How to start a (pop) choir: tips & pitfalls

The first question is: what sort of choir would you like to create? On one side you have the classic choirs (religious music & classical music) and on the other side you have the modern choirs (pop music, rock music & jazz).

Within each segment there are subgroups, for example men’s choirs, ladies choirs, a capella groups en mixed choirs. If you are wondering how to start a new choir, these are also things you need to think about.

“My advise is to place an ad in the local newspaper”, Frank says. “A choir often consists of people living in the same neighborhood or town. You can also start a new choir with soms friends. The advantage of a choir with friends is that there is a solid, hard core. A starting choir needs cement in the group.”

“People who want to join your choir have to sing to you. But, make sure you first have a conductor or musical leader. This person determines whether a potential member complements the choir (musically speaking). Don’t be too critical. It is harder to form a choir in a small village than in a big city. Why? Because more people live in a city, so the musical pond is much bigger. Take that in consideration during your selection process.”

Frank: “Most new choirs begin enthusiastically, but decisions have to be made first. Determine as soon as possible where you want to go with your choir to make sure everybody’s on the same page. Is it ‘just’ for fun or is it your ambition to build a professional choir? That is an important question!"

When you are asking us the question: how to start a new choir, there are also some other questions like

• Do you want to dance or not?

• Are you doing choreography?

• What outfits do you want to use?

• And do choir members have to remember the song texts or can they use sheet music?

“Yes, that’s right. It is good to smooth the folds. People who join your choir need to know what they can expect, resulting in less conflicts later.”

So when you are wondering how to start a new choir, this is also something that is very important to communicate to your potential choir members.

“A large choir consists of 70 to 80 people. The bigger the choir, the bigger the chance there are wise (wo)men. I think that entrepreneurs are good at making decisions. In a small choir there is often less knowledge and chances are high that there are fewer leaders. A bigger choir also has a bigger cashflow. A choir with a well-stocked wallet can hire a better conductor. A professional conductor can tackle problems and conflicts in an early stage.”

“You can rent a rehearsal room, but you can also come together in a farmer’s barn or in someones house. Really, I’ve seen choirs rehearse on the strangest places. Invest in a good conductor and buy legal sheet music. Also instruments can be purchased.”

“ChorusOnline is one of the few providers of legal sheet music. We have a catalogue with more than 1.000 arrangements. We pay royalties to the record companies and the artists.”

“I advise to start with five arrangements. Choose for Chorus-LIGHT-arrangements (three voices) at level 2 or 3. These arrangements are easy to sing. Choir members can get used to each other and there is an early sense of success.”

“No. When a choir grows, it can however be interesting to become an association. A big choir has more money coming in, so there need to be structure. You have to choose a chairman, a treasurer and people who think about choreography. You need more than one leader. Suppose there is one leader and he or she quits, that could mean the end of a choir.”

We understand that when you are first asking yourself the question: how to start a new choir, that those kind of question are not the first ones to come to mind. Nevertheless it's very smart to also think about potential situations like these ones. Because sooner or later you might face the next questions: how to give structure to my growing choir?

“You need to be patient. It takes a while for a choir to sing well. Make sure things are well arranged in advance. The first meeting is of vital importance. And do not give a conductor too much power.”

“There is one good reason for that: a conductor has to listen to the choir. That’s what it is all about. What songs do the choir members want to sing? The conductor doesn’t choose the repertoire. The people who want to sing do.”

“This depends on the repertoire. Up tempo songs sound better in the open air or in a village house, because of the acoustics (reverberation). If a choir sings mostly slow songs, then they should choose for a church or concert hall.”

“Depending on ambition and singing experience, it takes five years before a choir is good enough to compete in choir contests. Do not forget: it’s not just about the vocals. The best choirs are good in everything. Members sing by heart, have great dance moves and wear perfect outfits. It’s good to have the ambition to become a professional choir. Good luck with your journey!”

If you want to start a new choir and are still left with some how-to questions, feel free to contact ChorusOnline. We are always willing to help you and help you pick the best songs for your starting choir.