: p, b, m
Labiodentals: v, f
Alveolar Consonants: d, t, n, r, l, s, z

Brain Gym – multitask, cross-lateral exercises can improve coordination between the two sides of the brain

Breathing:
1. Ceiling breathing – small pockets in our lungs that reach right up into our shoulders; panting
2. Wall breathing – side and back muscles to expand air into the walls of our ribcage; main muscles involved in “support”;
deep breath with hands on your sides and blow hard making a “Shh” sound
3. Floor breathing – diaphragmatic breathing; hand on your tummy and make a series of short “shh” or “fft” sound
Vowels:
1. “Ah” is usually best angled at the back of the neck and head.
2. “Eh” is best just under the ears, where the jaws meet.
3. “I” (as in hit, not “ee”) is best going straight up through the top of the head.
4. “O” (as in hot – right in between “oar” and “ah”) is right between the eyes, at the top of the nose.
5. “U” is the purest and the weakest vowel. It is focused towards the front of the face.