“Chorus is more than just a class. It is a part of our lives. We are all here because we love music and want to learn more about it.” -Hugh Scott, Choir President of Powell Valley High School Viking Concert Choir.

Choirs come in all shapes and sizes. They can be made up entirely of children, young adults, all boys or all girls, or a mixture of any of the above. One day you go to a performance and you hear all these incredible voices. But did you ever ask your self, how do all of these wonderful voices come together to make such a wonderful sound? How do they sing in unison, so crisp and clear? Well, someone very important is behind the scenes. That person is called the Director of the Choir. Directors must have skill, confidence and many other traits to run their choirs. Perhaps the most important one is a true love of music.

Another very important trait is a strong sense of confidence in what you are doing. Why is this so important? Because if you believe in what you are doing, then the singers in your choir will believe in themselves as well. For example, a choir director in San Francisco told me the following in response to some of my questions:
 
What is your favorite thing about directing a choir?
I love working with talented young singers, choosing good literature and hearing the singers perform music right in front of me. Once the music is learned, when we rehearse it, it's like being in a private concert hall. I get to listen to the singers practice a song that they know really well, up close and personal. The sound young people create with their voices when they sing well is so moving and so gorgeous – I never get tired of it. Plus, I picked the songs! So they are singing music I love – and to me!

Why is it important to have organizations like choirs?
I think we as humans forget how much emotions are a part of ourselves. We live so much in our intellectual selves, but we are such emotional beings. And our emotions need expression. All of the art forms we have invented -- dance, drama, art and music mainly, but others, too -- are expressions of our thoughts and feelings. Without these outlets we would cease to be healthy and whole. Music is so boundless, it can reach into the deepest part of our souls, or it can tickle the silly surface. Music touches us in ways we often can't fathom. Our world is dominated by the material aspects of life, and we need the arts to keep us in balance, and to remind us of our spiritual side. Children especially need to sing to be in harmony (pun intended) with their true natures as loving, playful creatures, and to experience the magic, mystery and beauty of music - and of all the arts.

As a prominent choir director, do you feel that you have had a major impact on the children in your choirs? Do you feel that children have come out of your choirs with experiences that could influence the rest of their lives?
I've lost count of how many of my students have gone on to major in music, probably close to 20. I know that one of my students uses music a lot in her elementary classroom, and another one is getting her credentials and wants to be a music teacher. Another one is singing lead roles in many Bay Area music productions, and two of this year's graduates want to sing professionally. It's not just our program, but I will brag that our program has influenced many participants in a deep and positive way. Music has that ability. The most important thing is the opportunity that participating in a choir allows children to learn and grow through the chorus as musicians, as performers, and as budding, promising youth, which so many singers have done. This, I believe, has had a great impact on many children.
           
A very important part of your job as a choir director is picking the right books for your choir. In addition to helping your kids along in their singing, do you want them to learn anything else from their music books other than music?
One can learn so much from singing the songs in these books, because the intrinsic nature of music is that it is a connection to cultures, and to other places and topics. History, holidays, social studies, and more can all be embellished by learning about them through related music. So I think music education should be paramount in a good, well-rounded educational system!

Today many kids play a musical instrument or sing, some play more than one instrument, and some children even compose music at a very young age. Could you imagine a world without music?
It is the mark of a healthy society that choirs exist and are supported. I refer back to my earlier comments about the unique place music has in the lives of people. Without music education, music itself is in jeopardy. And how many of us can possibly imagine a world without music? Unthinkable. Music was especially important back in the 1940's and 1950's and even through the 1960's.

A choir director from Logan, Utah answered the following question:

What are some of the tricks of the trade that you teach your children in the choir? What about breathing and posture? How do you teach them to reach those high notes and keep them focused?
Well, when I first start teaching kids tunes, I love to use Do-Re-Me. It helps the kids so much because they already know it. To help them with the rhythm of songs we clap out the notes together. A lot of the time using physical action is much more helpful than using verbal instructions. It gives them a sense of self-accomplishment, because they are doing it. I actually learned this from another director. She would have her kids put their hands on their cheeks while they sang their song. It really helps them focus their sound. I don’t know why, but it’s very fun to do and watch.

If they are still trying to get the right tune of a song, I have them sing their song, but with no words, just saying “Bop.” For some reason the song instantly sounds better after that. Also, if there are certain parts in the song with different singers, I will call different rehearsals for those parts. It really helps, and they like the one-on-one time with just the singers in their section. Then, when everyone comes together, it sounds so much better. All of these people in these different groups sound like they are only one voice in each group. What an amazing sound and what an accomplishment for those kids. They feel so good about them selves.

The last thing I do is one of my favorite things. If my kids seem a little spacey or bored, or just not into it, I like to have them sing “My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean.” When we sing it I have the kids stand up or sit down on every B-word. First we do it slowly, and then really fast! Then, after that exercise, their attention is right back and they are completely awake. And it is so much more fun!

I would like to close with another comment made by the San Francisco director:
Albert Einstein once remarked that the most beautiful feeling one can have is a sense of the mysterious. The mystery of music, in spite of all the study, is still not unraveled by scientists. No one really knows why music is so fundamental to our beings, but we all agree that it is. It is truly a universal language, reaching into what is fundamentally human in each of us.

Personally, I think music was an innate language that preceded words, and was instrumental in the development of language. It affects us deeply when words seem inadequate or insufficient.
           
This brings us to singing. Singing may be a primeval way of creating a connection to our non-verbal babies, and changes as we age to a way of connecting to each other when we sing in a group. It still amazes me that when music starts, a room full of noisy children becomes instantly quiet.

We talk about creating harmony in our world, and we experience that and are inspired by the harmonies our children create in the concert hall. The concert hall is where the art of music unfolds. Spirit, science, and beauty combine, and for a time, the rest of the world is suspended. Our souls are soothed, our hearts refreshed, our faith that the world is a beautiful place is restored. Our children sing, often bringing joy and tears, or giving us goose bumps. It's a shiver of the past, present and future flowing over us, a reminder of the ethereal timelessness of our existence.

Over 15 years ago the seed for My Children's Chorus was planted, and with a lot of loving care, hours of work, and the dedication of many parents and community members, an extraordinary group of singers has evolved.   The way we perform depends on the way we work and the way we think. If we think positively, we can do anything. If we think we can, we will. -- A.B-W.