Keeping Those Singers in Line

For real.

We had our assessment performances recently, and every single judge commented on the professionalism of our singers while on, entering, and exiting the stage.

As a new teacher, I definitely did not have that skill down, and it was super obvious at the concerts. And, there have been MANY, MANY times where the entrance and exit of the stage was the biggest stress of the night.

So, how did I get here?

I tried a lot of things. Some work some years and some don't. Some work for awhile, and then a new approach is needed. Some groups can do one thing while other groups can't. So... the bottom line is to be willing to try until you find something that works with your group, and then be willing to switch it up if the next group needs something different.

So, I'm going to share all the things that HAVE WORKED for me at one time of the other, and hope that you find something that will support success for your groups.

Here goes:

1. Your expectations of professional behavior must not change. Be clear with what you want to see and hear. For me, that means absolute silence as we move. It means hands to your side and no touching anything. It means staying in your assigned spot. The performance starts the minute we begin leaving the warm up room. The hard part is following through when someone doesn't follow expectations.

2. Get them situated in a place where they'll most likely find success. This means they can see you, and they are not beside someone who will distract them.

   1. The easiest way to get them into a place where they can see you is to line them up tallest to smallest count how many singers are in that section and divide it by the number of rows you must fill. Assign a row number to each singer and have them move to those places. (We have our sections race in silence to see which group can line up tallest to smallest with no talking - it really gives you a heads up on the leaders and team players.)

   2. Once they're all in a spot where they can SEE you, you can begin tuning the choir. I like to have them sing "S L S M " in two rows, then switch some voices, then sing, etc. If you need to, do it in smaller groups of 2-4 - but it depends on your kids' experience and confidence levels as to how small you can make the groups when tuning. Once I have rows 1-2 of that section sing, I have row 1 sit and then row 2-3 sing, etc. This is a good time to move the talkers away from each other. Having them sing in rows allows you to see height and keep people in places where they can easily watch you conduct.

   3. Once they're tuned, you'll notice people you still need to move as you are rehearsing. Don't be afraid to move the same singer 5 times; if it needs done, it needs done.

   4. Have them ask/answer questions with their new neighbors. Something like "name, favorite snack, favorite song so far this year", etc.

   5. Take a picture of the choir or each section. This has saved me multiple times when students try to sneak their way back to a talking-buddy.

3. Practice what you want to see. Before our youngest singers (6th grade) set foot on the stage, we practiced walking in and out of the room a minimum of 6 times. At least twice a day for the 3 days before the concert. If someone didn't do it quietly, they went out and did it again. If someone was touching someone else, they were moved to a new place. If someone wasn't paying attention and held up the entire line, we did it again. It's definitely a practice of TEAM WORK. My new singers don't often understand how Choir is a team sport - but this helps them begin to get the picture.

4. Know your singers well enough to know what they can handle. Some groups are able to load from both sides of the stage at the same time. Some get confused and we just have to take longer loading from the same side. Doing it well is better than doing it fast.

5. Practice the bowing and leaving. We bow, they turn, and then they leave one row at a time. They know my hand signals for splitting the row and leaving off both sides, and they know what I'll do if I change my mind and they all will exit the same side of the stage.

Here are some of my expectations when moving on/off the stage:

1. Silence while moving/standing.

2. Walk up the risers and then across. There are tons of ways to get your kids to their spots - this is just what works for me.

3. When exiting, walk all the way across the row, and THEN down the steps.

4. Do not touch or lean on the back railing

5. Move if we ask you to move. There's never been a concert where I haven't had to adjust at least one person once we're on stage. It's okay. If they are prepared for the possibility, and know what to do in such a case, they'll be more likely to just go with the flow.

6. If something happens to delay starting, we are silent.

7. We do not wave at the audience for any reason.

8. Alert your face that you're having a good time. 😆

9. Coach them in what to do if they're feeling light headed. (We have them sit where they are and someone comes from off stage and escorts them off. We keep singing.)

10. Continue the performance all the way off stage and all the way down the hall to their destination.

That's it! I think the biggest help is that we practice multiple times. (Ooh, and that the entire group of adults who are helping also understand the plan.) This means I must be on top of things with the music so that can take time to do the movement practice. That's another conversation, entirely. (Find a FREE lit-teaching music planner HERE to help with that!)

As always, I love hearing from you! How were your last concerts? What's next?

Thanks for being a part of my choir family - Teresa