Recently, there’s been a spate of ‘tricky’ choir warm-up videos on Instagram.
They’re clever and challenging, but I can’t help wondering: do they actually lead to better choir performances?
Sometimes, a warm-up can simply be fun It doesn’t need a specific goal. A light-hearted exercise helps loosen people up, builds a sense of community, and reminds singers that mistakes aren’t the end of the world. Plus, it’s often just a laugh — funny when people slip up, and reassuring because we’re all in it together.
Of course, there’s also a place for more structured exercises: singing scales, skipping notes, or even doing a scale as a round. These are excellent listening exercises and help choir members master intervals.
But some of the warm-ups I’ve been seeing online seem to fall into a different category: “clever mental games with random body percussion”. My concern is that, the only outcome of these exercises is … getting better at the exercise itself.
There doesn’t seem to be a clear link between how well a singer performs these challenges and how well the choir performs as a whole.
And they can unintentionally exclude singers who struggle with dyscalculia (difficulty understanding numbers), co-ordination difficulties, or other neuro-divergent traits — people who can still thrive in a choir.
Singers often compartmentalise: now we’re doing the warm up, now we’re singing a song. That’s why it’s crucial that any warm-up flows naturally into the rest of the rehearsal. Otherwise, what’s the point? For more on this, see Mind the gap between warm up and song: how to ensure vocal technique gets applied.
If you’re designing a warm-up, be clear (at least in your own mind) why you’re asking singers to do it and how it might improve choir performance. You don’t always have to share these reasons — choirs generally trust your methods — but be ready if someone asks. See The essential elements of a choir warm up.
Warm-ups can also be tailored to the songs you’re currently working on, and they don’t need to happen only at the start of a rehearsal. When done thoughtfully, they bridge technique, fun, and musical purpose.
At the end of the day, a warm-up’s purpose is simple: to help the choir sing better. If it’s clever or tricky just for the sake of being clever, it risks becoming an exercise in itself, rather than a tool for the music. The best warm-ups balance fun, technique, and musical purpose, so that when the singing begins, the choir is ready, confident, and connected.
Chris Rowbury
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