Thoughts on Ward Choir during the summer

I figured since we're taking the summer off, I should do something for my church calling.  So I've been updating the fabulous "Preachin' to the Choir" blog on the pieces we did this past "semester."  It would probably be more effective if I got them done before we sang so my ward choir members could have a little background info on the pieces, but, to be honest, I don't think most of my ward choir members even read this, so maybe this will be helpful for another ward choir director somewhere else in the world who happens to stumble upon my ward choir musings.

I was thinking today, that choir director is probably the only calling in the church that you can just take the summer off.  I'll take it!

In case anyone is questioning if that is a good thing or not, let me tell you that I think it definitely is in our ward.  Last summer I tried to rehearse all the way through and it proved BEYOND frustrating for me.  Some weeks we'd have 5 people show up, so I'd get out something really simple to work on, and some weeks we'd have 25 people, so I'd be scrambling for something a little more challenging.  And sometimes we'd have all sopranos and one bass, and what do you even do with that?  I know that it says in the handbook to have the ward choir perform at least 1-2 times a month, and we definitely do that during the school year.  But during the summer when people are traveling, there is just no consistency.  It makes it very difficult to plan a rehearsal that isn't wasting everyone's time.

Besides, I have it on authority of Rosalind Hall (BYU Men's Choir Conductor).  She has been her ward choir director for years (how would it be to be in HER ward choir!?!)  and has observed that people like to be a part of something with an end product.  So in the Fall our "end product" is the Christmas program, and we start rehearsing for that in August/September, along with other pieces that we perform along the way.  In the Spring, the "end product" is the Easter program.  It's not technically the end, as we prepare music to present through the month of May, but you get the idea.  And now we are taking June and July completely off, and will reconvene in August.  Hopefully everyone will be excited to sing together again after a nice long break.  I know I need the break as much as anyone to sort of regroup and choose new music and get my focus back.

So Happy Summer!