What Shall We Sing? Part 4 (Places to Hear Songs)

My choir sings the last two Sundays of the month, and then we’re done till September. This is one of the times I don’t feel ready to lay it down yet. Yes, the extra time will be handy. But I’ll miss my singers! Still, it’s time to start thinking about new music.

The church music conference I attended for years, Music Minnesota, no longer exists except as Music Florida and Music Texas. I also used to attend a week at Moody and one called Solid Rock in Chicago, neither of which exist anymore. In five days we read through over a hundred octavos (choir pieces) and musicals or cantatas. A few hundred choir directors/music ministers would be given packets supplied by various publishers (Word, Hal Leonard, Hope, etc), and there’d either be a track we’d sing along with or a wonderful accompanist would play and we’d sing, directed by someone representing the publisher (who often would be one of the composers). Like Mary MacDonald, who needed blocks against the dolly wheels or the piano would drive her downtown, or Mark Hayes, with a heart beating for the volunteer choir.

Since I could hear the accompaniment and all four parts, I’d know whether it was for us, and I’d choose the whole year’s music from one conference. So how do we find new pieces without a conference to attend? I’m open to your suggestions! I don’t have the time to spend at a music store just playing through things. This year I went on jwpepper.com and listened to SATB pieces. It was a blessing; I could listen anytime. The service is quite prompt. The church also receives CDs of octavos from publishers, usually also found on jwpepper. The CD is handy for in the car.

I do have a complaint or warning to pass on concerning choosing pieces just from hearing a track. Some publishers are focused on selling the track (or should I say providing a track for those choirs lacking a pianist?), to the point where the piano part is a minimal sketch at best. So then when you go to learn it, it sounds empty and bare. Whole notes, dotted halves, no rhythm! You almost have to get the track, then, just to have a decent accompaniment, unless your pianist plays by ear and can fill in what’s missing.

I appreciate holding the music in my hand so I can see the accompaniment and especially the voice ranges before purchasing. I learned the hard way; not all choirs have tenors who can pop off high A’s or basses who can live above middle C for more than a few beats.

A good thing about jwpepper is that the choir and pianist can listen online, which helps them learn the pieces more easily.

I’d love to hear from you if you can suggest any choir conferences or even reading sessions accessible to someone in the lower half of Wisconsin. Hey, I'd just love to hear from you anyway!