A Year Without Choir: 4 Things I’ve Learned

Of the many changes I’ve experienced over the past year, singing on Zoom has become one of the most profound. In March 2020 when I was no longer able to stand in front of my choirs, I mourned the loss of making music with others; feeling the vibrations in my heart, and goosebumps on my skin. Singing needed to continue. I felt a sense of urgency to provide a place for people to keep using their voice, or, perhaps even find it for the first time. And, out of this urgency, I found an opportunity; a silver lining. I didn’t consider singing on Zoom to be a “chorus” per say. We could not sing together live and I did not want to call it something it was not, so the choir became what I called a “virtual singing community.”

I realized quickly that building a community had to be the first priority. This class became a platform to sing together, express emotions, and for my singers to discover their sound. I would never have believed that I would enjoy running a virtual singing class, however I have learned that there are truly many ways to have meaningful musical experiences.

These are four things I’ve learned while teaching singing online that will be helpful to carry over to any in-person choral rehearsal:

Music Must Have Motion

My high school choir director often used to say, “music without motion is emotionless.” In a virtual platform in which I could not hear my singers, movement was an essential part of the musical experience. I found opportunities to incorporate movement as much as possible in an effort to turn it into a whole-body experience. We would stretch, outline phrases with our hands, make funny faces, and create movements in the shape of the melodic contours that we were singing. I would also use movement to differentiate between parts. Although we couldn’t hear each other, we were able to see the different movements and could determine which part everyone was singing. It was always incredibly powerful, and I noticed that people were connecting with each other through their little Zoom boxes in ways I did not anticipate.

“Singing together” started to take on a new meaning. Movement provided a way for everyone to experience the music visually. Purposely engaging our sense of sight allowed singers to discover different sensory input than what might happen during a choral class. While I have always used lots of movement in my rehearsals, virtual singing showed me how truly necessary it is to incorporate motion as much as possible.

Emotion

In today’s digital world, we are both more and less connected than ever before. While our online networks might be large, face to face interactions were even less frequent than they were before the pandemic. Things that once were communicated in person are now being expressed through emails, social media posts, and text messages. Emotions are even depicted through emojis and memes. While these can be tools for expression, true emotional understanding is difficult to achieve through a digital device. However, it is through our emotions that we see and interact with the world.

As we sang, we discovered that through the music we learned about our emotions. My favorite part about singing (and making music) has always been the idea of storytelling. Singers can be amazing storytellers who can musically paint a picture with their diction, dynamics, phrasing, articulation, tone etc. to communicate the emotional intention of the character of the song. It is so cool! Music provides a beautiful opportunity for emotional expression and emotional literacy. As we dug deeper into the emotional intentions of each song, we discovered more about our own feelings. And, as we developed an emotional vocabulary, it served as a way to connect with the musical storytelling. This was always very powerful, and made singing much more meaningful and emotionally charged.

Levity

As I planned my classes, I always asked myself, “how can I make this 10% more fun?” Especially during these difficult times, it is sometimes challenging for people to find joy. However, when I stopped taking everything so seriously, my singers did as well. As a result, classes were both fun and in some cases, liberating. Some of my most timid singers let go of their inhibitions and found their voice. I gave myself permission to be silly, and encouraged my singers to do the same. Levity and playfulness evened the playing field and provided a safe space for vulnerability. Each class was fun and full of joy, and when it was over, we all signed off with a smile on our face.

Connection

At the end of the day, people really want to feel connected with each other. Particularly after this time of isolation and the collective trauma of the pandemic, your students are going to be craving a heightened need of belonging and community. Fortunately, these are things that a choir can provide organically. In a virtual setting, I needed to be creative about how to provide opportunities for connection, however the effect was still the same; we got to know each other well. I took intentional time for everyone to have a chance to share. I constantly prompted them with questions about what they were grateful for, or what gave them joy. I asked them to share something that was new or exciting, or something they did that was familiar and comfortable. As we got to know each other, relationships formed, even through Zoom. We were truly connected and as a result, the music-making became larger than the sum of its parts. We were able to transcend geography through our music, our community and connection. This deep sense of community needs to be honored and fostered in the choral classroom.