Make the Yuletide Gay: Goal-oriented singing

With various ages and levels of musical experience, the choirs Deirdre Kellerman works with each have their own set of challenges. Additionally, each choir has its own format and goals. In my interview with Deirdre, she spoke on the different ways each choir has navigated its time during the COVID-19 pandemic. With this, Deirdre strongly believes that choirs still need to be goal-oriented. Keeping a goal in mind fosters the sense of community within each choir and gives each member something to work toward. Deirdre explained that this is especially important due to the lack of motivation choir members face when singing virtually.

First Unitarian Choral Ensembles

The choir members' lack of aural feedback during practice has been challenging on Deirdre’s choirs at First Unitarian. Her choir members have reported feeling unmotivated when they can only hear their own voices. To counter this effect, Deirdre will often play a recording or video from one of their past performances and have them sing along. Deirdre noted that she noticed that being able to hear the choir as a whole both reminds them of the community they are a part of and helps them remember their past successes. First Unitarian Congregation has three vocal ensembles: Three River Singers, Chalice Choir, and Fusion Choir. Every Sunday, a different group is in charge of the anthem for the week. Deirdre has her choir members record themselves while following her accompaniment track and/ or video and then puts all the tracks together. Although their concerts have been canceled, the ensembles have a common goal to work toward.

Tone Cluster Choir

Tone Cluster has its own goals as well. Although they were forced to cancel a fundraiser, a major concert, and a tour, the ensemble worked toward a recorded Christmas concert made available on YouTube this December 14th. Each member recorded a video of themselves singing each song and separate audio in some cases. But they didn’t stop there! Everyone was dressed in Christmas clothes and accessories, some even dancing and decorating their backdrop to the nines. For this online Christmas special, Tone Cluster partnered with choirs QKids on the Block and In Harmony, while Mz. Horizon “hosted” the event. I can’t explain the joy I felt when watching this goofy, over-the-top Christmassy concert! By creating a project to work toward, the choir maintained its strong sense of community and camaraderie.

The Ottawa Choral Society

The Choral Society also created its own set of goals by launching a season of lectures and workshops about all aspects of choral music and musical life. There are currently three series programmed this season: The Masterwork Series, The Choral Experience Series, and Inspiration in Isolation. These series have multiple events planned that include world-class musicians and conductors, hosted by the Musical Director Jean-Sébastien Vallée.

Each ensemble’s goals and projects are different, and they each come with their own set of challenges. However, the goal-oriented mindset has kept all of Deirdre’s choirs alive and well during the pandemic.

References:

Tone Cluster. 2020. "Make the Yuletide Gay." YouTube, Dec 14, 2020.