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Bringing together a number of choruses each of whom has learned and practiced the pieces selected for massed chorus presentation separately, then rehearsing under the assigned conductor for perhaps ten to fifteen minutes has the potential of resulting in a performance less than satisfactory. Early Selection of Music This article will present the argument that the key to success is in the early selection of the massed numbers to be performed and that knowing the music well and having it firmly committed to memory is an absolute necessity if we are to give the audience value for dollars spent! There are steps that can be taken to increase the odds for the desired level of performance and I should like to outline one model that can work for you. Spring Big Sing In my view, district Big Sings should be scheduled for the spring of the year which is near the end of the season for most of our choruses. Assuming your chorus begins in September and ends in May or June, this allows for a reasonably uninterrupted period of several consecutive months to prepare for the Sing. Fall Workshop However, this also makes the assumption that the spring concert massed numbers are decided in the fall prior to the Big Sing. To accomplish this it is suggested that the district hold a fall workshop, and that part of the purpose of that workshop be to decide on the massed for the spring. District Common Repertoire Currently, most districts have their own common repertoire to serve as the basis for the massed selections. Adding new music is an important factor and the workshop can be the appropriate venue for introducing and selecting those new numbers. Let me outline briefly the way by which one district addressed that problem. Selection Process Well in advance of the district fall Workshop, each district conductor with the approval of his/her music committee where applicable, was asked to select and submit one new selection for consideration. At the workshop the new numbers were presented by each conductor, sight read, then voted on. The number of new pieces were limited to two in order to keep the learning manageable and the cost affordable for each chorus. The music for the workshop was provided by a music supply house and the orders for the two winners placed with that company. (Often individual choruses may wish to add to their repertoire other new selections from those presented thus increasing business for the music supplier.) The remainder of the massed numbers were selected by the host chorus from the common repertoire list. With this sequence of events, the choruses then can begin to learn the new numbers and review the remainder as well as work on their own solos for the remainder of the season working toward the spring Big Sing. To attempt to follow this routine with the Big Sing scheduled for the fall and the workshop in the spring, involves interrupting the learning process over the summer hiatus and we all know how much can be forgotten over that period. Not nearly as effective a plan! With the numbers well learned and memorized, choruses can come together at the Big Sing rehearsal and work with the chosen conductors on interpretation and dynamics. The level of performance should be noticeably higher and we will all have served ourselves, our public and our Association well! This is a solution that works ..... and I suspect that there are five other solutions out there that each of the other districts has discovered for themselves.
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