by Buddy James
Two choirs are set to perform at the adjudication. The first choir from Gotittogether Middle School walks onto the stage. Each member seems to know where she is going. All of the member’s robes are clean and smooth, and everyone has the same color of shoes and socks. The singers of GMS look confident, and quietly survey the audience as their director makes her way onto the stage, offering a few last minute visual alterations to the ensemble. After the introduction, they begin their warm-up selection. The group, silent to this point, erupts in the spirit of the song with shimmering forte and intense piano. Their faces are alive with the emotion of the music, and eyes are glued to the director and the audience, at the appropriate times. After each song, the choir receives their warm applause with smiles to the audience and then prepares themselves for the next selection. At the conclusion of their performance, GMS members look pleased, and their director is obviously proud of the work they have done as she shows her appreciation to them and to the audience with a smile and a bow. Now that the singing is over, the choir leaves the stage as silently as it entered, allowing the audience to remain in the moment as long as possible.
As GMS leaves the stage, Holeintheground High School enters. HHS is flowing over with energy, but their energy seems to sap the energy from the room. The group is dressed similarly to one another, but there are some obvious differences. All are wearing white shirts and dark pants, but some of the shirts are un-tucked while others are tucked in. Some of the members have dress slacks while others have jeans. There are dress shoes, heels, sneakers, and boots on the stage, all creating a different appearance for the choir. The members of HHS are obviously having a good time, laughing and talking with each other as they enter. They reach their spots and make comments about the audience they see in front of them. Some turn around and talk to the people behind them, and others wave to friends across the choir. The director walks out and bows, hardly acknowledging the choir and, after waiting for everyone’s attention they begin to sing. The group, lively moments before, seem to go into a trance as they sing the same music by rote that they have sung for the past few months in preparation for this event. With one dynamic, the first selection (they decided they did not need a warm-up selection) is sung in English and in tones very similar to their speaking voices. Although it is a large choir with a director vigorously waving his hands at the ensemble, very little sound and even less emotion is sent into the audience. The eyes of the choir members stare into the auditorium, or at the ground, as they wait for the songs to finish. As the applause starts at the end of their second selection, the choir members, oblivious, again begin speaking with one another and then exit the stage in a large clump, obviously eager to get to the next part of their day.
It is obvious which group has been more successful in the preceding scenario, but the reality is that adjudicators see both types of ensembles. With a few small changes, each group can have a great experience, and can leave the audience with a great experience as well. A moving experience for ALL involved is the main goal of the artistic presentation. So, what follows is a brief look at some of the elements (Repertoire, Sound, and Performance Etiquette) involved in preparing a choir for adjudication (or for any moving performance) that can shed some light on bringing any level of choir to a new level of success.
Repertoire:
You may hear poor choirs perform excellent repertoire, but you almost never hear excellent choirs perform poor repertoire. Just as repertoire is painstakingly chosen for concerts, so should repertoire be chosen for adjudication. Warm-up selections are crucial when available, so that singers can get the jitters out, hear themselves in the new acoustic of the performing space, and set the tone for the adjudicated selections. I encourage warm-up songs that are not too challenging, without extremes of dynamic, range and tempo so that the singers can mentally focus and feel good about how they sound. On the other hand, while a fast encore selection is fun for a group, it may not serve as a focusing point for warm-up.
The next two selections provide great opportunity for choirs to show what they have accomplished, and variety works best – for example: a contemporary selection and then a classical selection, possibly two different languages, accompanied and unaccompanied, homophonic and polyphonic. Also, quality (not necessarily difficult) selections are always welcomed. (It should be briefly noted, that in almost every case a live accompaniment – even if only a piano – is GREATLY preferred to a recorded accompaniment).
Sound:
Singers must understand the difference between speaking and singing voices. Too often choirs will misconstrue the idea of projection as simply singing louder. All good choirs find a blending between their head voice and chest voice, offering remarkable options when in quality of sound. Once they understand that singing is not simply speaking on pitch, they are ready to make some beautiful sounds.
Diction (including proper vowels) is one of the most difficult of singing skills, makes one of the greatest impacts upon the audience. Words (even those not in English) should be understood!!! Consonants must be crisp, and vowels need to be tall and round and beautiful – uncommon in American English. Most effective choirs will spend time singing on vowels alone to get the idea of connection of sound and beautiful tone. Once the vowels are matched - crisp, quick consonants make the words dance and come alive. A flat sound is often a result of flat vowels and dull diction. Fix this and you will have a choir that sounds brand new (and great!).
The singer must also understand the meaning of the text. Word for word translations are crucial in foreign language selections so that the singers, as actors, may aurally portray the meaning of the text. Singers often detract from a performance because the have no idea what they are saying. They need not BELIEVE what they are saying, but they need to act like they do. If a performer is not convincing in his presentation of a text, the audience will never be convinced either. Better stated, if the performer is not moved, how can the audience expect to be moved?
One of the crucial elements to improve music experience for listeners is dynamics. Regardless of musical ability, anyone can make the change between singing softly and then singing loudly. It may not be initially beautiful, but an audience is rarely as moved as when they are brought from an intense, vibrant quiet to an overwhelmingly beautiful and energetic forte. This effective technique is easy to instill and can be taught quickly in the initial learning stages of the music. It would be a delight for all listeners to hear the great technique of dynamics at the next performance of your choir.
Performance Etiquette:
Without the benefit of hearing the choirs from GMS and HHS, the above description goes a long way to stress the point that a quality ensemble, just like a quality person, acts with quality throughout, even when they are not singing. The magic of going to the theatre is being transported to another place and time. You do not get to know the actors, only as the characters that they portray. You do not see behind the sets or in the wings – all of these things would take away the magic of the production. The singers in your choirs can understand this concept as well, and then some very simple changes can be made to make your performance outstanding.
First, and foremost, the performance begins as soon as the first singer walks onto the stage. There is nothing in the world except singing to the best of your ability once you step into the arena of performance. Every move, from how you walk, to the sounds you make, to how you leave will be indicative of, and a reflection of, your professionalism and desire to perform to the highest standard you are capable of achieving.
Next, the singers need to realize that the audience is hearing them as a group, but is watching individuals. Facial expression, body language, eye contact and body movement directly related to the music are all crucial to success. A singer who stands out on either extreme, either being dull and boring or too animated, will detract from the “magic” of being in the performance. Even a small out of place comment, glance, touch, smile, or laugh, which seems insignificant to the individual, can have a large impact on the perception of professionalism in the choir.
These are small things, but they each go a long way toward rounding out a performance that you have been working on for weeks and months, and if you want to do your best, you should do your best on all levels.
Expectations and adjudication aftermath:
Every performance is adjudication – you are being judging you each time you perform. It is not possible to “turn it on” if a group has not been practicing performance techniques every time it sets foot on the stage. The great difference between adjudication and a regular performance is that in adjudication you receive direct and honest feedback from knowledgeable experts. Adjudication is an opportunity to find out how you are doing and to get concise and practical goals upon which you may build future performances.
Choirs should not be discouraged when receiving the adjudicator’s comments. Three different judges may find completely different things upon which to comment, and all are valid. The choir’s responsibility is to listen closely to the critiques following the performance, thinking about how they performed compared to how the judges perceived their performance. The bottom line is that a great performance is great by any standard, and even the best have room to grow to become better. It is our job to offer you ways to improve, and that cannot be done without some constructive critique. When singers understand this, the adjudication tapes that are filled with things upon which to improve will be the ones that are most welcomed. Whether they received an average score or a superior score, when they implement the changes the next performance will be even better, and that is for what we strive.
In conclusion, adjudication is an opportunity to make an impression: it is a chance to move the audience. There have been times that I have been deeply moved during performances at Festivals of Music and Music in the Parks. Times where I have sat there listening in awe as a choir of 100, or 50 or 8 have said something so profound through their singing that I am incapable of writing, or talking or moving – only listening. There was something about those rare performance gems: a desire to be professional, a desire to say something beyond the correct notes and rhythms, a desire to move the audience, that made me sit up and take notice. It was the whole package, and it was moving. If you can move an adjudicator who has judged hundreds of choirs, then you are doing something right in the attention to both the details and the big picture. And as a result, you will most definitely be moved yourself. That is what we all want for you, and we anxiously await your presentation of the musical art at your next adjudication.
Buddy James has judged hundreds of choirs for Educational Programs Network in the past 8 years. Choirs under Dr. James' direction have toured and sung throughout the United States and in Europe, and in July 2005 he conducted the Millersville University Choir as the United States representative at the World Choral Festival in Puebla, México. Dr. James served as a tenured faculty member at Millersville University from 1998 to 2005 where he was the Director of Choral Activities and instructor of conducting and voice. He was honored as the “Person of the Year” by Millersville University in 2004. He has served on the faculties and staffs of the University of Southern California, the University of California, Irvine, Whittier College, and Elizabethtown College. Having taught all age groups in both public and private schools, he frequently serves as adjudicator and clinician for vocal and choral competitions, workshops and festivals. Dr. James holds a Doctor of Music Arts degree from the University of Southern California, and received honors and a Bachelor of Music Education degree from the University of Akron. He also attended the University of California, Irvine as a Chancellor's Fellow, receiving the Master of Fine Arts degree in Choral Music. Dr. James was longtime Chairperson for the Cultural Affairs Committee at Millersville University, and served as the Repertoire and Standards Chairperson for College and University Choirs in the Pennsylvania Chapter of the American Choral Directors Association, and is a member of the National Association of Teachers of Singing. Now residing in the San Francisco Bay Area, Dr. James sings with the San Francisco Choral Artists and the ensemble Creative Voices. He is Artistic Administrator for the arts organization Artists Now and Artistic Director and conductor for the Lancaster Ensemble of Vocal Arts (LEVA), and is a founding member and treasurer of the National Collegiate Choral Organization.
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