Does the Gesture Matter?
Deborah Jeter

Or. . . Does your choir sound like you look?

As we are preparing this year's choir, ensemble or perfoming group, I thought it might be helpful to dig into my resources and find something for the director.

I came across an outline for becoming a better director and have decided to use this information as a type of checklist for those who are auditioning new members and for those who are already in the "full swing" of things.

I hope you enjoy these tips and as always, if you have some approaches that have worked well for you, please share them with the rest of us.

In the Area of Sound, it might be helpful to consider these things.

   1. Does your choir sound too thin? If yes, is it because your beat is too high and light or indefinite?

   2. Does your choir sound harsh? Is it because you "pound" the beat or are you working too hard for your choir's attention?

   3. Can you effect a dramatic sound without verbal instruction?

   4. Can you effect a straight sound without verbal instruction?

   5. Can you effect a spinning or sustained line without verbal instruction?

   6. Can you effect a rhythmically energized sound without verbal instruction?

   7. Does your gesture cause vocal fatigue?

   8. Does your gesture encourage healthy singing?

In the Area of Articulation:

   1. Does your beat contain enough "pull" to effect a legato line"

   2. Can your beat indicate a staccato attack?

   3. Can you effect a marcato or portato?

   4. Having achieved the articulation desired, is your gesture consistent enough to maintain it?

   5. When changing articulation, do you broadcast enough in advance to achieve it immediately? 

In the Area of Volume:

   1. Does your preparatory beat indicate the desired volume?

   2. Can you change the volume with a minimum gesture?

   3. Can you indicate a pianissimo with the gesture but still maintain a clear ictus?

   4. Can you indicate a fortissimo but still keep a legato line?

   5. Can you effect a forte-piano, a subito forte or a subito piano?

   6. Does your final beat maintain a vital sound without creating a crescendo? 

In the Area of Tempo:

   1. Is your preparatory beat in the same tempo as the choir's first beat?

   2. Can you beat in all patterns steadily?

   3. Does your group react before, on, or after the beat?

   4. Are your beats spaced evenly so as to allow your choir to sing even eighths, sixteenths or triplets to your quarter beats?

   5. Can you effect a ritard and still maintain the ensemble? 

   6. Can you effect an accelerando and maintain the ensemble?

In the Area of Breathing:

   1. Does your preparatory gesture encourage sufficient breath?

   2. Can you indicate internal phrases with the gesture?

   3. Can you indicate internal phrases with the gesture without disrupting the tempo?

   4. Is your gesture large enough to maintain a healthy flow of breath, both intake and output?

   5. Do your cut-offs allow for clean but gentle releases, or do they chop the tone/breath abruptly? 

Hopefully, this guideline will help us to judge ourselves with the scrutiny that we often judge our choirs. And hopefully, the judgement of ourselves will proceed the judgement of our ensembles' performance. Do we hold ourselves accountable to the same standards as we hold our students?


<a href="http://choralnet.org/indexen.shtml">ChoralNet</a> site and it is in English. 

<a href="http://www.ensemble.org/MusicRes.html">Music Resolution</a> - Resolution Passed by the US House of Representatives Pertaining to the Importance of Music Education (2004)