Small is beautiful, right? Here are 30 small things a director can do to have a big impact on a choir ministry:
1. Greet everyone by name as they arrive at rehearsal
2. Change the rehearsal seating arrangement to best fit the current week’s music
3. Work on vibrant, soft singing…it will make the loud singing have more impact
4. Rehearse an anthem only singing vowels or consonants, but not both
5. Have a choir member sit “in the pews” during a part of a rehearsal and then report back to the choir what they heard and saw
6. Ask your sound person to attend a rehearsal, and give them a running commentary about what you are trying to achieve sound-wise, and what you are listening to and for
7. Let a choir member direct the choir for a part of rehearsal
8. Rehearse in a circle so that everyone can hear everyone
9. Organize a ride-share program for those who can’t get to rehearsal any other way
10. Buy and distribute flowers to all choir members on the rehearsal closest to Valentine’s Day
11. Use a cell phone during rehearsal to call a house bound or travelling choir member or congregant and sing that week’s anthem for them
12. Schedule 5 minutes at the end of each rehearsal to have a singer tell how God has impacted their life
13. Ask the pastor to attend all or part of a rehearsal and pray with/for the choir
14. Invite a choral colleague or clinician to work with your choir in rehearsal
15. Celebrate the Lord’s Supper during a rehearsal
16. Explain and adopt the “Never on Sunday” rule
17. Thank the accompanist once a week in public for their contributions to the ministry
18. Let the accompanist direct the choir during worship from time to time
19. Send a weekly email to all choir members praising their efforts and thanking them…include a devotional and the next week’s rehearsal plan
20. Start a choir facebook page
21. Send a birthday card with a personal note to each choir member on their birthday
22. Write a thank you note to choir spouses and families acknowledging their support of “their” choir member
23. Organize a small scale choir mission project such as sponsoring a child
24. Organize a men’s choir to sing on Mother’s Day and a women’s choir to sing on Father’s Day
25. Have an annual “choir reunion” weekend and invite all former choir members to attend
26. Schedule an anthem with the children’s and/or youth choir(s) and establish a “buddy system” between an adult choir member and one of the children/youth
27. Organize a choir caroling outing to congregational shut-ins during the Christmas season
28. Institute an annual award for the person(s) who contributed the most to the choir ministry during the previous year
29. Work with your pastor to plan music one season ahead
30. Pray for a choir member each day
I’m sure there are more…and I’d love to hear your suggestions. Let me know what small things you do to have a big impact. Please leave a comment and share your ideas with everyone reading this.
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-Provide peppermints at rehearsals, and have small bottled water for those extra-long special rehearsals.
great idea, Conya…especially the bottled water…I think it is something that should be in the church’s music/worship budget, if at all possible.
vs
Such great ideas. I can use them at school, too.
We have a seasonal choir that runs from Sept-the end of April. One year at the end of the first four rehearsals in the fall, I had each person in a section (sop/alto/tenor/bass) answer a specific question like “What was the first choir you ever sang in?” It sparked a lot of interest and communication and allowed the choir to get to know each other a little better/a little deeper. Throughout the season I would hear them speaking to each other about some of the things they had shared in the fall.
That’s a great idea, Anita. I’m going to try that one…
vs
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