Off book or on? That is the question. If your chorus memorizes their music (or if you would LIKE them to) here are some tips and tricks to encourage accurate memorization. You can purchase choral rehearsal tracks at https://choraltracks.com.
Memorization Techniques
Conversation from GALA AD Discussion List
Ellen, This weekend marks our first concert that’s totally memorized (our audience THINKS we memorize, but this time there’s no cheat sheets strategically placed in the pit or elsewhere.) We followed the wise advice of a number of my fellow directors, and it’s really worked for us:
1. Run at least a part of every song at every rehearsal. Sing through a phrase, then do it again without music. Rinse and repeat….
2. Give your chorus a schedule of when each song WILL be memorized, then hold them to it! They’ll realize that they know more than they think they do.
3. Our accompanist makes rehearsal CDs. If you don’t have that resource, many choruses have members (or their director) sing parts on their rehearsal CDs. Since ours cds are keyboard sounds only, I’ve suggested that singers write out lyrics, which seemed to help many of them.
4. Give them opportunity to show off in front of each other…pop quizzes in quartets or more! (All done in the spirit of fun and love.)
4. Give visual cues during your conducting. I’ll sign a word or two on occasion (if the sign’s not too big or unusual and I can hide it from the audience so it doesn’t look like I’m interpreting). Even if the singers don’t initially know what a sign means, they’ll come to associate it with that word or phrase and the lyric becomes automatic.
5. Bring singers out of the mix to hear the chorus with and without music. They should be able to hear the difference in quality the absence of the “wall” of folders makes. (and it’s nice to see faces instead of tops of heads)
Good luck!
Tim Gillham Artistic Director Richmond Men’s Chorus/Richmond Women’s Chorus
Hi, Ellen,
Thanks for those tips, Tim. My chorus, One Voice Chorus, is singing their concert this Saturday from memory (a first for me as a director), and my experience this year with the chorus was a little different (though not unsuccessful!).
I began the season with a schedule for when each song was to be memorized. Easier songs are easier to memorize, so they came first. The most difficult music was in the front part of the middle (it needs even longer to set in the memory) and the “in between” music was sprinkled throughout the rest of the schedule.
The most important part, I found, was making sure the schedule was kept. That meant that I was responsible for getting the notes learned with enough time for the choristers to memorize. I made it a goal to have the notes learned two weeks in advance. At the end of that rehearsal, I reminded them that a due date was coming.
The week before, I did a pre-test where choristers could earn “extra credit” by singing without the music ahead of schedule. Some used that as a way to test their own work. The week before a due date was really focused on the music to be off-book the next week.
The day of the test, folders were left in chairs and we stood to sing. My group was really amazed at how successful they were in the process. We got everything memorized right on time and began doing full run throughs of the show well before I expected. We were even able to rehearse and correct little slip ups without music.
The choir challenged me to also memorize my music, and I’ll be conducting the first half of our concert from memory. [The first half is a formal concert setting; the second half is pops, and I’ll be down in a pit-type area conducting out of view.]
One of the main differences between my approach and Tim’s is that I don’t spend rehearsal time memorizing. They are expected to put that time in outside rehearsal with sections and using their rehearsal CD’s [The CD has every piece with their part played louder than the others and another track with the accompaniment and no part help so they can practice carrying their own part.]
Just some other thoughts,
Joseph D. Daniel Artistic Director, One Voice Chorus, Ferndale, MI
Tips for Memorizing Music
Jane Ramseyer Miller September 2013
Before trying to memorize a piece think about how you pick up and process information. Are you an auditory learner (you can hear a song on the radio and soon sing along without much thought to the words or tune)? Or are you more of a visual learner (you learn faster by looking at the words, creating an outline or visualizing the page in your mind)? Most of us use a combination of both techniques but may have a preference toward one of the other.
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- Choose a time to concentrate on memorization. Don’t just assume it will happen automatically because you are singing or listening to these songs every week. Especially if you are an auditory learner bring a recorder to rehearsals and use it! Watch for the following pitfalls with this method…
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- Recording Pitfalls: Especially if the recording is made early in the season it may contain rough cut-offs, irregular breathing, harsh vowel sounds. Listen to the tape WITH your marked music so that you can compensate for these areas. You will be a great help to your section in rehearsals if you are aware of the problem areas and are able sing and lead your section through them. Gradually move away from looking at the music but concentrate on remembering those problem spots.
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- Ask for help! It will do little good for you to bring a recorder to rehearsal if the recording picks up all your own wrong notes! If you are feeling shaky on a song ask someone in your section (that seems to have the notes down) to sing near your recorder. Also record problem lines in sectional rehearsals where others can help.
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- Write down all the words by memory. Then concentrate on the verses or sections where you got stuck.
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- Or, write all the words on an erasable chalk or white board. Practice singing or speaking through the piece multiple times while gradually erasing the ends of sentences until you are left with only a cue word for each section.
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- Create a lyric outline of the song (vs1, chorus, vs. 2 , bridge, etc.). Write down a 1-2 word cue for each section. As long as you are able to begin the sentence or section you will likely be able to end it. You may even want to bring your cues or outlines to rehearsal and sing from them rather than the music.
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- Pay attention to rhyme! Not all songs use rhyme, but many do. This is a great help to keep you on track with the lyrics.
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- Create a song outline for the notes. For example, try diagramming the up and down of musical lines, musical lines that repeat, problem intervals with arrows, etc. Just the process of creating the outline will help you understand and remember the piece as a whole.
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- Ask your section leader for help in finding a “memorizing buddy” within your section. Find a time to meet together weekly to concentrate on memorization.
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- Plan a memorizing sectional. After you’ve conquered the notes plan a sectional to concentrate on memorization as a group.
Don’t try all these ideas at once! Experiment and choose the ones that work for you.