6 Reasons Why Every Choir Should Have A Retreat

If you’re like me, you start each year wondering how in the world you’re going to be able to accomplish all of your goals.  As exciting as the first week is, it’s also overwhelming. Of the many things we need to accomplish, how will it be possible to cram in learning literature for performances and teaching the singers valuable skills?

I have one answer:  A retreat.

All choirs should have a retreat for a successful season!

Every ensemble, regardless of level or age, could benefit from a retreat at the beginning of the year. There is simply no better way to start the season off on the right foot. A retreat is any extended rehearsal time. While it can be held in your regular rehearsal space, I’ve personally found that off-site locations result in better outcomes. The Boston Children’s Chorus holds a weekend-long retreat each September at the Ron Burton Training Village in Hubbardston, Massachusetts. The natural setting  improves creativity and concentration, and provides a unique experience for our urban singers. As a bonus, there’s little cell reception and no Wi-Fi, forcing the singers to unplug and focus.

So…..What are  the benefits of a retreat?

1. Music, and lots of it!

What’s the one thing that all choir directors want? More time! More time to learn literature, more time to clean up a piece, more time to explore deeper meaning… A retreat provides you with the valuable time you’re looking for. I jump-start the season by introducing a ton of literature, allowing singers time to get comfortable with the music. Many challenging pieces would be nearly impossible to learn with a regular rehearsal schedule. We even perfect a few pieces, so that by the end of the weekend we have some music concert-ready, a must for choirs like BCC that give a lot of performances.

2. Sectionals

Continuing on the theme from above, sectionals require time and space but result in singers learning their parts much faster. Sectionals decentralize the rehearsal process and allow for some of the heavy lifting to be done by the singers. My philosophy is to teach skills, not songs, so on that note most of our sectionals are run by section leaders. While you might not think your singers are capable of running an effective rehearsal, I’ve found that putting these kinds of responsibilities onto the singers results in greater ownership of the choir, and leads to much better musical and social outcomes. (This past year my section leaders sent me a list of suggestions, and the top of the list was more sectional time!  How can I say no?)

Singers want to be part of the process, and singer-led sectionals help to make that process more democratic.

3. Voice Building

One of the challenges of youth choirs is the constant turn-over of singers. As a result, every year I have to rebuild their sound.  However, even choirs with more continuous membership, such as adult community choirs, still need to develop a good choral sound.  While you probably work on vocal technique in every regular rehearsal, sometimes it’s not enough time.

Retreats provide this time. First, I sometimes bring in vocal coaches to work with each section and with the choir as a whole. Second, I the take time to voice match every singer in the choir into quartets. I then move quartets around until I find the sound I’m after.  While this process takes an enormous amount of time, the “before and after” comparison is mind-blowing. It’s one of the most important things we do on a retreat, maybe even more so than learning music, and without a retreat it would be impossible.

4. Community Building

This is one of my favorite parts of a choir retreat. It’s also surprisingly important.  A choir that cares for each other, sings better.  When you care, you listen.  Your own individual part is no longer just that, it’s a part of a collective.  Our singers come from all over the Boston metro area, and have vastly different backgrounds. Which is the point! So in our retreats we not only learn everyone’s name, we explore interesting facts about each other, such as favorite school subjects, fun hobbies….  We play games and get to know each other.  The more details we learn, the more we understand each other.  The more we understand, the more we are invested in each other’s success.  Having the time for each singer to have a voice takes time.

If you’re looking for ideas, there are plenty online. But better yet, have the singers take the lead!

5. Movement and Performance

I don’t know about you, but when I watch a performance, I want to see something more than people just standing like emotionless robots.  I want to feel the music and be moved. But connecting with the music and learning how to give a good performance takes time.  During our retreats, we have enough time for singers to explore and emotionally connect with the music. I also bring acting coaches or dancers to help them connect with their bodies and learn how to express their emotions on stage. Performing is a difficult skill, and these experts show singers how to communicate effectively with their bodies, using facial expressions, body movements, and even good posture.Feeling comfortable enough to emote during a performance takes time and practice, and retreats provide us with that time.

Now that you’re convinced….

Scheduling matters!

To get the biggest bang for the buck, I schedule our retreats between our regular rehearsals. For example, BCC meets on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, leaving in five whole days without a rehearsal. But by scheduling a retreat on a Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, I can connect those two weeks of rehearsal and see the singers nine times in ten days, with only a Monday off. Those last few rehearsals really pay dividends.

The retreat weekend is such an important date on our calendar.  What happens before is just a prelude to the season. In my book the season doesn’t begin until the first rehearsal after the retreat.  We truly are a completely different choir.

Do you have retreats? What activities do you include? Leave a comment!