 After a successful audition, you’ve now got a group full of eager singers. You’ve organized yourselves into director, business manager, MD, treasurer, PR rep, choreographer, photographer, costumer, sound engineer, lion tamer, water boy, and every other position imaginable. Maybe you even have some gigs already lined up. But what in the world are you going to sing? Below are a few suggestions to consider before you jump into the deep end.
Sing what you know.
For groups with a revolving door (read: high school and college groups), start by resurrecting some songs from last year. The old members can teach the parts to the new members, and you can knock out one or two songs in a single rehearsal. It’s a very active way to start the year.
Sing stuff from your albums.
This is another easy place to start. Of all your previous songs, some of the best to bring back are those from your recordings. This is a good choice for several reasons. First and most immediately, teaching parts from a recording is usually pretty straightforward; your new members can listen to the CD over and over in their spare time. Second, if people like your set, you want them to rush to the CD table and see tracks they recognize; they’re much more likely to buy something they know. And finally, your fans want to hear their favorites. I once went to a Dave Matthews concert where he didn’t sing “Crash into Me”; some people walked away very angry.
Sing songs that the group suggests.
Although it is very efficient for the musical director to just choose all the songs in the repertoire, you’ll get much more excitement and ownership out of the group members if they participate in choosing the repertoire. Take some rehearsal time or, better yet, take some outside time at a retreat to have a song choosing day. You could even have a song choosing party! Wherever you do it, you’ll want to have each member bring songs they think the group should cover. If you get too many suggestions, maybe limit it to six or seven each. And don’t play the entire song, but just play the 15-30 seconds that represent the song’s hook, or that show what the song will add to the repertoire. Some groups centralize this process by having group members submit songs to the MD initially, and then the MD organizes them all and brings them all ready to present to the group. This can be a long meeting, so you definitely have to keep it moving. Try to get unanimous or near unanimous vote for each choice. When you’re finished, you should have a great variety of songs that the group itself has chosen. Later, during slow rehearsals, group members will have much more motivation to participate in the show when they’re singing the songs they chose.
Sing original material.
Contrary to prevailing norms, you don’t need to only do covers. Group members need not only bring other people’s songs to cover, but they should also bring new, original music. This is how most pro groups do it; they have songwriters bring a song before the group, and the group votes to accept or reject the addition to the repertoire. For examples of fresh original a cappella music, along with tips on songwriting, check out CASA’s A Cappella Originals Podcast.
Sing a variety.
In making your selections, don’t just pick all the songs you like without thinking about where they’re going to fit into your set. When each song is suggested, try to identify possible places you can put it in your show. You’ll need an opener, a closer, some ballads, maybe a throwback song, a clap-along song, some radio hits, at least one really difficult song, etc. Figure out what you want your set to be before you walk into the room to choose songs. There’s no point in recruiting a runningback if you’ve got four runningbacks already and no linebackers. Even if your group is limited to one “style” (jazz groups, choral groups, groups specializing in Jewish a cappella, etc), your audience still needs to hear other forms of variety in your set: tempo, rhythm styles, arrangement complexity, song theme, etc. Mix it up.
Sing stuff no one’s doing.
If you’re able to accomplish all of the above, you’re ready to start rehearsing. You can go on your merry way and sing up a storm. But if you really want to push the bounds of your art, try to think of some things that people aren’t doing. Pick up a world piece, a style no one’s doing. Do a hip hop song. Try an instrument imitation that no one else is doing. Do a medley of musicals. Or a purely “instrumental” classical song. Whatever it is, change it up. Use your imagination. Make waves.
Overall, the bottom line is that you shouldn’t walk right into your new year without thinking about a few things ahead of time. Work it out, make a plan, and don’t be afraid to push the bounds. Good luck!
Got a question about directing or managing a group that you’d like Dave to answer? Email him at dave [at] casa.org.
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