Fifteen Steps to Becoming a Skilled Choral Singer
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15 STEPS TO BECOMING A SKILLED CHORAL SINGER
by Lorraine Manifold, Choral Conductor, Singing Teacher

Choral singing is a fantas.c ac.vity that brings much ela.on and joy. It also builds strong
community bonds. The more we develop our choral skills, the be?er we sound as a choir and
the deeper our enjoyment and sense of fulfillment of contribu.ng to a beau.ful whole.

Imagine watching a beginner choir that sings with lots of spirit. We might enjoy the spirit but
the lower level of quality might be distrac.ng. On the other hand, imagine hearing a
professional choir that sings beau.fully, but with no spirit. While the music would be
enjoyable to a certain extent, the lack of spirit would also lessen the experience. On the
other hand, imagine a highly skilled choir that also sings with lots of emo.on. This would be
more moving and would deliver a deeper spiritual experience. As ‘Abdu'l-Bahá says: “the
Teachings of God… when they are melodiously sung, are most impressive.”1 Therefore, when
we sing the divine melodies with emo.on as well as with skill, we can touch the audience at
a more profound level.

‘Abdu'l-Bahá emphasises how choral singing brings rapture to the Concourse on high. He
calls those singers ‘noble souls’:

The Mashriqu’l-Adhkár is the dawning-place of lights and the gathering place of the
righteous. Whenever a company of noble souls assemble in a heavenly gathering there
and offer supplica.ons, intone divine verses, and chant prayers with wondrous melodies,
the inmates of the Concourse on high hearken and call out, crying, “Happy are we; let all
the world rejoice!” for, praise be unto God, souls from among the angels of the Kingdom
of Glory have arisen in the nether world to commune with their Lord and intone the
verses of Divine Unity in a gathering of holiness. What bounty is there greater than this?2

‘Abdu'l-Bahá reminds us that we must con.nually strive to increase our singing skills and
forever try to perfect them:

The art of music must be brought to the highest stage of development, for this is one of
the most wonderful arts and in this glorious age of the Lord of Unity it is highly essen.al
to gain its mastery. However, one must endeavor to a?ain the degree of ar.s.c perfec.on
and not be like those who leave ma?ers unfinished.3

But what are the skills involved in choral singing? These are quite different than those for
solo singing. Let us take a look at a selec.on of fi[een of these. The following .ps are to
reach the highest level of skill. You don’t need to master all of them in a short .me, but if you
focus on a few each year, and persistently progress, you will contribute to the higher quality
of your choir. Tips are placed in order of difficulty, beginning with the easy stuff (sort of).

1) Hydra)on: our vocal folds need water to func.on at their best. It can take hours before
the water we drink reaches our vocal folds – which are low on the pecking order (i.e., the
heart, lungs and brain receive the water first). You have to drink more water so that the
vital parts have had their fill, and there is some le[ over for the rest of the body.

‘Abdu'l-Bahá, in Compila5on on Music, p. 77
‘Abdu'l-Bahá, in The Divine Melody: Song of the Mys5c Dove, p. 121.
‘Abdu’l-Bahá, The Importance of the Arts.
STEPS TO BECOMING A SKILLED CHORAL SINGER – page 2/4

2) Punctuality: arriving 5 min early and being in your seat 1 min before the star.ng .me.

3) Regular a8endance: choral singing is a team ac.vity. We need each and every one of you
at each rehearsal, like on a soccer or volleyball team. Of course, while life happens and
some things are unavoidable, some.mes, with a li?le extra effort, scheduling conflicts can
be resolved so that you can s.ll a?end your rehearsal. Your commitment will be greatly
appreciated by your fellow choristers.

4) Folder organisa)on: organising your folder so that you can find the songs very quickly is a
way to be courteous and respecdul to your fellow singers. You can use s.cky tabs or
alphabe.cal dividers. Singers can save a lot of rehearsal .me when they all find the next
song quickly. Avoid plas.c sleeves as they add weight and are too .me-consuming.

5) Marking your score: always bring a pencil and mark down your personal notes or
comments from the conductor in your score. Remember the saying: “Amateurs hope to
rely on their memory while professionals write things down.”

6) Watch the conductor: memorise the first and last 4 bars of every song so that you can
watch the conductor. Also look up during major entrances and cut-offs or when the music
slows down or pauses. Know your part well that you can glance down only when needed.

7) Listening in silence: when the conductor is rehearsing another sec.on, con.nue to follow
along in silence as the concepts will probably apply to you as well. This is also respecdul
towards your fellow singers. Otherwise, the noise of everyone else talking will make it
hard for that sec.on to hear themselves sing or to focus on what the conductor is saying.

8) Listen louder than you sing: if you can’t hear your neighbours around you, you may be
singing too loudly. The beauty of a very good choir comes from all voices blending into
one with no voice standing out. Listen loudly to ensure you hear the singers around you.

9) Your body is your instrument: sit in such a way as to achieve your best sound during the
en.re rehearsal: elongate your spine all the way to the top of your head, with both feet on
the floor. This posture will also make room for diaphragma.c breathing so that you can
sing longer phrases. Good posture will allow you to offer your best to the whole choir and
will prepare you be?er for the concert. Prac.ce makes permanent, so prac.ce the way
you want your concert sound to be. Extra mo.vated singers can also take singing lessons.
STEPS TO BECOMING A SKILLED CHORAL SINGER – page 3/4

10) Diaphragma)c breathing: Learn how to breathe quickly and quietly so that you can sing
your next note on .me. Also write down the places the conductor asks each part to
breathe at the same .me, then prac.ce always breathing at the same place every .me
you sing your song. If you run out of air early:
a. breathe during a long vowel sound;
b. breathe without pronouncing the last consonant of the word you are singing.

11) Know your part: prac.ce between rehearsals. Pro .p: begin by singing all the notes on
NG, like at the end of the word sing. Check that your jaw is dropped to its maximum
relaxed opening and that your tongue is touching your bo?om front teeth. Once you know
the notes well, sing your part only on the vowels of each word, without the consonants.
This will prepare you for the best singing technique: longest vowels, shortest consonants.

12) Vowels - Longest vowels, shortest consonants: the beauty of sound is on vowels, so it’s
very important to match vowel sounds. If two choristers sing different vowels shapes, the
harmonics of the two vowels won’t align and it will sound like they are singing two
different pitches. We don’t sing the way we speak: we sing with big wide, open vowels to
make the most of the beau.ful sounds. With a confident posture, open the back of your
throat (pharyngeal muscles) and sing in that open space. Imagine sending sound out with
an energy field like the frills of this lizard.

13) Consonants - Longest vowels, shortest consonants:
a. Sing the shortest consonants possible and pronounce them at the same .me as
the rest of the choir. Only pronounce the final consonant(s) of one syllable when
you begin to sing the next syllable. Ex: “I will sing my very best always”, a skilled
singer will sing it this way:
“I—wi—llsi—ngmy—ve—ry—be—sta—lwa—ys”
Taking good care not to sing “….bessssst—alllllll—wayzzzzz”
b. Singing consonants: l, m, n, ng, r, the, v, z: when a syllable begins with one of these
consonants, ensure you are singing it on the same pitch as the ensuing vowel.
Otherwise, if you start singing the consonant on the preceding pitch, it will sound
like scooping up or down;
c. S: ‘sip’ it in instead of pushing it out with lots of air. Even be?er, sing a Z instead;
d. Consonants like b, f, k, p, sh, t, thru: ‘sip’ in any consonant that pushes air, that way
you won’t sing breathy on the ensuing vowel.

14) Becoming a confident singer: if singers rely on their neighbour to know when to sing,
many singers will start late. If all singers begin milliseconds apart, the en.re choir sounds
muddy. Work towards being a confident singer. Learn your part well and know when your
note starts and when to put the final consonants. Watching the conductor also helps.
STEPS TO BECOMING A SKILLED CHORAL SINGER – page 4/4

15) Ask the conductor: if you hear your sec.on is struggling in a par.cular spot, you can mark
the bar number(s) of the area and ask the conductor at an appropriate moment to go over
that passage. The conductor can’t always hear every li?le detail, so you can help your
ensemble by men.oning passages that might require clarifica.on.

*****

The power of choral singing:
•   When we no.ce our voice is heard above the others and we adjust our volume to blend
in with others, we develop teamwork
•   When we follow the conductor’s hands through a series of meter and dynamic
changes, we develop accuracy and focus
•   When we learn to appreciate, or “grow into” a song, we develop pa.ence
•   When we refrain from talking during the rehearsal, we develop respect
•   When we listen and concentrate during rehearsals, as well as when we prac.ce
faithfully at home, we develop self-discipline
•   When we sing in different languages and styles, we learn to appreciate other cultures
•   When we don’t get the solo and congratulate the person who did, we develop good
sportsmanship and graciousness
•   When we sing in a nursing home, we develop compassion and service
•   When we choose a rehearsal or performance over a special event, we develop
commitment and passion
•   When we bounce for joy and give a high five because we finally sang the most difficult
piece straight through for the first .me, we develop perseverance
•   When we perform a solo at a concert, we develop courage and self-confidence
•   When we no.ce how we’ve touched the audience because we worked hard and sang
with meaning in concerts, we develop gra.tude and thankfulness.

Ques%ons?
Lorraine@ManifoldMelodies.com.au
www.ManifoldMelodies.com.au
-- Fifteen Steps to Becoming a Skilled Choral Singer (Used by permission of the curator)