Golden Rules for Ensemble Singing

Share these with your choir, to help ensure a quality performance:

  1. Everyone should sing the same piece.
  2. Stop at every repeat sign and discuss in details whether to take the repeat or not. The audience will love this a lot!
  3. If you sing a wrong note, give a nasty look to one of your partners.
  4. The right note at the wrong time is a wrong note (and vice-versa)
  5. If everyone gets lost except you, follow those who get lost.
  6. Strive to get the maximum NPS (note per second). That was you gain the admiration of the incompetent.
  7. Markings for slurs, dynamics and ornaments should not be observed. They are only there to embellish the score.
  8. If a passage is difficult, slow down. If it’s easy, speed it up. Everything will work itself out in the end.
  9. If you are completely lost, stop everyone and say, “I think we should tune”.
  10. Happy are those who have not perfect pitch, for the kingdom of music is theirs.
  11. If the ensemble has to stop because of you, explain in detail why you got lost. Everyone will be very interested.
  12. A true interpretation is realized when there remains not one note of the original.
  13. When everyone else has finished singing, you should not sing any notes you have left.
  14. A wrong note sung timidly is a wrong note. A wrong note sung with authority is an interpretation.