Listening to your choir members
My teacher always told me that there’s no such thing as being tone deaf, but there is such a thing as having a lazy ear. What he means by lazy ear is not listening critically to yourself and/or those around you. Listening critically to yourself, or recordings of yourself, can really be a productive method if you are struggling with intervals or pitch, and especially while learning a new melody. Listening critically is very important when it comes to participating in a choir. I would argue that it is even more important when directing a choir. Last week, my choir attendance was low due to several members (nearly half of them) being out of town. As a result, I was able to hear individual voices that I don’t normally hear when all members are chanting. Because I was listening critically, it provided me with some much needed feedback as to where some individuals make mistakes or lack confidence with certain hymns. The result is that I can address some of these opportunities at the nex...
