Redefine and Redesign the Choral Festival Experience.

The choral festival is one of the oldest and most revered traditions on many concert calendars. Bringing together singers from a variety of schools to work under a master conductor is, in theory, a unique and inspiring educational experience. In practice, however, the festival can be complicated, frustrating, and anything but artistic.

Redefining and redesigning the choral festival can result in a much higher level of enjoyment and growth for all involved. By establishing a sound rationale for the festival and then planning and implementing the festival in efficient and empowering ways, you provide singers, conductors, and audience members with a rich and rewarding experience.

If your answer to the question "Why do a festival?" is "Because we've always done one," then you may want to keep searching for a better answer. Tradition that is not backed by sound educational goals is an insufficient reason for having a choral festival.

A truly successful event is one where the musical growth and experience of the students is the top priority. It is too easy to equate respectable performances with successful festivals. As educators, we must ensure that the entire process is a positive experience. From preparation through rehearsal to performance, we should strive to engage our students in a challenging and respectful way.

The educational goals for the festival should be in extension of the goals for the overall performance program and should center around developing students' artistic and technical growth while heightening their awareness of the expressive power of music and enriching their lives through active participation in music. If this sounds foreign or lofty, then we as conductors and educators must go back to the basics and be sure that our own philosophical foundation is sound. How can we hope to help our students grow if we have not taken the time to examine our own priorities as music educators--if we are unable to convincingly answer the question "Why make music?" on musical grounds?

At the same time, we should acknowledge that there is a particular kind of excitement and a deeply felt connection that comes from communal singing and that the prospect of singing as part of a larger, more complete, and potentially more capable ensemble is eagerly anticipated by many students. In other words, the festival can and should be fun. Students can learn and enjoy the process if we properly lay the groundwork--it does not have to be an "either/or" situation.

We can get our priorities straight by discussing the reasons for holding a choral festival with our colleagues. Human nature being what it is, this is arguably the most difficult part of redefining and redesigning the festival. It is, however, an important step because without a unified mission, we cannot hope to positively shape our students' experience.

Once the rationale for the festival is clearly understood, the planning phase can begin. For most festivals, one year of planning time is ideal. This allows participating directors to incorporate the festival into their own academic year in such a way as to maximize student preparation and anticipation for the event. One year is often necessary to secure the date and the facility and to fit the festival in with other school events. In addition, a year of lead time gives you a better chance of hiring the conductor of your choice.

A good festival conductor demonstrates a unique blend of artistry, personality, and effective time management. Be careful about choosing a well-known director without checking first to see how that director functions in the festival environment. Limited rehearsal time requires the festival conductor to quickly make a personal connection with the ensemble and build a sense of trust that invites the singers to come along for the ride. The conductor must also have a keen sense of time management and realistic expectations about what can be accomplished in the allotted time. The best festival conductors will have clearly defined goals for each piece, thereby ensuring that the integrity of the music and the students' educational experience are preserved.

Because good conductors are aware of the opportunity to significantly impact students during the rehearsal and performance process, they will come equipped to share insights on the deeper, more reflective aspects of the creative process. Through demonstration, dialogue, and anecdotes, conductors will strive to inspire and challenge students to open their hearts and minds to the bigger picture. In short, fine festival conductors shape not only a good ensemble but also a meaningful experience.

The choice of accompanist can make or break the entire festival experience. Besides being a qualified pianist, a festival accompanist needs to understand how to accompany--how to respond to the conductor's gesture, follow the rehearsal and the conductor's line of thinking, and quickly know what is needed from the keyboard. A good accompanist must have an open mind regarding interpretation, tempo, and virtually every aspect of the rehearsal process.

While most festival conductors will gladly work with anyone you provide, it is a good idea to ask for the conductor's input and get the names of preferred accompanists. Bringing in a conductor and accompanist team can often save time when it is at a premium.

One common mistake in planning a festival is programming too much music. If there is not ample time to rehearse and learn from each piece, the focus quickly turns to making it through the piece--hardly a musical experience for the singers or the conductor. A good rule of thumb is to plan one piece per hour of rehearsal time. While some pieces may take less time, you need to figure time into the schedule for warm-ups, breaks, and a final run-through of the entire program before the rehearsal day ends.

If the choir is part of a larger festival that includes an orchestra or band, there is no need to be concerned about programming enough music to justify bringing out an audience for the performance. If, however, the choral festival is a freestanding event and you need to add something to the concert to make it longer, there are any number of creative options. Perhaps each participating school can present one number from its own repertoire at the final concert, or you can invite a guest chamber ensemble from a local college or university to join you. Programming separate pieces for the men and women of the festival choir is another way to lighten the load for the students while adding to the length of the program. Finally, consider using the festival as an opportunity to share with the audience the educational process involved in the performance of choral music. Discuss the musical goals for each piece, describe the rehearsal process involved in the festival, or demonstrate various choral techniques. Whatever format you choose, remember to preserve the quality of the students' experience at all costs. A short, excellent performance following a wonderful day is much more valuable than a full-length concert that has everyone anxiously waiting to see if the choir and conductor will make it to the end.

Once you have decided on the appropriate number of pieces for the festival, it's time to select the repertoire. Ideally, participating (home) directors and the festival conductor should collaborate on repertoire because they all bring unique and important perspectives to the table. Home directors know the capabilities and the history of the students participating; the festival conductor has a wide knowledge of repertoire and knows which pieces are successful in the festival setting.

The quality of the musical experience depends on the quality of the repertoire chosen. No matter how charismatic the director, there is no way to make music out of nonmusical, watered-down arrangements of the masters or formulaic settings of trite poetry. Quality repertoire has a power of its own that a good conductor can tap into. Resist the temptation to program music based entirely on audience or student popularity They are not the experts--you are. Dialogue with your colleagues and research will lead you to quality repertoire that singers and the audience can also enjoy.

Strive to achieve a balance in terms of style, period, tempo, tonality, language, and accompaniment options (a cappella versus piano). Look for a fairly short, strong opener that will set the tone for the whole performance (and rehearsal)--a piece that ensures the success of the choir. Bookend this piece with an equally strong, though perhaps lengthier and more demanding, piece to finish the concert with confidence and excitement.

Having at least one a cappella piece in the program provides singers with a unique artistic challenge and the opportunity to focus on blend, balance, vowel purity, and tone quality Many folk songs or settings of poems lend themselves to these goals. In addition, an a cappella piece often provides the greatest opportunity for experiencing the expressive elements in choral music. Working on a rubato passage, for example, requires the conductor to lead the choir to an understanding of phrasing (i.e., how words dictate emphasis and momentum and how melodic contour plays a role in phrasing) and demands that the singers watch the conductor intently in order to respond to all the expressive nuances in the gesture. These moments in the rehearsal and performance can be among the most rewarding and memorable.

The remaining selections should balance the program and provide opportunities for singers to experience pieces that they may not be able to study in their home programs. For example, if participating schools seldom program male chorus repertoire because of a limited number of men, the festival can be a good time to give students this opportunity. Perhaps the festival conductor has a unique ability or interest--such as music of a certain culture or period or by a particular composer--that can be shared with the singers. Take advantage of the festival conductor's expertise and passion in a way that can make the festival fresh and exciting each year because you always have new expertise and passion to call upon.

Finally, when considering repertoire selection, learn to think outside the box. You might consider programming several choruses from the masterworks or several opera choruses, accompanied by an orchestra, as the entire festival program one year. This is a viable educational consideration, especially if singers are unlikely to have this opportunity in their home programs. Why not bring in a specialist in African or Hispanic music and program several pieces with appropriate movement or with a percussion ensemble? The festival can be an annual opportunity to study a particular musical style or cultural heritage, thereby making each year unique, exciting, and educationally alive.

Perhaps the most challenging aspect of the choral festival is finding an appropriate site for the rehearsal and performance. The large size of the typical festival choir often makes it difficult to find an acoustically friendly facility, yet this very issue is critical to the overall success of the experience. There is nothing more disappointing than having wonderful repertoire, prepared singers, and an expert conductor, but no place to bring these together in a fulfilling way

Consider the typical rehearsal space--the school auditorium. Here, soft seats and dim lighting make it a challenge for students to remain engaged for several hours of rehearsal. Often, the conductor is placed on stage, far away from the singers, and is lit either in bright (and very hot) stage lights or only in room light, which makes it difficult for singers to see the director. The singers' ability to hear one another is usually limited because of the flat spread of singers across the auditorium. Hearing the piano and the conductor is also difficult.

The challenges of the rehearsal space are only exceeded by those of the performance space, usually the school gymnasium. While bands and orchestras fare slightly better in this space, choirs are often lost when they stand to sing, especially if their performance follows that of an instrumental ensemble. The flatness (non-arched formation) of the bleachers often leads to intonation and rhythm problems, and the aesthetics of the surroundings make it difficult for performers and audience to see the concert as an artistic, rather than an athletic, event.

While this aspect of the festival experience may be the most difficult to change, there are some adaptations that can help. First, determine whether scaling down the size of the festival choir might allow for the rehearsal or performance to take place in a better venue. If a smaller choir would allow the rehearsal to take place in a rehearsal room or a large multipurpose room with better lighting and acoustics, followed by a performance in the auditorium, then isn't smaller a valid choice?

Regardless of the size of the choir, rehearsals will benefit from the following:

• Mixed or "scrambled" seating, as opposed to section seating, so that students can hear all the voice parts. This also greatly aids intonation, rhythmic precision, and student attentiveness. Consider a "striped" arrangement--for example, three first sopranos in front of three first sopranos in front of three first sopranos, all the way up through the rows. Stripe the basses next to the sopranos in the same way and continue through the sections until you repeat the pattern beginning with the first sopranos. This arrangement provides the singers with a sense of security while producing a blended sound.

• Adequate lighting for singers and conductor.

• A wireless body microphone, which allows the conductor to move around the rehearsal space and to interact more easily with the singers.

Performances will benefit from the following:

• A standing arrangement identical to that used in rehearsal.

• The most concert-hall-like arrangement possible. If the performance is in the gym, claim a spot for the choir on the gym floor, instead of on the bleachers. Set up a curved set of risers in front of a shell so that students can hear and be heard. It will likely be necessary to borrow additional sets of risers so that all singers can be comfortably accommodated.

• Adequate body space. As challenging as this is, strive for several inches between singers to allow for their comfort and for the sound to have room to "move." Having singers so tightly placed that they are forced to turn their bodies sideways (thereby singing at an angle over one shoulder) not only looks and feels uncomfortable but compromises the ensemble's sound.

• First placement on the program. Having the choir perform first in the program, before the louder instrumental ensembles, will minimize the perception that the choir is soft, weak, or small.

The festival rehearsal schedule should allow ample time for each piece to be studied adequately, for singers and the conductor to have breaks, and for the program to be run through, in order, in the performance space. In addition, other things may factor into the schedule, such as sectional rehearsals, rehearsals for guest choirs, meals, and time to change into concert attire.

In setting the schedule, remember to plan time for transitions--moving from space to space and changing setups--as needed. For example, if you include sectional rehearsals in your day, be sure to plan time for students to get to the sectional room and get seated. When moving into the performance space, especially if it is to be shared with other ensembles, consider the physical changes that may need to be made (chairs and stands moved, podium set to face the choir, and rehearsal microphone or piano moved to accommodate the conductor). Plan enough time to allow for seating the choir in both the rehearsal and performance settings. A seating chart should be created prior to the event to minimize the amount of time needed for this task and to prevent confusion and disruption. The festival conductor should not be charged with facilitating this process on the day of the festival; home directors should decide how best to handle these logistics and then assume this responsibility.

If the choir is being accompanied by any instrumentalists who are not already part of the choir, sufficient time for a joint rehearsal in the performance space is also needed. Many a festival performance has been hampered by using the concert itself as a dress rehearsal. Even though you may have strong players and singers, there is no reason to believe that a combined rehearsal is unnecessary.

Having a technically proficient performance will mean little if the experience leading up to it is fraught with anxiety, frustration, and chaos. Excellent planning based on a solid educational foundation will do much to ensure a positive experience. Being absolutely committed to preplanning means avoiding the avoidable.

However, no matter how much you prepare, there is always the possibility of unexpected problems. Conductors or accompanists can become ill at the last moment, the electrical power can go out, or a fire drill can upset the schedule. Weather also adds an element of unpredictability. When problems happen (and they will), a collective cool head will guide home directors and the festival conductor to a viable "Plan B." No matter how threatening a problem seems, it must be handled in a positive and encouraging manner. If the process of the festival is more important than the product, people must remain the focus, even--perhaps especially--under trying conditions.

What happens, for example, if a particular piece turns out to be more challenging than anyone anticipated? What if the program is too heavy to be comfortably handled within the rehearsal time allotted? How does the "people before product" principle work here? A simple, but not often called upon, solution is to eliminate one piece from the program. It does not necessarily have to be completely eliminated from the rehearsal process; if musical learning is the goal, then devoting some time to the piece during the day may be warranted. Students can still take home the benefits of studying the piece without the awkwardness of presenting a weak performance. If, on the other hand, rehearsal time itself seems to be the issue, then eliminating a piece from the program and the rehearsal is the wise choice. The students will benefit from more time to fully study and prepare the remaining pieces, and everyone will appreciate a positive rehearsal and performance atmosphere.

"People before product" certainly applies to the festival conductor. Be sure the conductor feels like a valued guest in your home. The most important thing to provide him or her is a prepared group of students; nothing is more disheartening than walking in to a day of rehearsals with students who just received their music on the bus ride there. Commit to the repertoire far in advance and be sure that the students are well-prepared, both musically and psychologically, for the day. Explain to them that they will have to quickly adapt to the techniques and ideas of a new conductor and that the benefits of working with someone new greatly outweigh the adjustment needed. Help them understand how to conserve their energy and to be adaptable when called upon. This benefits not only the festival conductor but also every student in attendance.

On a more practical level, be sure the conductor has water or other beverages at all times. Provide time and a solitary space, however small, for the conductor to use for breaks to rest and collect his or her thoughts. Plan a good meal or two where the conductor can enjoy the company of the home directors, but understand if he or she wants some quiet time for vocal rest. In addition, provide a space for the conductor to freshen up and change for the concert. This can be as simple as a theatre greenroom or the school nurse's office, as long as it is private and has the necessary amenities.

Finally, remember that "people before product" applies to the audience as well. Don't be afraid to let the audience in on the process by explaining what the festival is all about, the kind of day the students have had, and some specifics about the music being performed. A musical performance is a powerful opportunity for sharing, but an uninformed audience is less likely to be drawn in than one that knows what to listen for. While the conductor often assumes the role of audience educator, the home directors can begin this process by describing the goals of the festival in their introductory statements or by including program notes on the evening's repertoire.

Ultimately, the choral festival has the potential to be a highlight of the concert season in every respect. See the sidebar for a list of suggestions that can help you in your planning efforts. With a sound rationale at its foundation and effective planning and implementation, students, conductors, and audience will look forward to a new tradition of excellence.

• Make the musical growth and experience of the students the top priority.

• Allow at least one year of planning time.

• Choose an accompanist who understands how to accompany.

• Allow home directors and the festival conductor to collaborate on repertoire choice.

• Consider scaling down the size of the festival choir if it will allow for a better venue.

• Plan time for transitions, seating of the choir, and joint rehearsals with instrumentalists.

• Treat the conductor like a valued guest.

• Let the audience in on the process.

• Put the people before the product.

• Choose a well-known director without finding out how that person functions in the festival environment.

• Program too much music.

• Choose music solely based on audience or student popularity.

• Use a standing arrangement in performance that is different from what is used in rehearsal.

• Have singers so tightly placed that they are forced to turn their bodies sideways.

• Have instrumental ensembles play before the choir.

• Give the festival conductor the responsibility for facilitating seating and other logistical processes.

• Panic when problems arise.

PHOTO (BLACK & WHITE): Managing a choral festival is a challenge, but setting priorities and planning ahead can help make the event a meaningful experience for all involved.