"Why is Choir Pronounced Quire?"

How are choir directors dealing with virtual work?

Choir directors are no longer choir directors. They are also videographers, sound engineers, tech experts, zoom wizards, virtual motivators, counselors, infectious disease specialists, political moderators, and social engagement referees. With this said, how have choir directors dealt with the onslaught of learning new skills and dealing with virtual choir life? Marg Stubington, director and conductor of many choirs within the Ottawa region, namely the First United Church Choir and the Canadian Centennial Choir, met with me this past November to discuss that same question.

To keep music alive in her choir members’ hearts, Marg equips them with new material every week. Sure, they may not be singing over zoom with their mics, but Marg makes sure that they practice their parts, learn new things about music, and strengthen their sight-singing abilities. Marg’s experience teaching diverse groups has given her the strength and expertise to think out of the box and on the fly. Marg also arranges many “extracurricular” activities for her church choir as she aims to continue virtually as they would be in person. These can be social activities such as a Christmas party or more educational activities such as Q & A sessions with local composers.

Although things are running smoothly now, Marg admitted that her church choir floundered initially and had no clue how to pull everything together. However, everyone got more comfortable with the technology, her volunteers became more experienced with the process, and everyone settled in nicely.

During our conversation, Marg brought up that although she is happy to work with her church choir and the CCC, she also understands that she is lucky to have that opportunity. The choir organization’s size also means that more people hoist the weight, whereas, in a smaller choir, the choir director handles most duties. Many small choirs have ceased operations simply because one director isn’t enough to deal with the responsibilities of virtual choir. The sadness Marg expressed with this sentiment is about her many choir director/ conductor/ pianist friends who have not been able to continue with their choirs because of the lack of resources. She explained how both her church choir and the CCC have management and boards that deal with various aspects of the choir organization, which significantly lighten her workload. The effort she puts into her multiple choirs and associated duties sometimes make Marg feel tired or exhausted. But again, she assured me that she powers through and keeps herself busy to make sure her choir members receive the care they need.

Marg believes that choir practice and virtual choir concerts are essential to her choir members' social well-being and happiness. She stated that she does not care about sound quality or internet lag. All she cares about is that her choir members feel fulfilled and connected to their community.