Another beginning

Today saw the first rehearsal of the new children and youth choir at All Saints, Preston.  This is the beginning of realizing a project I've been cooking since mid-December.  Because the parish has a strong Sudanese community, with many children  and young people, this looked to be a ready-made opportunity that was simply waiting to be courted.  In the long-run, it may see some developments in the ways in which the various congregations in the parish interact.

The young people will rehearse twice a week until the September school holidays.  This is a high commitment, but the benefits will flow very soon; the parents are highly supportive, and in this situation that can be half the battle.

There were nine young people at the first rehearsal.  This is the hardest one of all -- establishing some of the basic disciplines.  To any other choir directors out there who are wondering how to teach good rehearsal behaviour, I can only suggest asking the following question at regular intervals in the first two or three practices:

When I am saying something to you, who else should be speaking?

It's going to take about four weeks to get the discipline together, but once it's there things will really take off.

The other thing I'd say to anyone looking to set up a youth choir in a church is this: make sure you get your congregation's office bearers involved.  You'll shake more potential choristers out of the system with greater efficiency if there is more than one set of hands putting up posters, following up phonecalls and generally spruiking for business.  Only do it as a one-man show if you're determined to make a martyr of yourself.  So here's a quick tug of the cap to the parishioners who were present today to help out with setting up and tidying away, and helping to supervise.

I hope to get a picture or two to put up here soon.  Perhaps once the first group of young folk have received their robes.