Inevitably, some singers will wait around doing nothing while the choir leader focuses on one of the other harmony parts.
Whether you teach by ear (as I do) or use sheet music, this will happen. However, there are ways of minimising this waiting time.
Somebody wrote to me recently after attending a singing day:
“As someone with ADHD, I found it difficult to endure the periods waiting for instruction while you instructed the other groups.
For me, it would have worked better with simple chorus songs where we all sang the verses in unison, then came in full blast on the choruses.”
There are several issues to unpick here:
- how do we, as choir leaders, ensure we accommodate neuro-divergent singers?
- would it be better to teach simple songs where only the choruses have harmonies?
- how can we reduce the time singers wait while other parts are being instructed?
neuro-divergent singers
It’s not only singers with ADHD who get restless and find it hard to sit still. But we should recognise that there may be neurodivergent singers in our choirs who find it difficult to learn songs in the same way that neurotypical singers do.
However, as the saying goes: “If you’ve met one person with autism, you’ve met one person with autism.” It’s impossible to cater for every single aspect of neurodiversity. But we can at least be aware that not everybody learns songs in the same way.
Make it clear to your singers that they can approach you at any time if they’re having difficulties and that you can try to accommodate their individual needs.
For more on this subject, read Emma Rowland-Elsen’s blog post: You mean well, but … 5 common choir habits that might be triggering your neuro-divergent singers (and what to do instead).
simple songs?
I touched on this subject a few weeks back: Finding the right balance in singing workshops: Quality vs. Quantity.
There is always scope for singing workshops where you learn simple songs in unison and sing harmonies on the choruses. Sea shanties are a prime example of this. However, if you only do simple songs, singers can become bored or feel they’re not being challenged.
If you’re teaching harmonies on the choruses, singers will still be standing around while another part is being taught!
reducing waiting time
There are four obvious ways of reducing the time singers wait for other parts to be taught.
1. ‘chunk’ a song into small sections when teaching
If you teach a song in small sections (rather than a whole verse),
singers will wait less. See
How to teach (and learn) a song by ear
and
How I teach harmony songs.
2. use ‘duetting’ often
Whenever several
harmony parts are up and running, get harmony parts to sing against each other
in pairs. This means that singers are kept engaged even before they’ve learnt
the whole of their part. See
How to bring harmonies to life when teaching a song.
3. give singers something to do while waiting
Let your singers know that rather than standing around doing nothing,
there are things they can actively do whilst other parts are being taught. For
example, revise the lyrics, note tricky rhythms, and sing your own part in
your head. See
Learning songs by ear: what should you do while other parts are being
taught?
4. get singers to learn songs in their own time
This is what most barbershop groups do. Singers are given plenty of
resources to enable them to learn their own part at home. They are expected to
know their part well before attending rehearsals. I used to provide recordings
of all the harmony parts when new singers joined my choirs and needed to learn
the old repertoire. Personally, I’d rather everyone were in the room when
learning a new song so singers can hear how the parts are built up and work
together.
Chris Rowbury
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