Choosing change: planning a new choir season

A new year and a new choir season don’t just bring change — they also bring choice.

This is often a moment to pause and reflect: what’s working, what’s not, and what might benefit from being done differently. For choir leaders in particular, it’s a chance to plan rather than simply react.

Toxic choir (and committee) members – how to stop them spoiling it for others

Many of the queries I get sent concern ‘toxic’ choir members. People who disrupt things and spoil it for others. 

photo by eek the cat

I thought I’d look a bit deeper into what’s going on and consider what you can do.

How to make sure your choir constitution is fit for purpose

Many choirs have a written constitution and an associated committee.

photo by Nick Youngson CC BY-SA 3.0 Pix4free.org

This is fine when everything is going well, but when something goes wrong, you might find that your constitution is not fit for purpose. Here are some things to think about when you write one for your choir.

How to recruit a new leader for your choir

There will come a time when you’ll need to find a new leader for your choir.



Let’s look at ideas for how to recruit someone suitable.

Beyond the usual suspects – how to get choir members to volunteer for supporting roles

Last week I wrote about how to sustain your choir as it grows and develops.



This week I will look at how you can persuade choir members to volunteer to help run your choir.

7 ways to hold onto your choir members: why retention is more important than recruitment

I often hear choirs asking how they can recruit more members.

photo by Laura LaRose

But if you hold onto your existing members, you won’t need to recruit that often. Here are some of the reasons why singers might leave your choir and what you can do to stop it.

Should you pander to your choir or just run things your way?

Many choir leaders have a strong style and particular choice of repertoire. They lead large, thriving choirs which have a strong vision.



Other choir leaders involve their members more and ask their opinion on repertoire, warm ups, performances, etc. Is one approach better or more successful than the other?

Choir committees and how to handle them 3: the advantages of a good committee

I’ve written about the things that can go wrong with choir committees, now it’s time to celebrate the good bits.

photo by Sebastiaan ter Burg

A good committee can be a huge benefit to any choir.

Choir committees and how to handle them 2: when committees go bad

Having a good committee can be a huge benefit to a choir.

By Abraham Teniers

But having a bad committee can be horrid and even destructive. Here are some common problems and how to deal with them.

Choir committees and how to handle them 1: what is a committee for?

Many choirs have committees. These are usually made up of choir members and exist to help the choir run smoothly.



At least that’s the idea, but sometimes things can go wrong and your committee can become a hindrance. Here are some tips on how to make the most of your committee.

Choir leaders: who’ll replace you when you’re gone?

Nothing lasts forever. There will come a time when you will leave your choir and need someone else to take over.



Who will you hand over to and how easy is it to do? Let’s look at some options.

How much should you charge singers to be in your choir?

Most choirs charge their singers to be a member (‘subs’). The amount can vary a lot from choir to choir.



What’s the best way to decide how much to charge your singers? Let’s look at some of the issues that can help you fix a suitable rate.

Why a choir can never be truly democratic

Ever asked your choir members how they think things are going? Is there a large committee helping to run your choir? If so, you’ve realised that a choir is not a democracy!



A choir is more like a benign dictatorship. Here’s why democratic choirs don’t work.

Taking over an established choir – a guide for choir leaders

Choir leaders don’t last forever so there will come a time when a choir needs to find a new one.



If you’re the person who gets the job it can seem daunting to take over a long-established choir. Here are a few tips to help with the transition.

Joining an established choir: a guide for how choir leaders can help new singers

Last week I wrote about the challenges faced by singers joining an established choir.

photo by fromcolettewithlove

This week I will look at what choir leaders and committees can do to make the transition easier.

What small changes will make you a better singer or choir leader in the coming year?

There is always room for improvement, whether you’re a singer, a choir leader, a choral arranger, a workshop leader or a choir committee member. But it can become overwhelming if you tackle everything at once and try to make too many changes.

photo by Ben Terrett

Focus on just a few small changes for the better. Here’s how.

How to set up a choir if you’re not a choir leader PART 1

I’ve written before about how to set up your own community choir, assuming that you want to run it yourself.

But what if you’re not a musical director and you want to set up a choir?

photo by Garry Knight

Here’s a guest post by Angela Gracey outlining five key steps to starting a choir. Warning - this venture is not for the faint hearted!

Ask not what your choir can do for you – ask what you can you do for your choir

Kirsten recently left a comment on my post How to be a good choir member.

photo by Brandon Cripps

She suggested that a good choir member should “go beyond the music”, i.e. get involved with the practicalities of running the choir. Great idea, but it does have its downsides too.

Does your choir need a constitution?

This post is part of a series of occasional Questions and Answers. Just contact Chris if you want to submit a question.

Sue wrote in to ask:
“As a self-funded community choir, do we need a constitution?”



The short answer is “No”!

Unless ... you're applying for funding or opening a business bank account. In which case you will also have to have a committee with posts such as treasurer, etc.