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 next choir rehearsal. With most of my choir members being beginners, it is likely that they will all benefit from the focused practice on some mistakes that I heard during the service.

Byzantine music doesn’t require perfect pitch, but it does require effort from most of us to listen critically. We can’t progress with a lazy ear. If we consistently engage in deliberate practice with great attention to listening critically, we can train our ears to be more perceptive of the things we hear and how we hear them. This can prove valuable not only as a solo chanter, but also as a choir member, and especially as a Director.