We Can All Make Music.
Singing leaders gathering
Hosted by Community Music
The 35
participants said they were at the gathering because they wanted:
networking opportunities: connecting, shared experience,
companionship, a community of song sharing, spiritual communion, and to be with
people who speak the same language.
inspiration, confidence.
skill development, an idea about the range of skills
needed to lead singing groups, motivate communities, and sought different
methods for doing this.
to find-out what resources were available: eg. confirming
sources of new material and repertoire or finding a book of warm ups.
practical info on public liability, how to look after
yourself, etc.
more paid work.
to satisfy their curiosity about scale of the movement.
Individuals
said they brought to the gathering:
Openness
A willingness to share
Passion and inspiration
Resources
Experience
VOICES
Their heart and soul
Empathy
Co-operation
Ego
Humour
Bossiness and coping with same
Fear and trepidation
Difference (background and skills)
Composing skills
Repertoire
Knowledge
Food recipes
Guts and determination
Vulnerability
Local knowledge.
The
gathering then brainstormed these needs and formed ideas of how we could fulfil
them:
1.
Communications and networking
Regular gatherings
repertoire day every 3 months.
annual choir leaders singalong.
opportunities for choirs to sing together; C. Maubach
described a way of formalising this (called “Choral Intercourse”):
choirs come together, each teaches the others a couple of songs, then they all
sing them.
a cappella sleepovers (or maybe just one day).
similar gathering days to this one, but with more
structured themes, speakers and set topics.
an arranger’s club which is regular, involves
confidence building, allows people to just get-together and supports learning
exchange.
Regular Contact
regular send-outs (Some sort of email system? How could this be resourced?).
upgrade of the CMV website to include a chat page and
notice board.
contact with other states (and
2.
Professional Skill Development
Be better equipped to work with
men
have an '”n-service” session on this. Jeff Woolhouse is very interested in running
a workshop. Faliery Koczkar (of the Welsh
Male Choir) could be another possibility.
Jill Scurfield is running men's classes.
(Other ideas to encourage men were also put forward and
the report on men's singing was mentioned.)
Strategies for maintaining
groups over time
Specific group maintenance issues were mentioned:
the passing “the honeymoon” period.
growth of expectations as choirs mature.
coping with the variety of skill levels.
coping with changeability of members.
internal ownership, power and control.
ways to valorise volunteers.
finding ways to “personalise’ the choir
experience for its members.
pastoral care: recognising that group singing is really
only about singing 40% of the time.
the necessity for good management skills.
sessions to share our expertise (on such topics as those
mentioned above).
finding and developing management skills within the
group, particularly delegation and “distributed leadership” skills.
using warm-up techniques which make people feel
comfortable.
songs for special occasions which are relevant to
members: honouring significant events.
articulating goals (and re-articulating them) and
recognising that different groups have different purposes.
How to introduce movement in the
choir work
just do it.
always start with movement - put the music into the body.
Greg Sheehan could lead a workshop on body percussion
(check when he's next in
Develop skills for working with
children
peer learning; eg. flip works with kids, becoming aware
of the changing voices in youth.
list of all Victorian community children's choirs.
Develop skills in working cross
culturally
cross-generational choirs - especially in NES cultures.
visit each others' groups and encourage peer learning.
etc.
Mentoring
watching each-other work.
peer learning to develop skills. Create a register of our areas of experience
or expertise.
swapping leaders.
visiting “experts” to give workshops in
specialisations and learning from differences.
Bridge gap between visual and
aural traditions
choirs coming together (as mentioned earlier) could
combine those who use written music with those who don't and learn from
each-other's methods of teaching.
Repertoire development
regular repertoire days (as above).
a list of resource books (ref M O'Leary). Polly has started a book. Jill Scurfield has basic warm ups documented.
Book, CD or web page(s) of songs (provided by CMV?).
a library.
an “on the fly” CD recorded at each
repertoire gathering.
encourage choir members to be actively searching for new songs,
identifying authors, etc.
3.
Other professional Issues
Some kind of consensus on what
is reasonable to charge for leading and attending a choir
more discussion on this together, develop “rules of
thumb” or range of fees guidelines
research current scales of pay and fees
Examples:
Victorian Music Teachers Federation scale eg. ensemble
leaders paid $52 per hour.
Andrée is paid set fee, has a contract, gets extra if
numbers are higher than basic turn-out levels.
Judy Small suggests not charging less than local movies.
be on a par with other local recreational activities such
as aerobics.
Clarify public liability cover
for this work and source responsible insurance schemes
CMV to investigate group insurance, including insurance
for one-off workshops.
apparently Marsh Insurance (ADQ?) in
Protocols for song sharing
a workshop to “think through” song-sharing
protocols. eg. proper acknowledgement of songs, unique arrangements, always
checking sources, respecting sources and each other's work, cultural
sensitivities.
a usage code for original work - eg. author designates
whether it is freely available, is provided with limited usage rights or must
be paid for.
Clarification of copyright
CMV to:
write guidelines, particularly for non-performance
singing.
investigate the possibility of peak organisation
copyright payment.
arrange a gathering hosting a guest APRA speaker.
Create a state-wide directory of
community choir leaders (and sessional singing leaders)
Create a list of in-expensive venues
with good acoustics and which are choir-friendly
CMV - making a sound world together.
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Community Music Victoria Inc.