Honey & Berries: Choir Connectivity & Silent Rehearsals

COVID-19 has strongly impacted choir communities across the Ottawa region. Their members depend on each other’s company and the community they have created together. Group music-making is canceled, jobs have been lost, even getting the groceries has become difficult for most. In times of extreme disparity comes the need for community, for connection—something challenging to navigate during a pandemic.

The members of the Canadian Centennial Choir have been resilient during this time. Their optimism and commitment to not only the choir but the choir community as well have astounded me.

On the evening of November 24th, I was fortunate enough to attend a rehearsal for the Canadian Centennial Choir. I was amazed at the turnout and overall attitude of the choir members. During our interview, Marg had described her choirs as being very enthusiastic and motivated. However, no amount of second-hand description could do justice to what I experienced first hand.

Upon entering the zoom meeting, Harry Bender, the CCC president, and an acquaintance from my partner’s church choir in Nepean greeted me. Harry sent me to Marg’s breakout room to assist in their rehearsal. Marg led the advanced singing group while Jenna Richards led a much larger general rehearsal in a separate breakout room. Overall, there were 64 attendees!

When Marg noticed my bubble pop up on her zoom screen, she introduced me and had me say a few words about what I was doing with my research. To my surprise, I recognized many faces from different areas of the Ottawa choir music scene.

During my time in Marg’s advanced choir breakout room, I could not help but grin through the entire experience. As an introvert, I felt that singing to the muted microphone was not bad at all. The advanced choir members were engaged, and by the look of their faces over zoom, were singing loud and proud. Marg had them practicing sight-singing by calling on a single member to turn on their mic and sing along with her on the piano. Throughout this small rehearsal, Marg egged on her choir members by joking about their tuning and intonation, which of course, she could not hear. The participants looked to enjoy this wildly. Each of them laughed and were not shy to unmute their microphone with a quick and witty retort. Marg’s conducting also played a large part in the receptiveness and engagement of her choir members. She continued to sing and play the voice parts on the piano, all while conducting. Marg’s efforts to act and react as though she was conducting in person made a noticeable difference in her member’s mood. Overall, the choir rehearsals were engaging, and the members appeared joyful and interested.

The choir finished their rehearsal by singing a few songs together. They followed along with a YouTube video of Huron Carol, and I found myself singing with them. Afterward, they sang Joy to the World, and as I scrolled through the 64 zoom screens, I noticed that many of the choir members were standing up. Others smiled as if they were performing to an audience.

The choir also spoke about the recent fundraiser they finished, the Honey & Berries sale they do every year to pay for kids to summer camp. The simple act of fundraising was kept intact despite the pandemic—a testament to their choir community's (and their board of directors) strength and perseverance.

Afterward, I was invited to stay and socialize with the choir members. They were intent on hearing about my research and how my school is going. I believe the last time many of these people saw me was when I was writing the last of my research proposal during their final rehearsal the previous summer! The choir members were eager to tell me about what keeps them motivated to attend and participate in choir.
The most popular reasons were:
1. Marg acts as if they are rehearsing in person
2. The tech crew makes things much easier on the participants, the conductor, and the pianist.
3. The YouTube videos that Marg makes to use during personal practice makes it feel as if they are not singing alone.

Without explicitly stating it, the choir members have shown me that the board, Marg, and Jenna work hard to maintain a feeling of community and connection over virtual choir. This continued connection with the participants is essential in the engagement and success of the choir and its members. During our previous interview, Marg explained that community is what choir is all about. She doesn’t care about the sound quality of zoom or the awkwardness of online video-chatting. Marg cares most about her members and making sure that they feel fulfilled and happy throughout the pandemic.