Australian Choral Conductors and Current Choral Practice: A Longitudinal Study of Australian Choral Experts
Author Wyvill, Janet
Published 2012
Thesis Type Thesis (PhD Doctorate)
School Queensland Conservatorium
DOI https://doi.org/10.25904/1912/3109
Copyright Statement The author owns the copyright in this thesis, unless stated otherwise.
Downloaded from http://hdl.handle.net/10072/367961
Griffith Research Online https://research-repository.griffith.edu.au
Queensland Conservatorium Griffith University
Brisbane, Australia
Australian Choral Conductors and Current Choral
Practice:
A Longitudinal Study of Australian Choral Experts
A dissertation submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree Doctor of Philosophy
Janet Wyvill
2012
AUSTRALIAN CHORAL CONDUCTORS ii
Abstract
This dissertation explores the nature of the Australian Choral Conductor. Through survey, interview and case study, the research aimed to reveal the attributes of the
Australian Choral Conductor, particularly in relation to the skills and experiences that contribute to a conductor becoming an expert.
The Australian Choral Conductor, it could be argued, is under valued and little understood. There are very few opportunities for Australian experts to remain as full time choral conductors within their own country. In some cases Australian conductors have moved overseas to take up choral conducting positions, and in the process have gained international recognition. This research investigated if there was a particular pathway to becoming a choral conductor, and if there were opportunities to remain as such within
Australia. The research arose out of three defining moments in Australian choral music.
These were the 1998 National Strategic Plan for Choral Development; and the 1998
ANCA survey research entitled ‘So you want to be a choral conductor?’ and the 1996
World Symposium of Choral Music in Sydney.
Using a longitudinal frame, the research focussed on examining the cases of five eminent Australian musicians, probing areas of a conductor’s passion and reasons for becoming a choral conductor. The research also investigated the ways in which choral conductors’ training, knowledge and experience influenced their choice of repertoire and, in turn, their performance standard and level of expertise. The research examined whether there was a consistent way of determining how conductors’ choral practice is developed.
The study went on to investigate why Australian conductors did not receive wider recognition as experts within the choral community, or within Australia in general. AUSTRALIAN CHORAL CONDUCTORS iii
Finally, the study investigated whether any conductor could become an expert through a focus on the current training requirements of choral conductors.
The implications for the broader sector, for conductors of choirs and for educators include building knowledge in the area, the potential to make informed decisions, and the requirements to be an expert choral conductor with high quality performances. The findings from the research may enable conductors and educators to adapt their approach to training and education in choral conducting and developing practices. This may, in turn, increase the capacity for conductors to perform suitable works and also develop their level of expertise. This further enriches the choral experience and supports greater opportunities for choral excellence. AUSTRALIAN CHORAL CONDUCTORS iv
Declarations
Statement of Editorial Assistance
Professional editorial services have been used for this dissertation. Professional editors provided copyediting and proofreading services, according to the guidelines laid out in the university-endorsed national guidelines, ‘The editing of research theses by professional editors’.
Statement of publication
Results of the 2008 ANCA survey have been published in report form in the ANCA magazine Sing Out 28, 1. A copy of this article is provided in Appendix 6.
Initial findings from this study will be presented as a spoken paper during the
International Society of Music Education conference 2012 in Thessaloniki, Greece.
Declaration of originality
I certify that this dissertation does not incorporate without acknowledgement any material previously submitted for a degree or diploma in any university; and that to the best of my knowledge and belief it does not contain any material previously published or written by another person except where due reference is made in the text.
Signed: ______On: _____/____/_____ AUSTRALIAN CHORAL CONDUCTORS v
Acknowledgements
The researcher gratefully acknowledges the conductors who participated in this research. All were very generous with their time and were genuinely enthusiastic about having an opportunity to tell their stories and reflect on their experiences. It was a privilege for the researcher to interview each of these conductors and to be entrusted with interpreting their stories. Thank you for all your assistance and generosity.
The researcher acknowledges the support and assistance from the Australian
National Choral Association members and other conductors who completed the survey as part of this research. The results have provided great insight into the current choral community.
Thank you to Dr Scott Harrison and Professor Peter Roennfeldt for your support, guidance and supervision of the research process and the final product.
Thank you to my parents for their encouragement and never ending love, and for all the drafts they read to get this dissertation to where it is today. Finally, thank you to Graeme, for your incredible encouragement and everlasting support. AUSTRALIAN CHORAL CONDUCTORS vi
Contents
ABSTRACT ...... II
DECLARATIONS ...... IV
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ...... V
CONTENTS...... VI
LIST OF FIGURES ...... X
LIST OF TABLES ...... XI
GLOSSARY OF TERMS ...... XII
LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS ...... XIII
CHAPTER 1: AN INTRODUCTION ...... 1
INTRODUCTION ...... 1
IMPETUS FOR THIS RESEARCH ...... 2
SUMMARY ...... 4
CHAPTER 2: BACKGROUND ...... 5
BACKGROUND TO THE RESEARCH ...... 5
THE RESEARCH RATIONALE ...... 6
THE RESEARCH AIMS...... 8
THE AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL CHORAL ASSOCIATION ...... 11
THE MUSIC COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIA ...... 12
SUMMARY ...... 13
CHAPTER 3: LITERATURE REVIEW...... 14
KEY ELEMENTS ...... 14
DEFINITIONS ...... 14 AUSTRALIAN CHORAL CONDUCTORS vii
AUSTRALIAN IDENTITY ...... 15
A BRIEF HISTORY OF CHORAL CONDUCTING ...... 19
A BRIEF HISTORY OF AUSTRALIAN CHORAL CONDUCTING AND CHOIRS ...... 21
ATTRIBUTES OF CHORAL CONDUCTING ...... 24
COMMISSIONS AND FUNDING ...... 30
IMPLICATIONS AND LIMITATIONS IN THE LITERATURE ...... 36
SUMMARY ...... 40
CHAPTER 4: EXPERTISE ...... 41
EXPERTISE AND LEADERSHIP ...... 41
PERCEPTIONS OF EXPERTISE IN CHORAL CONDUCTING ...... 48
LEVELS OF EXPERTISE AND LEADERSHIP IN CONDUCTING ...... 50
EXPERTISE IN TEACHING ...... 64
SETTING THE STANDARD FOR GENERATIONS OF AMERICAN CONDUCTORS ...... 69
THE AUSTRALIAN ‘CRINGE FACTOR’ AND THE TALL POPPY SYNDROME ...... 71
SUMMARY ...... 74
CHAPTER 5: METHODOLOGY...... 75
INTRODUCTION ...... 75
SURVEY ...... 75
WHY CASE STUDY? ...... 77
THE CASE STUDY SELECTION PROCESS ...... 80
LONGITUDINAL STUDY ...... 83
ESTABLISHING VALIDITY ...... 86
DATA COLLECTION ...... 87
DATA ANALYSIS ...... 91
VALIDITY AND RELIABILITY ...... 94
PROBLEMS WITH THE METHODOLOGY ...... 95
SUMMARY ...... 95
CHAPTER 6: SURVEY RESULTS ...... 96 AUSTRALIAN CHORAL CONDUCTORS viii
1998 AND 2008 CHORAL CONDUCTOR SURVEYS ...... 96
2008 RESEARCH SURVEY RESULTS ...... 98
SUMMARY ...... 110
CHAPTER 7: SURVEY DATA ANALYSIS ...... 111
STRENGTHS ...... 120
WEAKNESSES ...... 122
OPPORTUNITIES ...... 128
THREATS ...... 129
SUMMARY ...... 130
CHAPTER 8: CASE STUDIES ...... 131
AUSTRALIAN CASE STUDIES - EXPERTS IN CHORAL CONDUCTING ...... 131
THE PASSION FOR CHORAL MUSIC: WHERE DID IT ALL START? ...... 137
PATHWAYS TAKEN AND INFLUENCES ALONG THE WAY ...... 139
CASE STUDY 1: ‘MAX’ ...... 141
CASE STUDY 2: ‘LOU’ ...... 144
CASE STUDY 3: ‘ANDY’ ...... 146
CASE STUDY 4: ‘CHRIS’ ...... 148
CASE STUDY 5: ‘WILL’ ...... 150
SUMMARY ...... 152
CHAPTER 9: CHORAL PRACTICE ...... 154
WHO SHOULD SING ...... 155
DEVELOPMENT OF MUSICIANSHIP ...... 157
REPERTOIRE ...... 161
PERFORMANCE PRACTICE ...... 167
ARTISTIC INTEGRITY...... 168
TRAINING ...... 169
CONFERENCES ...... 171 AUSTRALIAN CHORAL CONDUCTORS ix
CONDUCTORS AS EDUCATORS ...... 175
REHEARSAL PRACTICE ...... 176
IMPLICATIONS FOR CONDUCTOR-TEACHER EDUCATION ...... 180
SUMMARY ...... 183
CHAPTER 10: RESEARCH FINDINGS ...... 185
COMMON KEY ELEMENTS TO BOTH AMERICAN AND AUSTRALIAN CHORAL EXPERTS ...... 185
TRAINING FOR FUTURE CHORAL CONDUCTORS ...... 189
HOW TO TEACH CONDUCTING...... 191
WHERE TO TEACH CONDUCTING ...... 195
CHORAL COMMUNITY AND THE TALL POPPY SYNDROME ...... 197
INFLUENCE OF EXPERT CONDUCTORS ON THEIR STUDENTS ...... 199
SUMMARY ...... 200
CONCLUSION ...... 207
FURTHER RESEARCH ...... 209
REFERENCES ...... 213
APPENDIX ...... 240
APPENDIX 1 AUSTRALIAN CHORAL CONDUCTORS’ 2008 NATIONAL SURVEY...... 240
APPENDIX 2 AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL CHORAL ASSOCIATION 1998 SURVEY RESULTS ...... 247
APPENDIX 3 AUSTRALIAN CASE STUDY AND INTERVIEW PARTICIPANTS ...... 250
APPENDIX 4 FURTHER INFORMATION ON AMERICAN CHORAL CONDUCTORS ...... 266
APPENDIX 5 ETHICS APPROVAL ...... 277
APPENDIX 6 ANCA SING OUT ARTICLE 29/1 ...... 278 AUSTRALIAN CHORAL CONDUCTORS x
List of Figures
Figure 1: Key attributes of choral conductors...... 26
Figure 2: Australia Council funding 2005–2006...... 33
Figure 3: Socio-cultural contexts, including teaching...... 68
Figure 4: Number of choirs conducted by one conductor...... 98
Figure 5: Types of choirs...... 99
Figure 6: Focus choirs...... 100
Figure 7: State distribution of choirs...... 100
Figure 8: Number of singers in each group...... 101
Figure 9: Number of performances per year...... 102
Figure 10: Repertoire performed...... 103
Figure 11: Touring in 2006–2007...... 104
Figure 12: Touring 2008–2009...... 105
Figure 13: Full-time versus part time occupations...... 106
Figure 14: Conductor training...... 107
Figure 15: Formal training...... 108
AUSTRALIAN CHORAL CONDUCTORS xi
List of Tables
Table 1 Summary of the World Symposia on Choral Music ...... 10
Table 2 Total Australia Council Funding by Art Form 2010–2011 ...... 34
Table 3 Respondents’ Occupations ...... 106
Table 4 Conductor Payments ...... 109
Table 5 Comparison Summary of the 1998 and 2008 Surveys Respondents ...... 112
Table 6 Comparison Summary of the 1998 and 2008 Surveys Repertoire ...... 114
Table 7 Comparison Summary of the 1998 and 2008 Surveys choir breakdown ...... 115
Table 8 Comparison Summary of the 1998 and 2008 Surveys time invested per week ... 116
Table 9 Comparison Summary of the 1998 and 2008 Surveys Occupation and Salary .. 118
Table 10 Comparison Summary of the 1998 and 2008 Surveys Choral Training ...... 119
AUSTRALIAN CHORAL CONDUCTORS xii
Glossary of Terms
For the purpose of this dissertation only, the following definitions of terms have been used. Further definition and context of the terms is discussed within the following chapters.
Amateur an unpaid profession or position
Choir more than one singer per part
Choral music music specifically written for choirs
Choral practice totality of the conductor’s practices including philosophy
and overall outlook of choral music as an art form
Choral practices technical aspects of conducting including, gesture, tone,
line, and rehearsal strategies
Expert person with extensive knowledge and ability based on
research, experience and occupation in the field of choral
conducting
High quality a Western perspective aligning with the concept of high art
musical practice and aesthetics
Professional either person/ensemble paid for their services or
person/ensemble that is recognised within the community of
practice as having an extensive body of knowledge, high
quality and experience
SATB Soprano, Alto, Tenor, Bass refers to mixed voice choral
arrangement or choir
Repertoire session a workshop in which repertoire is discussed or sung AUSTRALIAN CHORAL CONDUCTORS xiii
List of Abbreviations
ABC Australian Broadcasting Corporation
ABS Australian Bureau of Statistics
ACA Australian Choral Association
ACCA Australian Choral Conductors Association
ACCET Australian Choral Conductors Education and Training
ACDA American Choral Directors Association
AMC Australian Music Centre
ANATS Australian National Association of Teachers of Singing
ANCA Australian National Choral Association
APRA Australasian Performing Right Association
BBC British Broadcasting Corporation
IFCM International Federation of Choral Music
IMC International Music Council
ISME International Society for Music Education
MCA Music Council of Australia
AUSTRALIAN CHORAL CONDUCTORS 1
Chapter 1: An Introduction
Introduction
Conducting is arguably the most challenging, critiqued, complex, visionary, and rewarding profession in music (Schuller, 1997). While several Australian choral conductors could be ranked amongst the best in the world, they receive little recognition within their own country. Many Australian conductors have worked overseas and in the process have gained international recognition; recognition that has not been mirrored within their home country. Some Australian conductors have left the country permanently in order to gain full-time employment in choral conducting positions within community choral organisations, universities and churches. The equivalent fulltime positions are rare in Australia. This lack of opportunity within Australia was investigated as one of the possible reasons for the apparent gap between the choral conducting experts’ choral practice and that of the non-expert conductors. The term ‘expert’ was investigated and the principals of what makes an expert applied to choral conductors. This research took choral practice to include not only the musical elements such as tone, line and technique, technical elements such as gesture and rehearsal strategies but also the conductors’ philosophy, approach and view of the choral art. If choral experts are undervalued within their own choral community, they are even less acknowledged within the Australian community at large—a society that does not generally value choral music (Morton, 1974).
This research study includes a five year longitudinal study from 2007 - 2011, prior to which an initial interview was conducted with Peter Leech, and a conversation during a workshop day with Heather Buchanan to investigate the need and significance of the study. The initial idea was to look at the choral conductors in Australia who were the leaders in their field and investigate how they achieved this status. The initial interviews
AUSTRALIAN CHORAL CONDUCTORS 2
included speaking with two Australians and enquiring as to why they chose to live and work overseas, Buchanan in the USA, and Leech in the UK. Both responded that this was more through necessity than choice, as positions within Australia were rare and one could not make a living as a full-time conductor.
Towards the end of the 1980s, and throughout the 1990s, Australia saw a resurgence of choral music that had not been seen since before 1960 (Bebbington, 1997).
This resurgence saw the establishment of national choral organisations, an increase in the number of choirs forming and an increase in the number of choral conductors. The case studies in this dissertation were all established conductors in the 1980s and appear as leaders in the resurgence of choral music and especially of Australian choral music. This research went on to investigate how these case studies became experts, their pathways, influences, passions and the key elements that they had in common. The longitudinal study also examined the extent to which these common elements were teachable. It also researched how the apparent shortage of expertise could be addressed.
Impetus for this Research
The impetus for this research was the survey which was undertaken in 1998 by
Australian National Choral Association (ANCA) as a part of its contribution to a joint project with the Music Council of Australia (MCA), and the Sydney A Cappella
Association (SAA). ANCA surveyed its membership, of which a proportion responded
(n= 351). The main purpose of the ANCA survey was to ‘gain data on the career structure for professional choral conductors’ (www.mca.org.au).
The survey results led to some diverse findings. These findings are discussed in
Chapter 7. An area of particular interest, and a significant part of the impetus for this AUSTRALIAN CHORAL CONDUCTORS 3
research, was the role of Australian repertoire: just over 37 per cent of conductors surveyed stated they included Australian compositions in their repertoire selection. When asked about work status, less than 2 per cent of respondents stated they were full-time conductors. In sum, the survey revealed that choral conducting was ‘not a rational career choice in Australia in 1998’ (www.mca.org.au). It also showed that there were few opportunities for a career in choral conducting, and that the financial rewards had not reached a professional level.
The 1998 ANCA survey was the starting point for a national comparison survey that was issued to all 2008 registered ANCA members and distributed to delegates at choral workshops and at the Australian Choral Conductors Education and Training
(ACCET) conference in January 2008. A significant number of responses was received
(n=651) and has been included as part of this research. Topics that were investigated included a comparison of the number of choirs registered as members, the choice of repertoire, conductor training, the location and size of the choir, rehearsal and performance schedules, conductors’ work status, and the number of commissioned works.
The survey also asked whether choirs had toured either nationally or internationally. A copy of this project’s survey can be found in Appendix 1. The results from this survey were analysed in direct comparison with the 1998 ANCA survey. The initial data has been collated into categories regarding the type of choir and their geographical location.
The results of this analysis have been tabulated (Chapters 6 and 7). More information on the type of data and analysis used is discussed in Chapter 5, the Methodology section of this dissertation.
AUSTRALIAN CHORAL CONDUCTORS 4
Summary
In summary, this dissertation is a report on the research study which; investigated the available literature relevant to choral conducting in Australia; compares the general nature of the current choral conducting community to that of the choral community of
1998 as discovered through a national survey; discusses initial interviews with Australian conductors in Australia and overseas; reports on in-depth interviews with several choral experts over a period of five years. The results give a snapshot of the choral practices in
Australia and highlight the attributes of an expert choral conductor. The dissertation reports on the research, which demonstrated that there was a gap in the knowledge, skills, and level of expertise of the non-expert conductors compared to those of the expert conductor. The research process and the results of the investigations are detailed in the following chapters of this dissertation.
AUSTRALIAN CHORAL CONDUCTORS 5
Chapter 2: Background
This chapter examines the background, rationale and context of the research study. The background demonstrated the foundations for the project and the rationale provides an argument for the significance of undertaking this research. This chapter then describes the research aims and questions that were investigated. Finally, the chapter describes the two main organisations that conducted the original survey drawn upon in this chapter as providing the impetus for this study.
Background to the Research
This research arose out of three defining moments in Australian choral music.
These were the 1996 World Symposium of Choral Music in Sydney, the 1998 National
Strategic Plan for Choral Development; and the 1998 ANCA survey research entitled ‘So you want to be a choral conductor?’ The report from this survey opened with the following quote:
So you want a career as a choral conductor? A life in society, with respect, adoration even, from your singers and the thousands who come to hear your performances; a life in performance, your most subtle physical gesture invoking a precise and instantaneous response from your choir of 150 crack singers; a life of the soul, immersed in and nourished by the great musical masterworks. Fine. We hope you don’t mind driving a taxi too (Music Forum, 1999, 4/4, p. 22).
This quote highlights choral practice in Australia in 1998 and as such has led, in part, to the topic of this study. The 1998 report stated that the level of training for conductors appeared to correlate with the level of opportunity for careers. Choral conducting was not a rational career choice in Australia according to the 1998 report: ‘The opportunities were miniscule and the financial rewards are risible’ (Letts, 1999, p. 23). Letts (1999) went on AUSTRALIAN CHORAL CONDUCTORS 6
to state, ‘given the richness and importance of the choral repertoire, the lack of Australian governmental support to choral music performance is extraordinary’ (p. 23).
One of the main premises of the National Strategic Plan for choral music is that
‘to see a development in our choral music it is crucial to ensure that there is a satisfactory career path available for choral conductors. Conductors not only set standards, they actually start and run choirs. Conductors are the main driving force behind choral music’
(Letts, 1999, p. 23).
The Research Rationale
Though the impact of singing and choral music is seen as important in the literature (Clift
& Hancock, 2010), it remains largely within the amateur realm in Australia. The lack of full-time professional choirs can impact on the understanding of what is required to be a choral conductor (see Glossary p. xiv for definitions of terms in italics). This may mean that the vital aspects of the relationship between the conductor's choral practice and the quality of the performance can be overlooked (Durrant, 2003). The conductor’s choral practice potentially contributes to the difference in the quality of the experience for both choir and audience. Choral practices concerns the specific techniques and strategies a conductor employs including elements such as gesture, tone, line, and rehearsal strategies.
Choral practice concerns the totality of what the conductor is including, the underpinning philosophy and the overall outlook of choral music as an art form. The research to date demonstrated that there is little literature on what it takes to be an expert choral conductor. There is also a paucity of research on what the choral practice of experts is and how it influences their ensembles. The idea of expert and expertise is discussed and defined in more detail in later chapters, (see Glossary p. xiv). In short, however, expertise AUSTRALIAN CHORAL CONDUCTORS 7
draws on the work of Ericsson (1994) which defines an expert is a person with much more knowledge and experience than others and who produce performances which are consistently superior.
Without a clear understanding of the ways in which a conductor’s background, training, knowledge, and levels of musicianship influence their philosophy, there is no consistent way of determining how their choral practice is shaped. The benefits of building knowledge in this area would include the potential to make informed decisions about the requirements to be an expert choral conductor who produces high quality performances. According to Reimer (1970), high quality refers to music that is ‘sensitive and skilful and imaginative’ (p. 48). Drawing on the work of Power and Klopper (2011) quality, according to Pearsall (1998), suggests something that has been achieved successfully. Kissick (1993) refers to the idea that ‘quality is first and foremost an idea, its criteria … susceptible to influences from within a given society’ (p. 2). With reference to arts education, Bamford (2012) defines quality as ‘those arts education provisions that are of recognised value and worth in terms of the skills, attitudes and performativity engendered’ (p. 20). Battisti (1997) agrees with Bamford and Reimer in stating that quality ‘= music that has a meaning’ (p. 5).
A clear understanding of the above mentioned practices, and ways in which they influence a conductor’s philosophy, may enable conductors to adapt their approach to training and education in choral practice. In turn, this may increase the capacity for conductors to develop their level of expertise, further enriching the choral experience and supporting greater opportunities for excellence.
Therefore, not addressing the current deficit in understanding of choral practice may result in a lack of recognition of expertise and undervaluing of choral conducting. AUSTRALIAN CHORAL CONDUCTORS 8
This may impede the growth of conducting professional development and the promotion and acknowledgement of expert choral practice in Australia.
The Research Aims
This research endeavoured to examine the extent to which choral conductors’ training and experience has affected their knowledge of the attributes required to be an expert conductor of choirs. This study included an exploration of the conductors’ training; their experience; their choice of repertoire for their ensembles, including when touring nationally and internationally; their attendance at repertoire sessions; and their professional development in terms of leadership.
In particular, this study examined the extent to which the experience, knowledge and training of a conductor is reflected in their choice of repertoire and the implications that this knowledge may have for the choral community generally. This research was principally concerned with the relationship between choral conductors’ training and their choral practice. To achieve these aims the following questions and sub questions were investigated:
What are the qualities and attributes of expert Australian choral
conductors?
o What is the identity of the Australian choral conductor?
o What is the pathway to becoming a choral conductor in Australia?
As a means of providing context for the research the following section discusses the two main associations that were the major partners involved in the 1998 National
Strategic Plan for Choral Development and its outcomes, and describes these associations and their philosophies. AUSTRALIAN CHORAL CONDUCTORS 9
As stated above, the 1998 MCA, ANCA and SSA joint National Strategic Plan for Choral Development was the second defining moment for this research. This Plan outlined recommendations for the choral sector in Australia, and was intended as a discussion paper, with comments being invited from all interested persons. The MCA stated in 1998 that no attempt had been made to propose strategies for its implementation.
At the time of writing this dissertation, it was unclear whether any attempts had been made to undertake implementation since then. As MCA Executive Director Richard Letts
(1998) stated:
The purpose of the plan is to formulate strategic objectives for the development of choral music in Australia: a heightened profile, a larger number of people involved, higher performance standards and the greatest possible diversity and originality; and feasible actions by which this development may be accomplished (National Strategic Plan for Choral Development, p. 2).
Letts (1998) also stated that the plan was designed to foster the development of all forms of choral activity. Letts points out that the discussions to date have agreed that all the objectives in this plan were of great importance, the pivotal issue was that of choral leadership. The plan was organised into three sections: 1) Summary of Objectives, 2)
Objectives Elaborated and 3) Objectives Explained and Discussed (National Strategic
Plan for Choral Development, pp. 2 - 3). The objectives moved across the spheres of choral activity, beginning with children and progressing through to the professional levels of performance and training. Three objectives influenced by the plan provided the foundation for the interviews and case studies throughout this research. These were:
1. To encourage Australian choral conductors to become the best possible conductor
they can be
2. To place expert Australian choral conductors in the spotlight, through an
understanding of what makes a choral conductor an expert AUSTRALIAN CHORAL CONDUCTORS 10
3. To establish a career structure within Australia for professional choral conductors
These statements gave a point of reference on the nature of the survey, interviews and
case studies within the current study. They also suggested a process for the research: that
was to discover if, after ten years, the Australian choral community had developed or
implemented the plan’s recommendations.
The third defining moment that contributed to an initial framework for this study
was the Fourth World Symposium on Choral Music, held in Sydney during August 1996.
This was the second largest such event in terms of registered participants and invited
lecturers, and the largest in terms of invited choirs since the first World Symposium on
Choral Music was held in Vienna in 1987. The statistics for 1987 – 2008 are shown in
Table 1 below.
Table 1 Summary of the World Symposia on Choral Music
No. Year Host City Number of Number of Number of Number of Number of countries or participants choirs lecturers exhibitors regions 1 1987 Vienna, Austria ≈15 400 18 Stockholm, Sweden 2 1990 Helsinki, Finland ≈15 400 15 Tallinn, Estonia 3 1993 Vancouver, Canada ≈25 900 22 4 1996 Sydney, Australia ≈25 1,625 35 60 23 5 1999 Rotterdam, Netherlands 58 912 27 55 50 Minneapolis/Saint Paul, 6 2002 67 1,612 20 33 81 USA 7 2005 Kyoto, Japan 49 2,427 31 31 22 8 2008 Copenhagen, Denmark 70 1,160 50 60 28
The 1996 Symposium was a landmark event in the history of choral music in Australia. It
was the first World Symposium held in the southern hemisphere, and the largest choral AUSTRALIAN CHORAL CONDUCTORS 11
conference in Australia to date. There were 1,625 registered delegates, and 35 choirs from
Australia and around the world performed in Sydney. One of the aims of the symposium stated in the delegate handbook was ‘to stimulate interest in choral music among the
Sydney and Australian public by presenting choral music at its very best, thus developing increased audiences Australia-wide’ (4th World Symposium on Choral Music 1996
Handbook, p. 2). This project, in part, examined the impact this event has had on the choral music community and whether its aims and objectives were fulfilled.
The UNESCO Prize for Promotion of the Arts category was given to one of the choirs that performed at the symposium. The awarding of this prize brought the world’s focus not only on the symposium in Sydney, but also Australia’s focus on choral music.
Created in 1991, this prize is awarded every two years to five winners in the fields of the performing and visual arts (painting, sculpture and graphics) to reward outstanding creative achievements and encourage their artistic development. Finland's Tapiola Choir was chosen from a group of 26 international amateur and professional choirs performing at the symposium. Tapiola won approximately US $20,000 and was presented with the prize during the symposium.
The two main organisations, as mentioned earlier, that have influenced this research in its initial stages are ANCA and MCA. The following is a brief description of the associations and the context in which this study focussed the national survey.
The Australian National Choral Association
The Australian National Choral Association Incorporated (ANCA) was incorporated in 1990 from the merger of two associations, the Australian Choral
Association (ACA) and the Australian Choral Conductors Association (ACCA). The AUSTRALIAN CHORAL CONDUCTORS 12
formation of ANCA took place at the ACCA National Conference in July 1989 and was seen as a significant moment in the development of the quality and the quantity of choral directors, choirs and choral literature. Over 65 individuals have filled more than 150 committee and council positions throughout the 20+ years of ANCA’s existence. ANCA is a non-profit organisation set up to encourage and promote choral music in Australia.
The objectives of the association have remained the same since its inception: to stimulate interest and participation in choral music and related activities, to link choral musicians throughout the country and to nurture the growth of all choral activities. It occasionally offers professional workshops for conductors, choir trainers, choristers and teachers in all areas of choral training. The original ANCA constitution also stated that it intended to create opportunities for members to work with both Australian and international conductors and choirs, and to network internationally for the benefit of its members
(Retrieved from www.anca.org.au).
The Music Council of Australia
The MCA website states that the purpose of the Music Council of Australia is to bring together all sections of the music community in order to advance a diverse and vibrant musical life throughout Australia. To achieve this, MCA, (independently and in partnership) gathers and provides information, conducts research, undertakes advocacy, ensures representation in relevant forums, and initiates and realises projects that advance musical life.
The MCA has a 50-member council and is a peak national music organisation for
Australia. Its members include nominees of major national music organisations and distinguished individuals who are expert in various aspects of music. The membership AUSTRALIAN CHORAL CONDUCTORS 13
structure is designed to ensure representation from a broad range of musical genres, the various levels of music education, and the diverse number of ways of documenting music and presenting it to audiences. The MCA is the official Australian representative to the
UNESCO International Music Council in Paris, the world’s peak music organisation, and its Executive Director is the immediate past President of the IMC. It is also a member of the International Network for Cultural Diversity, Ottawa, and the International Federation of Coalitions for Cultural Diversity. It categorises its activities as information services, research, advocacy and representation, and project management (Retrieved from www.mca.org.au).
Summary
This chapter addressed the background, rationale and research aims for the study.
It also identified the three main influences for the research. Two of the organisations which have made a significant impact on choral music within Australia, ANCA and MCA were introduced in this chapter. The influence of both these organisations and their part in the 1998 survey of choral conductors will be discussed further in the following chapters.
AUSTRALIAN CHORAL CONDUCTORS 14
Chapter 3: Literature Review
Key Elements
The key elements for this research were Australian choral music and conductors.
These elements were broken down further to research and define choral and what it means to be Australian. This chapter looks into the literature regarding choral music, conductors and the Australian identity as well as the history of choral conducting within
Australia.
Definitions
The clearest concept to define was that of choral music. The definition used for choral music in this research refers to music written for a choir. Bowers & Wigmore give the following definition for ‘choir’:
‘choir, chorus (Fr.: choeur; Ger.: Chor; It.: coro)’.
Both terms, choir and chorus, denote a body of singers performing as a group, normally, though not necessarily, in parts. The Oxford Companion to Music states:
The English language appears to be alone in perpetuating a useful distinction between choir and chorus. The latter is commonly used to denote larger groups of singers—especially amateur enthusiasts, but also professionals in the theatre and opera house. Choir is applied mostly to smaller bodies of singers—to ecclesiastical groups, and to small, expert groups are often composed of professionals and called chamber choirs (Retrieved from www.oxfordmusiconline.com).
When examining the word ‘choral’ etymologically, Fowler (1926) and Klein
(1971) both agreed with Weekley (1967). Weekley, quotes Medieval Latin choralis
‘belonging to a chorus or choir, from Latin chorus’ (p. 298). Etymologically the word chorus has been used for centuries. Weekley stated: AUSTRALIAN CHORAL CONDUCTORS 15
Chorus: from Greek. khoros ‘band of dancers or singers, dance, dancing ground’, from ghoro-. In Attic tragedy, the khoros gave expression, between the acts, to the moral and religious sentiments evoked by the actions of the play. Originally used in theatrical sense; meaning of ‘a choir’ first attested 1656. Meaning ‘the refrain of a song’ - which the audience joins in singing (p. 298).
After consideration of the etymology of each word, the definition of choral music for the purpose of this research was taken to be ‘music written for a choir or group of singers with more than one singer per part’.
Australian Identity
When investigating Australian music and conductors it was necessary to explore the notion of what it means to be Australian. This has been researched and debated by many with varying expressions of opinions, contexts and results. For this research the concept of being Australian was considered from two perspectives— as a person and as a cultural or arts identity. ‘National identity is not an epiphenomenon that is only of interest in its own right. It defines who [Australians] are, how they want to live, and how they want relate to others’ (McCrone, 1999 as cited in Craven, Purdie & Marder, 2004, p. 1).
The content of identity affects the types of action seen as legitimate or illegitimate, the types of policies and projects which are endorsed or rejected, and the types of goals that are pursued (Craven et al., 2004). The boundaries of identity affect who is accepted as part of the community and who is rejected as ‘other’ (Bond, McCrone & Brown, 2003).
The salience of identity will affect where one feels as home and where one is seen as foreign (Bond et al., 2003).
In relation to defining Australian musical identity Harrison (2005) stated ‘The first
Australians, the indigenous population, pre-dated European settlement by 40,000–60,000 years. Any discussion on Australian identity needs to begin with an acknowledgement of AUSTRALIAN CHORAL CONDUCTORS 16
indigenous Australians, their role as the first Australians and their impact on our identity’
(p. 113).
Australia became an immigrant nation upon European colonisation in 1788. This leads to a further question: who is Australian? The first convicts and settlers may not have considered themselves Australian, but rather as displaced Europeans. Those generations who were Australian by birth may have started to identify themselves with the country. In
2012, immigrants choose to become Australian citizens by taking the Australian
Citizenship Oath or Affirmation. This ceremony attempts to capture the essence of what it means to be Australian and reads as follows: ‘From this time forward [under God] I pledge my loyalty to Australia and its people, whose democratic beliefs I share, whose rights and liberties I respect and whose laws I will uphold and obey’. Costello’s (2006)
Address to the Sydney Institute acknowledged that Australia is still an immigrant nation, yet that this was the foundation of a modern Australia, he stated:
Australia is an immigrant nation. This is a defining characteristic of who we are. Outside Australia's indigenous people, we are all immigrants or descendants of immigrants, some earlier than others, but all with an experience of immigration during the foundation of modern Australia. Australia is part of the New World, the world of immigrants, not part of the Old World, the places they embark from (retrieved from http://www.petercostello.com.au/speeches/2006/2111).
Costello (2006) went on to say that to be an Australian citizen one pledges loyalty first: loyalty to Australia. One pledges to share certain beliefs democratic beliefs; to respect the rights and liberty of others and to respect the rule of law. Yet this did not really define the concept of being Australian, or what the Australian identity was.
The 2004 study completed by Craven and colleagues included phone interviews of
50 prominent Australians from a range of fields (e.g., academics, sports personalities, artists) seeking their responses to what they thought it meant to be an Australian. This study discovered that the category ‘personal attributes’ was the most dominant theme AUSTRALIAN CHORAL CONDUCTORS 17
identified. The participants in Craven’s study described Australians as being ‘relaxed’,
‘free spirits who are easy going’, and emphasised that Australians ‘do not take themselves seriously’ (Craven et al., 2004, p. 3). Other qualities that were important to the participants included ‘being open-minded, honest, decent, down-to-earth, friendly as well as having self-respect’ (Craven et al., 2004, p. 3).
Six per cent of Craven’s participants thought that ‘respect for Australia’s heritage’ was significant. Another observation was that none of the respondents considered economic, scientific or cultural endeavours to be important aspects of national identity
(Craven et al., 2004). This conforms to the evidence in other Australian identity research where the lack of reference to academic, cultural and intellectual quests by participants is also revealed (Feather, 1989).
In comparison with the research by Smith and Jarkko (1998, 2001) on national pride in the United States, it can be seen that in other countries contributions to economic, scientific or cultural pursuits have been identified as factors important to their identities.
If research in other countries has rated contributions to the arts as an important part of their cultural identities, an investigation into why Australia does not value these factors is warranted.
Australia was colonised during a period when music in England was ‘at a state of stagnation’ (Young, 1967, p. 281). Many of the people who were prepared to deny themselves British social and cultural ties and travel to the other side of the earth were the same people for whom these cultural traditions had the least proportional value. Post
European settlement, Australia was not founded upon the ideals of an artistic culture; it was initially a penal colony. As Pilger (1989) stated, ‘Unlike the first white Americans who imagined themselves on a mission from God, the first white Australians knew they were Godforsaken’ (p. 75). Thus Australia was not geared towards creating a national or AUSTRALIAN CHORAL CONDUCTORS 18
cultural identity: rather it was geared to merely surviving. The result according to Morton
(1974) ‘is cultural indifference!’ (p. 52).
By way of contrast, Schippers (2004) stated that there are three main levels to the cultural diversity challenge of identity in Australia. Firstly, he referred to the European immigrants who have been here for many generations. These were followed by immigrants from the Asia-Pacific region, who brought a completely different culture and set of values. The third level were Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders who have different cultural and musical elements with great political sensitivity (Schippers, 2004).
Craven et al. (2004) and Feather (1994) state that Australia in a cultural void, yet
Schippers (2004) found cultural diversity with multiple levels while Morton (1974) questioned whether the country has reached the stage of cultural indifference. However, according to The Arts Industry Council (Victoria) Inc.:
Australians learn about and explore what it means to be Australian through books, films, music, public art, and theatre. We know about Gallipoli through films, stories, and visual images. What we know is that our Indigenous culture is powerfully informed by art. The bush ethos was created through poetry, painting and written stories, and more recently by film. How we thrive as urban communities is informed by Australian images, personalities and stories in direct competition with popular culture and high arts from the USA, UK, Asia and elsewhere. In short, Australian identity is negotiated through our arts (retrieved from www.aicv.org.au).
This implies that identity is defined by culture, but an artistic work must contain
Australian imagines, stories or personalities, or what is commonly known as
Australianisms. As Harrison (2005) pointed out, this is evident in popular music such as
Sounds of Then (This is Australia), that used ‘patio’ and ‘lightning crack over cane fields’; True Blue (even the title was an Australianism) which used the expression ‘she’ll be right mate’ and Waltzing Matilda which refers to billabongs and swagmen (p. 115).
However, the implication of an Australian composition requiring images, stories or AUSTRALIAN CHORAL CONDUCTORS 19
Australianisms leaves out anything composed by an Australian that does not contain these identifying factors. This raises the question of how the identity may be defined within the arts. However, the research took on that before the issue of identity within the arts could be defined the issue of defining the arts was more problematic.
Schippers (2004) stated that the arts, and music in particular, are cyclical: ‘music travels, gets assimilated, and becomes a common frame of reference for the dominant culture, which may in turn be exposed to new outside influences’ (p. 272). This posed the question of whether a national identity of Australian culture, (culture as in the nature of society and culture as in the arts) could be separated. The nature of society and the arts is balanced, intertwined and reflective of each other and thus the definition of Australian identity and what is to be an Australian conductor can be defined without separating culture as in nature or the arts. With these factors in mind, it followed that Australian choral conductors, for the purpose of this research, must have fulfilled at least one of the following criteria:
They were born in Australia
They hold Australian residency or citizenship
Thus, a conductor who may be living overseas, yet who complies with one of the above criteria was still considered as an Australian conductor for the purposes of this research.
A Brief History of Choral Conducting
Research carried out over recent years has recognised that human beings have an innate need to make music, that music occurs in all societies around the globe and that a significant proportion of music-making involves the human voice in what is commonly referred to as singing (Blacking, 1987; Durrant & Himonides, 1998). The role of the AUSTRALIAN CHORAL CONDUCTORS 20
conductor in enabling meaningful and effective singing has been established relatively recently in terms of human history, though there is evidence that some form of time- beating existed in the Sistine Chapel in the fifteenth century, and earlier, in the music cultures of the ancient Sumerians c. 2270 BC, the Egyptians c. 1400 BC, the ancient
Greeks and early Christians (Schoenberg, 1967; Robinson & Winold, 1976). Nevertheless conducting is a young art, even though its earliest precedents may be traced back to Greek classical antiquity and the choregos of the festival tragedies.
Before the Christian era, huge choirs were assembled in Greece as annual music festivals were held. The leader of these musical organisations wore iron-soled shoes and stamped out the rhythms on a podium-like box. This was, as well as can be ascertained, the oldest form of conducting (Holsinger, 1954).
The art of modern conducting is not as simple, nor as old, as that of the Greek choregos. The modern conductor is essentially a product of and a carryover from late nineteenth-century Romanticism where the penchant for large forces necessitated the emergence of a leader distinct from the general body of instrumentalists or singers
(Molina, 1978). With the arrival of large-scale oratorios and other genres, conductors became interpreters of music rather than merely time-beaters. Durrant (2005) stated that the measure of the effectiveness of conductors has been subject to debate and interest over many years; some writers even suggesting that there might be a ‘myth’ about conductors. Lebrecht (1991) sought to analyse and diffuse the notion of the ‘great’ conductor, whilst some research studies have shown the negative impacts that conductors can have on singers and instrumentalists (Durrant, 1996).
Books on choral conducting appeared as early as 1837 with a volume by François
Joseph Fétis entitled ‘A Treatise on Choir and Choir Singing’. Other books on choral conducting appeared in the early part of the twentieth century. Arthur Mees wrote ‘Choirs AUSTRALIAN CHORAL CONDUCTORS 21
and Choral Music’ in 1901; in 1914 Henry Coward produced ‘Choral Technique and
Interpretation’; in 1932 Noble Cain published ‘Choral Music and its Practice’ while
Father William Joseph Finn contributed ‘An Epitome of Some Principals of Choral
Technique’ (1935) and ‘The Art of the Choral Conductor’ (1939). Virtuosity in choral conducting has not been adorned with the same aura of glamour that has surrounded the great orchestral conductors (Molina, 1978).
A Brief History of Australian Choral Conducting and Choirs
Choral music has held an important position in Australia’s musical development
(Bebbington, 1997). As a middle-class pursuit, early last century the literature states choral singing was seen as respectable and desirable pastime. In the past, few singers in
Australia made a living from choral work, and this remains so to this day. This is seen from the choral ensembles such as the Radio choirs, however the individual singers were not mentioned in the literature. Choral singing was therefore largely an amateur, unpaid pursuit. This included church choirs, with cathedral choirs following the European traditions, community singing, school and children’s choirs, university choirs and choral societies. Bebbington (1997) stated that the great era of the community choral society in
Australia was perhaps the 25 years on either side of the year 1900, but there is a continuous and frequently vigorous lineage traceable from the earliest years of settlement to the present.
Choral societies were established in most states with performances recorded as early as 1835 in Sydney, by the choir of St Mary’s Cathedral. The Choral Society of St
Mary’s flourished until about 1870. There was also a Philharmonic Society formed as early as 1836, and a Sydney Choral Society was active in 1870s. The (Royal) AUSTRALIAN CHORAL CONDUCTORS 22
Philharmonic Society of Sydney was established in 1886. Its conductors included Roberto
Hazon (Italian), and Howard Carr (British) (Bebbington, 1997). Melbourne choral societies included the Royal Melbourne Philharmonic Society (1853), which became the principal concert-giving body in the Commonwealth with a history of continuous performances, and also the Melbourne Chorale and the Victorian Chorale. John Russell
(British) was one of the first conductors in Melbourne and Bernard Heinze became the conductor when the Royal Philharmonic Society was reorganised under the auspice of the
Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC).
A number of choral societies formed in Adelaide, with the Adelaide Choral
Society under the direction of Carl Linger (German) and the Adelaide Philharmonic
Choir, formed in 1937 as the ABC’s concert choir with its conductors including John
Dempster (British). In Queensland, Toowoomba’s early choral activity was prolific, with ten groups established between 1875 and 1920. The Toowoomba Choral Society was still active at the time of writing. Richard Jefferies (British) was one of the first conductors of the Brisbane Harmonic Society in 1872. George Sampson (also British) took over from
Jefferies in 1898. The Blackstone-Ipswich Cambrian Choir was formed in 1886 and is another that is still currently active. Until 1947 it was conducted by Leonard Francis
(British) (Bebbington, 1997).
Regardless of the home state, the mainstay of these choral societies’ repertoires was two works, Elijah and Messiah. In the account of its centenary history, the
Melbourne Philharmonic noted a total of 134 performances of Messiah and 66 of Elijah.
This was influenced by audience demand for this repertoire and the numbers that would attend performances of these standard works. The mid-1930s was a difficult period for
Australian choral societies due to the financial challenges of the Depression. Societies competed for the audiences and broadcasts to cover their costs. During the 1930s saw AUSTRALIAN CHORAL CONDUCTORS 23
many events that changed live performances including ,‘the advent of radio in 1932 caused the suspension of 1933 concert performances for many months, and the introduction of television in the 1950s saw a further decline in support for most choral societies’ (Bebbington, 1997, p. 111). The Melbourne Philharmonic Society’s Annual
Report of 1936 described the preceding year as being a very difficult one for choral societies. Several societies had survived numerous financial crises.
Despite the decline in performances by Australian choral societies, visiting choirs still attracted great audiences. Touring choirs included the Vienna Boys’ choir in 1935 and the Vienna Mozart Boys’ Choir in 1939 as well as the Sistine Choir, and the Royal
Welsh Choir. These ensembles all influenced the growth in the Australian choral scene
(Bebbington, 1997). However, as previously mentioned one of the biggest influences on the Australian choral scene was the aforementioned 4th World Symposium on Choral
Music, where 35 choirs and 39 concerts made this the largest such gathering in the southern hemisphere.
The history of conductors and conducting in Australia is related to that of
Australian opera companies, choral societies and predominately symphony orchestras.
Almost all of the conductors of Australian orchestras have been short-term visitors from
Europe, who often have two or three simultaneous appointments and devote a good part of the year to guest-conducting (Bebbington, 1997). Distinguished conductors have visited Australia from colonial times, beginning with Sir Fredrick Cowen (British), Sir
Hamilton Harty (British) and Eugene Ormandy (Hungarian) during World War II.
Australian-born Bernard Heinze was the first recorded prominent Australian conductor
(Bebbington, 1997). This research did not investigate orchestral and opera conductors other than to note that those who were foreign-born were initially the most prominent as these are outside the focus on choral ensembles and choral conductors. The volume by AUSTRALIAN CHORAL CONDUCTORS 24
Glennon (1968), entitled ‘Australian Music and Musicians’ provided a chapter of biographies of conductors in Australia, which describes sixteen conductors. It is worth noting that in 1967, more than half of them were not Australians.
The picture presented by the historical prevalence of international visitors, non- resident foreign-born conductors, leaders and Directors of Music, suggests the beginnings of the automatic deferral to overseas experts. Australian society appears to have been brought up on a culture of looking overseas for expertise. Robin Archer describes the
Australian culture as a ‘mongrel culture’; a bit of everything that will continue to adapt and grow and ‘will survive no matter what’ (ABC FM interview 24/3/2012). Later in this dissertation the research data on the tendency to continue to defer overseas will be discussed.
Attributes of Choral Conducting
As part of the literature review the attributes of choral conducting was investigated and the following reports on the fundamental attributes required by conductors. In 1994 Durrant stated that in ‘addition to an array of conducting methodology texts, a number of research studies have been reported on aspects of conductor effectiveness, communication skills and other conductor-related issues’ (p. 57).
‘These have essentially taken place in the USA, where music education programmes are often largely concerned with the ‘training’ of conductors for school and church choirs, bands and professional groups. This literature has tended to focus on conductor communication and the application of musical and psychomotor gesture skills in the rehearsal situation’ (Durrant, 1994, p. 58). There has been little research on the preparation of choral conductors. What exists comes primarily from the USA (Fuelberth, AUSTRALIAN CHORAL CONDUCTORS 25
2004; Billingham, 2008), where the preparation of choral conductors is believed to be more systematic and structured than in the UK (Durrant & Varvarigou, 2008; Ruocco,
2008). Some studies have identified the necessary attributes of an effective choral conductor educator (Gumm, 1993, 2004, 2007; Durrant, 2003). The extant literature on choral conducting mainly focuses on technical issues such as a conductors’ gestural vocabulary (Cofer, 1998; Leman, 2000), on suggested warm-up exercises (Jordan, 2005), on repertoire selection (Stufft, 1998; Persellin, 2000) and on rehearsal pacing and planning techniques (Brunner, 1996; Munson, 1998; Zielinski, 2005).
Taking into account research on the benefits of choral singing for both adults and children (Clift & Hancox, 2001, 2010) and participation (Kennedy, 2002; Chorus
America, 2003, 2009; Durrant, 2005):
it might have been assumed that people who lead and organise choral singing activities in schools and communities have opportunities to receive tuition in choral conducting, as would be the case with those who lead orchestral groups. Such training would develop their skills, understanding and awareness of their role and responsibilities as conductors (Varvarigou & Durrant, 2011 p. 326).
Varvarigou & Durrant (2011) also noted that the limited number of research studies on choral conducting education in the UK suggested quite the opposite; ‘that choral conducting education is not widespread and an area still to be explored and developed’ (p.
326).
To develop an understanding of the issues concerned with the fundamentals of the conductor’s position and responsibility, including knowledge and awareness of the role, the question ‘Why am I a conductor?’ needs to be examined before embarking on a discussion of the difference between novice and expert conductors. Figure 1 shows the elements of the key attributes of choral conductors (Durrant, 2003, pp. 100–102). AUSTRALIAN CHORAL CONDUCTORS 26
Philosophical principles underpinning role
Musical- technical skills
Interpersonal skills
Figure 1: Key attributes of choral conductors.
Source: Durrant (2003).
These elements are taken from Durrant’s research findings published in 1994,
2003 and 2005, in which he has developed models of the attributes of choral conductors.
These attributes have been expanded by Durrant (2003), most recently as discussed in
Varvarigou & Durrant (2011). To break this down further, Durrant (italics quoted from
Durrant, 2003, p. 101) describes the attributes in more detail:
Philosophical principles underpinning the conductor’s role
•A knowledge of the choral repertoire—to be able to choose music that is appropriate for the particular choral group discerningly, in respect of age, abilities, composition and vocal needs, from a wide range of eras and styles and which develops and expands the choral musician. AUSTRALIAN CHORAL CONDUCTORS 27
•A knowledge of the human voice—to be able to deal with a range of vocal issues and problems in an informed way in the rehearsal situation, including aspects of vocal production, healthy voice use, the psychology, physiology and workings of the voice to promote better and effective singing.
•An image of the music prior to rehearsal—to have clear technical and expressive ideas for presenting music to singers in rehearsal.
•An awareness of the aesthetic potential of the music—to be aware of the composer’s intentions in this respect, the import of the text and the capacity to enable appropriate responses in the singers and the audience to emerge.
•An understanding of the nature of the conductor’s role—to take responsibility for the singers collectively and individually, and to act as a facilitator and promoter of appropriate musical learning.
Musical technical skills
These involve the manifestation of a wide range of musical behaviours and musicianship.
•Appropriate aural and error detection skills—to be able to hear what is occurring, including inaccuracies in the singing, such as incorrect entries, pitches, rhythms; to identify inaccuracies in language, diction, vowel shapes, textural nuances, endings of phrases, intonation, blend, balance within and between parts, and to be able to deal with these.
•The ability to give clear intentions of tempo, dynamics, phrasing through appropriate gesture—including clear preparatory beats and cut-offs, as well as conducting gestures that indicate suitable expressive and stylistic considerations; also an ability to achieve rhythmic energy, agility and spontaneity within the musical structure. AUSTRALIAN CHORAL CONDUCTORS 28
•The ability to demonstrate accurately and musically—which will involve singing and/or playing at correct pitches, rhythms, also tonal quality, intonation for the singers to hear and emulate; and might also include demonstrating how not to do something.
•Recognition of the importance of warming up voices—of knowing and delivering strategies appropriate for the group, the validity of physical and vocal exercises in relation to physical and vocal preparation for effective singing, rehearsing and vocal health.
•Strategies for establishing the character of the music at the earliest opportunity—in order not to put undue emphasis on technical considerations at the expense of expressive and stylistic ones.
Interpersonal skills
These are essentially to the modes of communication used by conductors, including the fostering of motivation and the creation of an appropriate environment for singers.
•The capacity to create a positive non-threatening environment—with a balance of encouragement, praise and adjustment, with realistic, attainable goals and positive feedback in a ‘safe’ atmosphere.
•The capacity to communicate clearly and unambiguously—with effective use of verbal, gestural, facial and body language.
•The desire to encourage healthy singing—an avoidance of situations with language
(including the use of the conductor’s own voice) and gestures that will induce tension, in order to maintain an emphasis on relaxation.
•The capacity to enable choral and vocal development—the skill to assist with voice and choral blend, allowing individual vocal exploration, and the careful use of extrovert behaviour to motivate singers. AUSTRALIAN CHORAL CONDUCTORS 29
•The ability to make singers feel confident and comfortable—with reassuring language, allowing mistakes, using human-compatible communication and a judicious use of humour.
•The skill to pace rehearsals effectively—which will include using verbal language sparingly by encouraging response to visual cues by various means, to get on with the music and avoid concentrating on one part while others become bored or unmotivated.
•The expectation of the highest standards possible—by renewing expectations, setting appropriate goals for the group, particularly the development of musical and textural communication of the singers, and giving qualitative feedback to the choir.
One of the key attributes not mentioned by Durrant (2005) is musical intelligence.
The importance of musical intelligence, described as the feeling of musical pitches, sound rhythm and tempo as well as being emotionally affected by such musical components
(Gardner, 2003) is considered by many as an essential requirement in order for a conductor to develop to an expert level. Musical intelligence has the potential to be the clearest element that distinguished an expert choral conductor from a non-expert. The notion of expertise will be dealt with in the next chapter. The attributes mentioned above by Durrant (2005) are largely teachable, yet musical intelligence as a teachable skill remains under investigation (Gardner, 2003).
Whether many conductors hold these attributes and principles was considered an important investigation for this research. The next step in the research was to take this investigation into the differences between the categories of conductors and thus research the notion of expertise.
AUSTRALIAN CHORAL CONDUCTORS 30
Commissions and Funding
Within Australia, commissions and grant funding is the primary way for choral music to be written, published and given profile public performances. This warranted investigation within the literature listing funding for choral music in Australia. As Young
(1967) stated, ‘The lack of a strong choral tradition severely retards the development of skilled choral directors, the development of competent choirs and the general acceptance of choral music by the public’ (p. 283). This statement was made in the 1960’s and it leads to the question of whether it is still appropriate in 2012. Stevens (1998, p. 13) also noted, ‘Australian choral music may have a history but not a tradition. It is only in the last
20 years that this imbalance has begun to be addressed, and the renaissance that the genre is currently experiencing has been underway.’ Thirty years after Young made his statement, Stevens (1998) noted in his assessment of the choral industry that:
Choral music in Australia has never been stronger. Not only are there a number of composers the bulk of whose work is in the choral arena, but also there are a greater number of choirs the world over commissioning, performing and recording new Australian choral music (p. 15).
This 1998 statement suggested further research was necessary into current commissions, choral organisations and individual funding, the performers of these works, and the attitudes of choral conductors in their choice of music. This literature research revealed that over the past ten years the promotion and presentation of Australian choral music has not progressed in step with the potential that Stevens (1998) identified. For information on current funding and commissioning, the researcher was directed towards the Australia
Council for the Arts. AUSTRALIAN CHORAL CONDUCTORS 31
The Australia Council, which was established under the Australia Council Act of
1975, is the Australian Government’s major arts funding and advisory body. It provides national leadership in developing the arts and offers national programmes of assistance.
Its website states that their mission is to ‘enrich the lives of Australians and their communities by supporting the creation and enjoyment of the arts’ (Australia Council Act
1975, Section 5, cited in Australia Council for the Arts, 2007). While the Council’s particular commitment is to cultivate new and unique Australian art, it also works to encourage more Australians to become involved in the arts and develop awareness of
Australia's cultural achievements, both at home and abroad. As stated in the Act, the functions of the Council are; ‘to promote excellence in the arts; to foster the expression of a national identity by means of the arts; to promote the knowledge and appreciation of
Australian arts by persons in other countries’ (Australia Council Act 1975, Section 5, cited in Australia Council for the Arts, 2007).
The published overview of the 2005–2006 financial report of the Australia
Council showed that sparse funding was going towards choral organisations, choral training or development, and the development of new choral works. In 2005–2006, the financial size of the arts and cultural sector was $12.8 billion, and the number of people employed in these sectors was 300,000. There had been an increase of 13 per cent in employment in artistic and cultural occupations since 2000. This was a statistic of interest to this research for comparison with the research survey and will be discussed later in chapter seven.
There were 4,110 new artistic works created with Australia Council support in
2008, of which only two were known to be choral works. While acknowledging that some funding had been granted to institutions such as universities for commissioning new works the Australia Council did not state whether these were choral, orchestral or other AUSTRALIAN CHORAL CONDUCTORS 32
and therefore it can not be reported as choral works. The Australia Council showed it had invested more than $71.9 million in Australian music through its Music Board, Major
Performing Arts Board, Inter-Arts Office and Community Partnerships and Market
Development Division in 2005–2006.
Of the $71.9 million that was granted to music, only $199,858 (0.3 per cent) went to choral music for commissioning new works, presentation and promotion, recordings, skills and arts development and training, fellowships, partnerships, key organisations or other categories. Three choral organisations received Key Organisation grants totalling less than $96,550 (0.1 per cent). Gondwana Voices, widely recognised as one of the world’s leading children’s choirs, took centre stage during the opening and closing ceremonies of the Melbourne 2006 Commonwealth Games. They performed a new composition by Paul Stanhope for the ‘Boy on the Bay’ sequence of the opening ceremony. An estimated global television audience of more than one billion people saw the choir’s performance. The Australia Council has made Gondwana Voices a key organisation of the Music Board, with a grant of $50,000, as well as the Melbourne
Chorale Inc. with $46,035 granted. Figure 2 shows the Australia Council combined
Boards’ total expenditure for music.
AUSTRALIAN CHORAL CONDUCTORS 33
Millions 60
50 Major Performing Arts Board
40
Music Board 30
20 Combined Boards
10
0 Orchestral Opera Choral Other
Figure 2: Australia Council funding 2005–2006.
The Australia Council invested over $163.8 million in artists and arts organisations across the country in 2010–2011, compared to $164.5 million in the previous financial year. We can see in Table 2 that the $163.8 million total investment included
$51.3 million for the nation’s orchestras,
$21.1 million for opera,
$12.3 million for other music artists and organisations,
$16.9 million for visual artists and organisations,
$24.6 million for theatre companies and artists,
$16.1 million for dance artists and companies, AUSTRALIAN CHORAL CONDUCTORS 34
$6.6 million for writers, publishers and literary organisations,
$10.6 million for multi-artform artists and organisations and
$4.1 million in miscellaneous funding, including sector building and
audience development initiatives and programs.
Choral music does not receive specific mention as an Art form in the Australia
Council funding by art form in Table 2 below.
Table 2 Total Australia Council Funding by Art Form 2010–2011
Art form Funding ($ millions)
Orchestras 51.3
Opera 21.1
Other music 12.3
Visual arts 16.9
Theatre 24.6
Dance 16.1
Literature 6.6
Cross-art form 10.6
Miscellaneous 4.1
Choral music and choral associations fall under the ‘other’ category. Of the ‘Other
Music’ art forms funded by the Australia Council, the following were listed as Key
Organisations (listed alphabetically) receiving funding:
The Australian Art Orchestra Ltd
The Australian Festival of Chamber Music North Queensland
The Australian Music Centre Ltd AUSTRALIAN CHORAL CONDUCTORS 35
The Australian Music Industry Network
The Australian String Quartet Inc.
The Canberra Symphony Orchestra Inc.
The Darwin Symphony Orchestra Inc.
Gondwana Choirs
The Melbourne Chamber Orchestra
MCA Pty Ltd
Sydney Philharmonia Ltd
Synergy and TaikOz Ltd
The Song Company Pty Ltd
Topology Inc.
Wangaratta Festival of Jazz Inc.
West Australian Youth Jazz Orchestra Association
There are only two choral organisation listed by the Australia Council as receiving organisation funding in 2010. The following is the Australia Council’s descriptions of the two choral organisations and the amount of funding received:
Gondwana Choirs Ltd; year 2 of triennial program funding (2010–2012) $123,000: Gondwana Choirs is a choral music and organisation for young people, incorporating the internationally acclaimed Sydney Children's Choir, Gondwana Voices, three other national choirs plus a newly formed Gondwana National Indigenous Children's Choir and a strong commissioning and conductor training program (www.ozco.gov.au). Sydney Philharmonia Ltd; year 3 of triennial program funding (2009–2011) $102,500: Sydney Philharmonia Choirs is Australia’s largest choral organisation with four choirs: the 32-voice Chamber Singers, the 100-voice Symphony Chorus, the youth-focussed 25-voice Vox and the 300-voice Festival Chorus. Sydney Philharmonia presents its own annual concert series in the Sydney Opera House and City Recital Hall Angel Place, as well as acting as chorus for the Sydney Symphony Orchestra (www.ozco.gov.au).
AUSTRALIAN CHORAL CONDUCTORS 36
This literature review showed that of the reported $12.3 million for ‘other music’ only
$225,500 went to choral music organisations. The dearth in funding from the major
Government funding body in the choral sector of music is therefore apparent. The effects of this were investigated in this research project.
Implications and Limitations in the literature
Investigations into choral music in Australia
Theses and Dissertations
Research into Australian choral music is particularly sparse. In the last ten years there have been two research theses in this field, Shearer-Dirié (2003) and Stephens
(2004), both of which showed that there is clearly a need for investigation into this field.
This paucity of such research theses contributed to the decision of starting this doctoral study.
In literature Carey (2006) mourns the fact that ‘we (Australian writers) aren’t really talking much about what we are creating’ (pp. 3-6). This statement was investigated to see if this is equally true of Australian choral music. The current project investigated the literature that discusses Australian choral music, looking particularly at repertoire, commissions and other musical and non-musical issues raised. The literature researched fell into three categories: papers and theses arising from university research higher degree programs; reports arising from other forms of study or research, such as the
Winston Churchill Memorial Trust of Australia; and articles included in national music journals, print and television media. By reviewing literature from the conductor’s perspective, the research gained new insight into how existing literature could be used, and what further research needs to take place. AUSTRALIAN CHORAL CONDUCTORS 37
Upon investigation there were very few other dissertations or theses on the topic of investigation for this research. The two most relevant of the research dissertations that have been completed are: Shearer-Dirié (2003), a doctoral dissertation entitled ‘Emerging voices in Australian choral music: selected choral works of Sculthorpe, Boyd, Edwards,
Hopkins, Maclean, Leek, Stanhope, Grandage, Orlovich, and Atherton’; and Stephens
(2004), a Master of Music paper entitled ‘Education for an Australian choral tradition: evaluating the philosophies of Stephen Leek’. Shearer-Dirié’s dissertation looks at composers and compositions rather than conductors. Stephens’s Masters thesis looks at one composer/conductor in Stephen Leek. In addition to the choral studies other research such as Bartleet’s 2004 doctoral dissertation ‘Gendering the Podium; the journey of professional women conductors’ was reviewed as well. Bartleet’s dissertation deals with specifically instrumental conductors, and only contains two Australian conductors out of more than 30 interviewed. Of these two conductors only one is currently working within her own country. Therefore the lack of current research into Australian choral conductors is clear and strongly demonstrated the need for this study.
Reports
The Winston Churchill Memorial Trust of Australia was another area of research for choral music and has granted nine fellowships for the study of choral music or closely related topics. Five of these reports have been provided since 2001 and are available electronically. They include:
Allen (2002) Conducting techniques and education methodologies used in
choirs—Hungary, USA, UK.
Barman (2005) Choral programmes and traditions established in prominent
Cathedral Schools—UK. AUSTRALIAN CHORAL CONDUCTORS 38
Milliken (2001) To enhance skills in choral methodology and organisational
management as they apply to community choirs for youth and women—USA,
Canada, UK, Sweden, Finland.
Morton (2003) To interact with superior choral directors in order to incorporate
better models of leadership, particularly the training of leaders, in choral
organisations within the Australian community—USA, Canada.
Williams (2004) To study elements of successful composer/child collaborations as
evidenced by the work of specific composers in order to ascertain those ideas,
which could be applied in Australia—Finland, USA, Canada.
These reports were utilised as a point of reference for the case studies and interviews of this research.
Articles
The third section of the literature review is in the area of articles published or reported in media which discuss or comment on the choral music sector. The MCA’s
Music Forum is an important source of national information on Australian and non-
Australian music. Music Forum is a non-refereed publication with articles written by academics and invited writers in a field of particular interest to the editors or readers.
Since 1996 approximately 15 articles on choral music topics have been published in the
MCA’s Music Forum and these include the previously mentioned ‘National Strategic
Plan for Choral Development’ and ANCA’s survey report ‘So you want to be a choral conductor’. These articles and others have also generated eight letters to the editor expressing opinions and commenting on the choral music sector. Two interviews of choral conductors have been printed in Music Forum and both of these have been since
2004. This dearth of articles written for or about choral music supports the statement in AUSTRALIAN CHORAL CONDUCTORS 39
the opening paragraph of this section made by Carey (2006) regarding not talking about what we are creating.
Further sources in Australian national journals and magazines included The
Australian Music Centre’s Sounds Australian, as it is a source of Australian music;
ABC’s Limelight/24 hours for a focus on recordings and broadcasting perspective; The
Canon, due to the background information and history it provides, and Sing Out, a choral music publication in the form of a magazine for the members of ANCA. International journals provided comparative perspectives, including the American Choral Directors
Journal, The Choral Journal, and the British Broadcasting Corporation’s Music
Magazine.
Scores
The Australian Music Centre (AMC) is one of the few sources of catalogued
Australian choral compositions. There are in excess of 160 pages listing choral compositions by voice arrangement. Even though this is a diverse range of compositions, it only lists those composers who are ‘represented’ by the AMC, and therefore composers who have not applied to be represented by the AMC do not appear in this catalogue. This research continued to seek out choral compositions not catalogued by the AMC through other avenues, including retail catalogues of publishers such as Hal Leonard, listings of commissions, grants, and also anecdotal information from conductors and composers.
From the literature review the following questions arose:
To what extent did the training, knowledge and experience influence one’s ability
to be a choral conductor?
What importance did the choral conductor put on repertoire choice for his or her
ensemble? AUSTRALIAN CHORAL CONDUCTORS 40
Do Australian choirs tour overseas with a repertoire that includes Australian
compositions?
What recommendations do prominent expert conductors have for the next ten
years?
These questions contributed to the purpose of this study, which was to determine how a conductor’s training and experience affects the expertise of Australian choral conductors and hence current choral practice. The investigation of the research questions also investigated the training Australian choral conductors currently hold, assess the state of commissioning of choral works in Australia, and also assisted in determining what developments the choral community has made in the past ten years.
Summary
As the literature reviewed in this chapter has shown, there was a significant need for research into Australian choral conductors. With the key elements defined and the history of conducting, in general and specifically within Australia investigated, this chapter has described the foundation for this research study into choral conducting expertise. The definition of ‘expertise’ and the different perceptions of choral conducting were also provided to allow these to be applied to the Australian choral conductors in the next chapter where expertise will be looked at further in detail. Finally, the allocation of funding to music programmes in Australia and the scarcity of funding granted to choral music was investigated. This illustrated a percieved need for more funding to be granted specifically to choral music associations, commissions and events.
AUSTRALIAN CHORAL CONDUCTORS 41
Chapter 4: Expertise
It is doubtful that, given an opportunity to define the properties of good conductor, one single definition would emerge. It is likely that agreement would more easily be reached on defining a good pianist, violinist or guitar player (Durrant, 2009, p. 327).
As mentioned in chapter one, the area of expertise is an essential area of investigation for this research. In order to investigate the current practice of Australian choral experts the research first needs to look at the definition and factors that make one an expert. Existing studies (Ericsson et al., 1999; Gardner, 1983; Simon & Chase, 1973) have illustrated that in order to be called ‘experts’, one needs to possess several attributes.
Theories of expertise have influenced the suggested framework for choral conducting training and challenge the common perception that in order to be effective choral conductors must be charismatic (Lebrecht, 1991).
Expertise and Leadership
There appears to be a distinct difference in the literature between expertise and leadership. This section will report on the differences and levels of both leadership and expertise and how they can be applied to choral conductors. As many conductors are called leaders of the choir there is a distinct difference between leading a choir and being an expert choral conductor. Not all leaders are experts and not all experts are leaders.
Therefore it is pertinent at this point in the dissertation to look at expertise and leadership and its many forms.
AUSTRALIAN CHORAL CONDUCTORS 42
Expertise
The study of expert performers in music has provided improved insights into the mechanisms for optimal sustained improvement and maintaining performance. Recent analyses of many sports show that deliberate practice is much less rigorous and extensive than that observed for training for elite musicians (Ericsson, 2003).
The study of expertise covers remarkably diverse domains, such as sports, chess, music, medicine, and the arts and sciences, and examines the entire range of mastery from beginners to world-class performers. The theoretical assumption that unites these diverse empirical phenomena into an integrated field claims that very high levels of achievement in virtually all domains are mediated by mechanisms acquired during an extended period of training and development (Ericsson, 2005, p. 104).
Ericsson (2005) also stated that these studies have clarified the need for pre-requisite cognitive skills and knowledge requirements for effective learning and deliberate practice at all levels of expertise.
Ericsson’s 1991 research showed that in all contemporary domains of expertise, procedures had evolved for identifying contributions and achievements that were not previously known to experts in that domain. These procedures served several functions, namely to recognise outstanding individuals within the domain, as well as providing methods for organising existing knowledge and accumulating new knowledge, new products, and new training methods, with the goal of more effectively training and educating beginners and students in the domain. Consequently, the highest level of creative achievement today is virtually without exception associated with a particular domain of organised activity and expertise (Ericsson & Smith, 1991).
Recent reviews (Ericsson et al., 1999; Gardner, 1983; Simon & Chase, 1973) showed that individuals who have made outstanding contributions to a particular domain of expertise differ not only from random persons in their culture but also from other AUSTRALIAN CHORAL CONDUCTORS 43
typical members of their realm. In order to attain an international level of achievement, there is extensive evidence that around 25,000 hours of active involvement appear to be necessary before anyone, even the most talented, are able to reach an international level of achievement. Furthermore, exceptional human accomplishments generally mirror a balance between capability and talent (nature) and training and experience (nurture)
(Ericsson et al., 1996).
One view, typically associated with Galton’s work (1979), holds that individual differences reflect innate basic capacities that cannot be modified by training and practice. The second and more recent view, typically associated with de Groot (1978) and with Chase and Simon (1973), is that experts’ knowledge and task-specific reactions must have been acquired through experience. These two views define mutually exclusive domains corresponding roughly to the popular distinction between hardware and software in computer-based metaphors for human information processing (Ericsson, 1996).
Several recent reviews have found a consistent relationship between the level of performance attained and the amount and quality of deliberate practice in a large number of domains such as chess, sports, and music (Ericsson & Lehmann, 1996). One of the marks of expert performers was that they could display their superior performance reliably upon demand. To achieve this control, expert performers needed to master all relevant factors. Hence, expert performers should be able to reproduce their superior performance on representative tasks presented under controlled laboratory conditions, and their performance can therefore be subject to scientific analysis (Ericsson & Lehmann,
1996). The demands of a situation not previously experienced by an expert can be managed by an expert more extensively than by a non-expert. As noted by Ericsson and
Kintsch (1995): AUSTRALIAN CHORAL CONDUCTORS 44
Superior expert performers in domains such as music, chess, and medicine can generate better actions than their less skilled peers even in situations they have never directly experienced. Expert performers have acquired refined mental representations that maintain access to relevant information about the situation and support more extensive, flexible reasoning to determine the appropriate actions demanded by the situations they encounter (p. 332).
Leadership
According to De Pree (2001) ‘Top leaders in all organisations want desperately to encourage creative, innovative persons’ (p. 13). The word leadership did not occur in the
English language until around the year 1800, and it took over one hundred years before it became a research topic (Gordon, 2001). Since then there has been an extensive amount of literature written related to leadership research in various fields. Much of the leadership canon has attended to behavioural aspects of leading: the leader creates and imparts a ‘vision’ (Bryman, 1992; Drath, 2001) or motivates and directs followers
(Bennis & Nanus, 1985; Hersey & Blanchard, 1977).
According to Bass (1985) a leader enables followers to achieve higher aims through transformational practices, and for adherents of ‘servant leadership’ (Greenleaf,
1991) the leader acts as an enabler, facilitating followers’ purposeful action by removing obstacles or providing necessary resources. Northouse (2010) argues that, based on a review of various definitions of leadership, there are some common components: leadership is a process, leadership involves influence, leadership occurs in groups, and leadership involves common goals. Leadership is often associated with words like risk taking, dynamic, creative, change and vision. There is a distinction between managers and leaders. Bennis, (in Jackson and Parry, 2008), states ‘that managers do things right, while leaders do the right thing’ (p. 22). However, Ladkin (2008, p. 38) has suggested that there AUSTRALIAN CHORAL CONDUCTORS 45
are a number of theories which offer similar ways of thinking about leading and leadership, including:
Leading as a performing art
Charismatic leadership
Impression management
Authentic leadership
These will now be unpacked in turn.
Leading as a performing art
Superficially, this leadership theory would appear to be the theory that most aligns with choral conductors. Grint (2000) stated that leadership should be considered more of an art form than a science. He highlights four particular art forms which it emulates: the philosophical arts, the fine arts, the martial arts, and finally the performing arts. The performing arts take into account the way things are said, including aspects such as gesture and tonal inflection and the use of symbols to convey meanings (in Ladkin, 2008).
Grint argues that the performative dimension of leading moves the hearts and minds of followers. Although Grint makes the case for the importance of this performative dimension, he does little to map the territory or explain how effective performances are created. The notion of leading that is offered here parallels Grint’s work in attempting to articulate particular aspects (mastery, congruence, and purpose) which contribute to the performance dimension (in Ladkin, 2008).
Charismatic leadership
Undoubtedly, leading can be experienced as charismatic. Ladkin (2008) writes about possible ‘linkages between the charismatic and the sublime aesthetic experience’
(p. 37). The ethical requirement of leading also differentiates it from another perceptual AUSTRALIAN CHORAL CONDUCTORS 46
dynamic, impression management (Ladkin, 2008). This type of leadership is one that many feel they needs to be exercised, yet it is demonstrated that not all charismatic leaders are effective and similarly not all effective leaders are charismatic (Ladkin, 2008).
Impression management
The charismatic has been linked to a third area of literature which intersects the notion of leading, ‘impression management’. Sosik, Avolio and Jung (2002) outline the components of impression management and present evidence indicating that certain behaviours charismatic leaders engage in can be seen to increase the chances that their followers will attribute charisma to them. This raised an important question regarding both impression management and the perception of a leader’s integrity: is the follower who ultimately has the impression, or judges the integrity?
There is a difference in what expression the conductor aims to produce and what the singers within the ensemble actually receive. Therefore, what the singers produce is going to be more from what the conducts ‘gives off’ more than what the conductor
‘gives’ (Goffman, 1959; Ladkin, 2008). The conductor may be able to control what they
‘give’, they cannot control what is ‘given off’, or the sense onlookers make of their behaviours (Ladkin, 2008). According to Ladkin, ‘This dynamic aspect of perception is a key feature of leading, and also features largely in the experience of ‘authentic leadership’, explored in greater detail below’( 2008, p. 38).
Authentic leadership
Walumbwa, Avolio, Gardner, Wernsing & Peterson (2008) study entitled
‘Authentic Leadership: Development and Validation of a Theory-Based Measure’ developed and tested a theory-based measure of authentic leadership. Results revealed a positive relationship between authentic leadership and superior performance. AUSTRALIAN CHORAL CONDUCTORS 47
Shamir and Eilam (2005), suggest that the majority of literature show that there is a direct link between values and ethical behaviour in the perceived authenticity of a leader. ‘Authenticity is determined over time: followers judge the extent to which a leader acts consistently, reliably takes certain stances, and behaves in accordance with organisational and societal norms’(Ladkin, 2008, p. 38).
Authenticity [of leadership] also operates aesthetically, and as such will be determined extremely quickly (Ladkin, 2008). By reading invisible clues embodied in a leader’s stance, facial expressions, bodily tension and tone of voice, followers draw conclusions about a leader’s motives, hidden agendas and unconsciously (as well as consciously) expressed purposes. These difficult-to-quantify aspects of a leader’s performance are gathered at a preverbal level of apprehension and create the leader’s affective aesthetic. They add up to whether or not a follower ‘reads’ a leader’s performance as authentic (Ladkin, 2008).
In summary, moving beyond charismatic leadership, in order to be considered aesthetically, leading must be directed towards life-enhancing purposes. Finally, Shamir and Eilam offer ‘authentic leadership’ as an explanation for those split-second apprehensions of a leader’s authenticity. This last point alludes to the relational aspect of aesthetic appreciation.
Many conductors have demonstrated leadership of the various degrees and types as proposed by Ladkin, just by the fact that they are the designated leader for the ensemble. This leadership is given to the conductor by the singers within the ensemble and thus holds a level of responsibility. However it is clear from the above research that leadership does not necessarily equal expertise, and therefore for many non-expert conductors, leading the ensemble is a lost opportunity to exhibit leadership and expertise.
One of the clear differences between leadership and expertise is that a great leader and the AUSTRALIAN CHORAL CONDUCTORS 48
expert always know ‘it’s not about me, it’s a fundamental shift from a position of power to one of leading by serving’ (Wis, 2007, p. xi).
Perceptions of Expertise in Choral Conducting
Choral conducting expertise emanates from the same sources and influences as choral singing itself (Durrant, 2003). Many European conductors came from church traditions, where most villages would have a mixed voice choir, with larger cities having relatively high-standard choirs. The other main influences on conductors were their origins and the traditions that went with their culture. A brief search of music degree programmes, in both Europe and the USA, show that most music students will receive some form of conducting tuition during their tertiary musical education. This is not the case in Australia, and the reason for this was addressed in this research.
The training of choral conductors has been directly linked to their origins and the types of choral ensembles they were training to conduct (Gibala-Maharidge, 2005). Given that choral conducting evolved in the nineteenth century a study of the types of ensembles from this period is warranted. Choral ensembles of the nineteenth century could be categorised in the following types: (1) professional opera choruses, (2) church choirs, (3) erudite amateur groups interested in the study of early music, (4) amateur choral groups participating in performances, and (5) amateurs choral groups singing for recreation.
Depending on the country, some types of choral ensembles were more popular than others. In each category the difference of context and purpose created different working conditions for the conductor (Gibala-Maharidge, 2005).
The role of choral conductor was initially the result of an adaptation of the role of the ‘modern’ orchestral conductor (Gibala-Maharidge, 2005). Just as with orchestral AUSTRALIAN CHORAL CONDUCTORS 49
performance, a cappella choral practice needs temporal, emotional and interpretative coordination typical to ensemble performance. This justified the presence of a conductor in front of a choral ensemble. This change to choral conductor was achieved by the 1930s
(Gibala-Maharidge, 2005). After this change, choral conductors developed in order to match the specific needs of choral ensembles. The fact that during the nineteenth century choral singing had become a mostly amateur practice caused some difficulties. Working with untrained performers had forced choral conductors to improve their own methods and their knowledge of choral conducting. Whereas instrumentalists typically join an orchestra with a minimum of proficiency with their instruments, choral singers may often be completely dependent on the training received within the choir. For this reason choral conductors are expected to be more accountable for the musical results of their ensemble.
Ericsson’s study of expertise, examined remarkably diverse domains, within both the arts and sciences, and investigated the entire range of mastery from beginners to world-class performers (Ericsson, 1996, 1998; Ericsson & Lehmann, 1996). The theoretical assumptions that Ericsson proposed united these diverse empirical phenomena into an integrated field. He claimed that exceptionally high levels of achievement in virtually all domains were mediated by mechanisms acquired during an extended period of training and development (Ericsson, 2005). Ericsson’s study of expert and elite performers in music and chess has provided better insight into the mechanisms for optimal sustained improvement and maintained performance. These insights do not lead to magical fixes or instant dramatic improvements for less skilled learners. Rather they clarify the need for pre-requisite cognitive skills and knowledge for effective learning as well as for deliberate practice at all levels of expertise (Ericsson, 2005).
In contemporary domains of expertise, procedures have evolved for identifying contributions and achievements that were not previously known to experts in the domain. AUSTRALIAN CHORAL CONDUCTORS 50
These procedures serve several functions; to recognise outstanding individuals in the domain, as well as providing methods for organising existing knowledge and accumulating new knowledge, products and training methods, with the goal of more effectively training and educating beginners and students in the domain (Ericsson, 1991).
Consequently, the highest level of creative achievement today, virtually without exception, is associated with a particular domain of organised activity and expertise
(Ericsson, 1991). As Simonton (1997) has pointed out, there is extensive evidence that around ten years of active involvement appear to be necessary before anyone, even the most talented, is able to reach an international level of achievement (Ericsson et al., 1993;
Gardner, 1993; Simon & Chase, 1973).
Superior expert performers in domains such as music can generate better actions than their less skilled peers even in situations they have never directly experienced.
Expert performers have acquired refined mental representations that maintain access to relevant information about the situation and support more extensive, flexible reasoning to determine the appropriate actions demanded by the situations they encounter (Ericsson &
Kintsch, 1995). This gains significance when combined with the musical intelligence that the expert demonstrated because a level of expert conductor was unattainable without it.
Ericsson’s research on experts and the level of expertise can be applied directly to choral conducting.
Levels of Expertise and Leadership in Conducting
Drawing on research into learning and skill acquisition and on the educational practices in traditional domains such as music and sports, Ericsson et al., (1993) used the term deliberate practice for the individualised training activities especially designed by a AUSTRALIAN CHORAL CONDUCTORS 51
coach or teacher to improve specific aspects of an individual’s performance through repetition and successive refinement. Maximal benefit from feedback can be achieved if individuals monitor their training with full concentration, which often limits the duration of daily training. Ericsson et al., (1993) argued that the amount of deliberate practice should be closely related to the level of acquired performance.
Expert musical performance can be typically displayed in the solo performance of a piece that the musician has extensively studied beforehand. Ericsson (1996) investigated the idea that a distinguishing characteristic of the exceptional ability to reliably reproduce the same musical timing and variations in consecutive performances of a work was something that expert musicians shared. Expert musicians can better maintain independent timing in both hands when playing music (Shaffer, 1981) or tapping
(Summers et al., 1993) than less accomplished musicians.
Schonberg believes that a conductor is in fact a soloist, with the choir simply their instrument, and how it performs is determined by their own imagination, resources, compassion, technique and dreams (1967). The majority of choral conductors, according to Inghelbrecht (1953), focus solely upon the audience and how they experience and perceive the music, whereas expert conductors ‘only have eyes for creating magical music and supporting the singers before them’ (Inghelbrecht, 1953, p. 17). Lebrecht
(1991) states that, within ten minutes of the conductor’s arrival one can establish whether the conductor is good, great or an expert by whether they have ‘it’ or not (p. 8). The expert choral conductor is never fearful of the singers they conduct, positively influences the singer without judgement, directs the choir without arrogance, knows when to conclude a rehearsal, and concludes it precisely and objectively. An expert conductor is willing to accept and admit their own errors (Inghelbrecht, 1953). AUSTRALIAN CHORAL CONDUCTORS 52
When it comes to levels of expertise in choral conducting, or conducting in general, most of the literature agrees that the ‘physical act of conducting can be easily learned’ (Lebrecht, 1991, p. 8). However, as Lebrecht stated, ‘the intangible, spiritual side has to come from somewhere within’ (p. 8). Inghelbrecht (1953) strongly believed that accurate comparisons to expert choral conductors are expert culinary master chefs. This comparison made in 1953 holds true today with true master chefs being levels or degrees higher in standard, knowledge and experience to that of the average or even very good
‘celebrity chef’. Truly expert chefs without a hint of hesitation follow their instincts when adding crucial ingredients, similarly, expert choral conductors follow their instincts when adding key musical elements (Inghelbrecht, 1953). Inghelbrecht stated that good choral conductors, like good chefs, follow a recipe and not their instincts, taste their culinary creations but are never quite content and continually add ingredients, therefore resulting in a final product that is pleasing and satisfying, but not astonishingly brilliant like great master chefs’ or expert choral conductors’ masterpieces (Inghelbrecht, 1953).
Neuen (1993) stated that the role of a truly expert conductor includes seven aspects:
Servant, serving the composer, score, choral art, singers and the audience; Teacher, teaching pitch, time, style, vocal technique and comprehensive musicality to the singers; Motivator, constantly motivating the singers through diversity; Leader, leading the ensemble and accepting complete accountability; Student, studying endlessly throughout their life (pp. 142-143).
The expert conductor is the individual whom Battisti (1997) says encircles himself with the very best. The best people, poets, painters, dancers, philosophers, and all types of musicians, whether dead or alive. In this environment, Battisti believed the expert conductor develops insights into creativity. The expert conductor consumes great music, literature, painting, fine art and in this environment develops insights into creative AUSTRALIAN CHORAL CONDUCTORS 53
thinking. In and through creativity the conductor develops insights and an elevated array of expectations in considering what quality is. The expectation of quality can be seen in the case study of Bobby McFerrin by Ladkin (2008).
Ladkin’s case study on expert musician and conductor Bobby McFerrin demonstrated that ‘McFerrin is a consummately skilled musician whose expertise spans a range of musical genres from jazz to classical. The awards attested to his mastery (such as an Emmy for his popular hit ‘Don’t Worry, Be Happy’). The level of expertise ascribed to
Bobby McFerrin is supported by Mieg’s (2006) theory, ‘which postulates that declaring someone an expert is a social act, that may or may not correspond to an intrinsic characteristic of the person so designated’ (Ladkin, 2008, p. 32). One example was the
2005 Proms concert where McFerrin managed to conduct the members of the Vienna
Philharmonic Orchestra through a sung rendition of the William Tell Overture. It was described as ‘a moment of sheer delight when the predominantly white-haired Austrian musicians laid their instruments on their laps and began singing their parts -‘ompahing’ their way through the final chorus’ (Ladkin, 2008, p. 33). It can be seen that McFerrin had achieved the level of rapport with the orchestra’s members to enable them to relax their inhibitions in this way. Bobby McFerrin demonstrated that while he is an engaging conductor, the charisma shown is underpinned by other elements of expertise as
Ericsson’s research demonstrated. Charisma alone, as Lebrecht (1991) stated is not an essential part of an expert choral conductor.
‘The Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra is not an organisation who would easily respond to a less skilled musician at their helm’ (Ladkin, 2008, p. 33). In describing what
McFerrin did, Ladkin (2008) stated ‘there was more than ‘effectiveness’ going on’. There was a quality of expertise, embodying a way of leading which was inclusive, accepting and creating of a safe environment. AUSTRALIAN CHORAL CONDUCTORS 54
A myriad of difficulties can arise from treating one case study in this way, including the singularity of perception, biases and background which will have affected how a person had experienced the performance, as well as the impossibility of generalising from a sole experience. However, McFerrin’s performance clearly endorses
Classical views of what constitutes expertise found in literature literature (Ericsson and
Kintsch (1995), Shamir and Eilam (2005), Grint (2000) and Sosik, Avolio and Jung
(2002)). Above all, all focus of Ladkin’s model is the authentic, charismatic, impressionistic and leading as a performing art.
But how does this compare to what we find in a non-expert or novice musician or conductor? The Expert verses novice study in musical domains has been limited. Expert music listeners have been found to focus on such fundamental aspects as melodic and harmonic structure, whereas novice listeners tend to focus on secondary aspects, such as dynamics and tempo (Eastlund, 1992; Gromko, 1993).
A study of choral conducting as an expert–novice paradigm has yet to be attempted. Conducting courses in the USA, as stated by Bergee (2005)
…tend to focus on a somewhat narrow set of knowledge and skills, mostly composer and score study, gestural technique, and observation, conducting-in- action (see Schön, 1983, 1987) and may call for knowledge and skills more akin to expert teaching. Exploratory studies of novice and expert conductors might be of assistance in building a more informed understanding of the conducting process (p. 25).
These align with Durrant’s attributes of a choral conductor mentioned in Chapter 3, briefly summarized here in the context of effective choral conductor practice:
Philosophical and pedagogical awareness
knowledge and understanding of how the voice works knowledge of choral repertoire awareness of the stages of children’s and adolescents’ vocal development AUSTRALIAN CHORAL CONDUCTORS 55
awareness of the social, psychological and physical effects of choral participation on the individual
Musical and technical skills
good gestural vocabulary good posture good aural and error detector skills
Interpersonal and leadership skills
non-verbal communication (through vocal modelling and eye contact) encouragement/ motivation quality feedback clear communication goals enthusiasm ability to work well with people effective rehearsal pacing and planning
Varvarigou & Durrant (2011) examined theoretical constructs that deal with the learning of choral practice in higher education:
Whether choral conducting is teachable or not has troubled researchers who seem to agree that an efficient conductor should possess various attributes, such as refined conducting gestures and movements, rehearsal strategies, enthusiasm and commitment (Varvarigou & Durrant, 2011, p. 327).
The workplace and cognitive apprenticeship environments are common because choral conducting education in the UK is situated either within higher education institutions or in apprenticeship-like settings (e.g., short programmes or workshops offered by independent bodies). Conductors ‘learn through observation of others and on the job’
(Varvarigou, 2009). This theory is paralleled within Australia, as discussed further in
Chapter 10.
Conducting experience and opportunities ideally should be available to the majority of music students, not only those involved with professional choirs and AUSTRALIAN CHORAL CONDUCTORS 56
orchestras. The purpose for music teacher-conductors is not only to learn to deal with the technical aspects of conducting, as important as these are, but also to examine rehearsal and motivation strategies, with this being particularly useful in encouraging pupils to take part enthusiastically in musical ensembles. It is vital that attention should be given to the development of appropriate skills in all those who intend to conduct groups of any age level and status.
The success of any rehearsal depends much upon the role the conductor assumes, their self-image as a person, as a musician and as a leader, his attitude towards the group and its purpose, his personal relationship with individual singers and his approach to the rehearsal (Pfautsch, 1973 in Durrant, 1994). To attempt to provide a model definition of an effective conductor is not simple, and any such model must, in part, be formed in relation to the actual function of a conductor. A conductor has to know the music and know how to communicate that knowledge in rehearsal and performance.
Durrant’s attributes, can be expanded and explained including the ability to discerningly choose music that is appropriate for the particular choral group, with respect to their age, abilities, composition and vocal needs from a wide range of eras and styles.
The conductor also must be able to deal with a range of vocal issues and problems in an informed way in the rehearsal situation. These include aspects of vocal production, healthy voice use and the psychology, physiology and workings of the voice to promote better and more effective singing, as well as having a clear technical and expressive ideas for presenting music to singers in rehearsal. This should be combined with the ability to be aware of the composer’s intentions in this respect, the importance of text and the capacity to enable the emergence of appropriate responses in the singers and the audience.
‘The conductor must also take responsibility for the singers collectively and individually, AUSTRALIAN CHORAL CONDUCTORS 57
and to act as a facilitator and promoter of appropriate musical learning’ (Varvarigou &
Durrant, 2011, p. 327).
Varvarigou & Durrant (2011) discusses the importance of the conductor being able to demonstrate high levels of musicianship and to anticipate and correct any inaccuracies that the singers may make. The conductor must be adept at making their intentions clear through their gestures and thus be able to indicate what their intentions are regarding style and expression. The ability to create energy, demonstrate the desired outcome to the singers (including singing correct pitches, rhythms and quality of tone) is an attribute a conductor must possess in order for the singers to hear and emulate the sound they desire (Varvarigou & Durrant, 2011). The effective conductor according to
Durrant (1994), also has:
a high level of expertise in strategies that are appropriate for the group, the validity of physical and vocal exercises in relation to physical and vocal preparation for effective singing, rehearsing and vocal health, as well as creating a balance and not putting undue emphasis on technical considerations at the expense of expressive and stylistic ones (p. 60).
The psychological and motivational skills of the conductor are just as important as the above-mentioned attributes. These include the capacity to create a positive non- threatening environment with a balance of encouragement, praise and adjustment, with realistic, attainable goals and positive feedback in a safe atmosphere, and the capacity to communicate clearly and unambiguously with effective use of verbal, gestural, facial and body language. The conductor must also have; the skills and the desire to encourage healthy singing with an avoidance of situations using negative language or gestures which will induce tension, in order to maintain an emphasis on vocal relaxation; the skill to assist with voice and choral blend, allowing individual vocal exploration; and the careful use of extrovert behaviour to motivate singers. AUSTRALIAN CHORAL CONDUCTORS 58
Other essential skills include the ability to make singers feel confident and comfortable with reassuring language, allowing mistakes, using communication and a judicious use of non-sarcastic humour all the while possessing the skill to pace rehearsals effectively. This requires using verbal language sparingly by encouraging response to visual cues by various means, to get on with the music and avoid concentrating on one part while others get bored or unmotivated. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, the conductor must demand the highest standards possible by renewing expectations, setting appropriate goals for the group, in particular for the development of musical and textural communication of the singers, and giving qualitative feedback to the choir (Durrant,
2011).
The literature states that the traditional underlying assumption about conductors has been that good conductors are born, not made, a perception that was refuted by contemporary research on the acquisition of expertise (Chi, 2006; Feltovitch et al., 2006;
Hunt, 2006; Lehmann & Gruber, 2006; Zimmerman, 2006; Ericsson et al., 2007). Dreyfus and Dreyfus (1986) have developed a model of expertise in which individuals pass through five stages of skill acquisition. They termed these stages novice, advanced beginner, competent, proficient, and expert.
The novice
The novice is able to recognise various objective features of a skill and is in the process of acquiring rules for determining actions. Relevant elements of a situation must be clearly and objectively defined for the novice. Dreyfus and Dreyfus (1986) called such elements ‘context free’, because these elements are recognised without reference to the situations in which they occur. Similarly, ‘context-free rules’ are applied without regard for what may be happening in a given situation. Lacking a sense of the overall task, novices tend to judge their performance by how well these context-free rules are AUSTRALIAN CHORAL CONDUCTORS 59
followed. The effort involved in acquiring and applying these rules tends to limit novices’ capacity to see past them and focus on elements of the context at hand. The novice conductor would be one who is still working on the basics of conducting such as gesture.
The advanced beginner
Dreyfus and Dreyfus referred to these new elements as ‘situational’, as distinct from context-free. Advanced beginner skill acquisition considers both kinds of elements.
Through much experience with real situations, the learner begins to consider more context-free facts simultaneously and to develop more sophisticated rules. He or she also begins to recognise meaningful elements within contexts. Experience is the key in movement to this second stage. The advanced beginner conductor will be at the stage of rehearsal strategies and may be looking further into the music than the novice.
Competence
According to Dreyfus and Dreyfus, a competent performer has a goal in mind and sees a situation as a set of facts. The importance of the facts may depend on the presence of other facts. With ever-increasing experience, the multiplicity of context-free and situational elements eventually becomes overwhelming. To cope, one must adopt a hierarchical procedure of decision making. The conductor has learned that when a situation has a particular constellation of these elements, ‘a certain conclusion should be drawn, decision made, or expectation investigated’ (Bergee, 2005, p. 25). Choosing a plan is no simple matter, however, as there are no objective, entirely context-free procedures.
The competent performer therefore has a greater investment in, and involvement with, the skill, as plans of action are more personal. The combination of ‘non-objectivity and necessity’ (Bergee, 2005, p. 26) leads to a new relationship between the performer and their environment. The competent conductor will be at the level of choosing repertoire and preparing for rehearsals with less concern for basics such as gesture. AUSTRALIAN CHORAL CONDUCTORS 60
Proficiency
Dreyfus and Dreyfus referred to intuition as ‘neither wild guessing nor supernatural inspiration, but the sort of ability we use all the time as we go about our everyday tasks’ (Bergee, 2005, p. 29). Intuition, therefore, is ‘the product of deep situational involvement and recognition of similarity’ (Bergee, 2005, p. 29). Rapidity and fluidity characterise the highest two skill levels. Deeply involved in the task, the proficient performer experiences it from the perspective of similar situations encountered in the past. Proficiency is the ability to adopt a perspective; some events stand out as important while others recede into the background. Intuition is a principal feature of proficiency. The proficient performer intuitively organises and understands the task; at the same time, he or she thinks analytically about what to do and how to do it. The proficient conductor will be able to create a good performance, has gesture and other basic elements mastered and may be at the level of teaching other conductors the basics, yet they are not at expert level.
Expertise
According to Dreyfus and Dreyfus, expert performance is ‘ongoing and reflective’
(Bergee, 2005, p. 31). Experts’ skills are so much a part of them that they no longer see the skill as separate from themselves. Having been afforded enough experience in a variety of situations, the expert performer is able to group situations sharing the same perspective and invoke similar decisions, actions, or tactics. A situation is immediately understood, and its associated decisions, actions, and tactics simultaneously come to mind. Expertise leads to fluid performance. Interestingly, experts spend much of their time reacting, performing the appropriate behaviours without consciously evaluating or considering alternatives. Experts cannot always provide convincing, rational explanations for their actions. AUSTRALIAN CHORAL CONDUCTORS 61
Existing studies on choral conducting practice have so far illustrated that in order to be called experts, effective choral conductors need to possess several attributes.
Zimmerman’s research, while not specifically on choral conducting can be applied and highlights that through deliberate practice, which:
entails high levels of concentration, the structuring of specific training tasks to facilitate setting appropriate personal goals, the monitoring of informative feedback as well as opportunities for repetition and error correction individuals can develop various levels of expertise (Zimmerman, 2006, p. 705).
When applied to the musician field of excellence Varvarigou and Durrant state that:
contrary to the everyday belief that ‘highly talented’ musicians need not practise as much as the less talented, accumulated hours of practice are an irrefutable predictor of excellence. The issue regarding choral conductors and practising is that they can only effectively practise in front of a choir (Varvarigou & Durrant, 2011, p. 330).
These definitions of an expert, and specifically an expert in choral conducting, accord with Ericsson and Smith (1991) who define expert performance as consistently superior performance.
Durrant (2005) believed that the role of the conductor in enabling meaningful and effective singing was established relatively recently in terms of human history, though as previously shown, there is evidence that conducting existed within the cultures of the ancient Sumerians, the Egyptians, the ancient Greeks and early Christians (Schoenberg,
1967; Robinson & Winold, 1976).
Durrant also stated that in educational contexts, several research studies have put forward theories that help to build a model of an effective conductor—some concerned with particular atomistic features of effectiveness, some concerned with personality issues and some with detailed qualitative and quantitative studies related to score preparation, the use of verbal language and other aspects of the conducting phenomenon (reviewed in AUSTRALIAN CHORAL CONDUCTORS 62
Durrant, 1994; 1996; see also Price & Byo, 2002). Durrant (2011) paid particular attention to the leadership skills of conductors, especially those outlined by Armstrong and Armstrong (1996). They stressed that conductors can have a transforming impact on their students. This is often due to the rehearsal requirements of the many music programmes (in the USA), in which students spend more time with the conductor than with any other educator. Furthermore, Armstrong and Armstrong (1996) explained that there are key skills, which can be teachable, that describe effective choral leadership.
Armstrong and Armstrong(1996) divided these skills into two areas: (i) musical
(i.e., artistic intuition, musicality/expressiveness and aural sensitivity) and (ii) extra- musical (i.e., articulateness, confidence, effort, enthusiasm and initiative). Yet, Garnett
(2009) recognised that people achieve or naturally possess a leadership characteristic that is difficult to label, and which represents an artful combination of musical and extra- musical skills. Although this elusive quality, which makes some people stand out immediately, can be broken down into its components and analysed it is impossible to duplicate or mimic.
Garnett (2009) suggested that through rehearsal planning that addresses the areas of preparation, presentation and evaluation, all of which can be taught in choral conducting education programmes, students can increase their effectiveness as choral leaders. An unconscious and often unintentional influence on how a choir sings is directly reflective of the conductor’s physical demeanour (Garnett, 2009, p. 5). The notion that the effect of a conductor’s demeanour on his or her choir is a matter of general belief (and thus no longer necessarily a truism) begins to resonate with both intellectual and practical experience (Garnett, 2009). Moreover, observations that such a connection appears to be involuntary open up the possibility that there may be something else behind the appearances (Garnett, 2009). AUSTRALIAN CHORAL CONDUCTORS 63
Garnett related her study to what she termed ‘critical musicology’. She related the question of the relationship between conductor and choir to issues of identity, both at the level of the self and in terms of groups and broader cultures. Citing a broad range of recent literature, she notes the development of a ‘much more fluid and emergent’ conception of identity (Garnett, 2009, p. 5), one that moves away from the sort of essentialism so common in the pedagogical literature on conducting. While many believe that a particular conductor’s skill might lie in spontaneous and idiosyncratic gestures, even these are invariably dependent on tradition, as learned elements of behaviour that the singers will share (Garnett, 2009, p. 45). To take a simple example, a pointed finger in some of the rehearsals Garnett observed (four of which were presented on the accompanying DVD) referred to a number of different issues, such as tuning, rhythmic accuracy, tone colour and so forth. However, the meaning required is not usually ambiguous in context, and all these meanings are in any case linked by their common idea of ‘pointedness’ (p. 135).
If Garnett’s conclusion may seem a little stretched, the overall point is well made, particularly since such gestures are common enough outside the musical field, in normal conversation for instance. Indeed, the boundary between any particular repertory of social gestures and those used by conductors is one that could perhaps have been explored in more detail here. Another point that is made in the literature is that conductors should use words as little as possible, thus confining all they do to their gestures. There is undoubtedly a tendency within conducting pedagogy to establish a definitive technique that is as clear-cut in its effectiveness as, for instance, the technique of playing the violin.
This way, conductors are less likely to be rumbled as ‘non-performers’. Garnett’s DVD of rehearsals provided a considerable sense that verbal instructions and remarks have a major role to play in the overall picture of how the conductor and singers interact, as AUSTRALIAN CHORAL CONDUCTORS 64
essential aspects of their shared environment. Her approach is to suggest that factors should not be considered in isolation, and that many studies of conducting tend to produce only ‘atomised, momentary slices of meaning’ (Garnett, 2009, p. 49). Robert
Taylor (2012), embraces a spiritual approach to this interaction stating, ‘Conducting is a deeply spiritual experience. When the choir is hot, it’s like you’re communicating with
God through the medium of music, like you’ve tapped into Truth or God, or whatever you call that higher being’ (p. 1). Taylor also explains that when voices have come together for a reason, such as to make music together there often is a deep sense of responsibility to the music taken by expert conductors. ‘We’re here for the art. We’re here because we have to be, because art is an emotional and cultural necessity. People don’t realize how lost we’d be without it.’ (Taylor, 2012, p. 1). Much of the literature about choral conducting, university degrees and professional development for conductors are situated in Europe and the United states of America. Within Australia, conductors have in the past demonstrated that the United States is their first point of reference for training in conducting. This is evidenced by the number of Australian conductor who have degrees from universities in the USA and the number of delegate registrations to American summer courses and conferences. Therefore the American choral “expert” is one that is seen by Australian’s as one to model.
Expertise in Teaching
A master music educator’s foundation must include a thorough grounding in music theory, music history, and music literature. A few of the educational principles seen in the literature are supported by the template theory (Gobet, 2005, p. 193) for teaching including: AUSTRALIAN CHORAL CONDUCTORS 65
Teaching from the simple to the complex.
Teaching from the known to the unknown.
The elements to be learned should be clearly identified.
Use an ‘improving spiral,’ where you come back to the same concepts and ideas
and add increasingly more complex new information.
Encourage students to find a balance between rote learning and understanding
(Gobet, 2005, p. 193).
Master teachers also have a defined pedagogical content knowledge. Grossman’s
(1990) definition of pedagogical content knowledge includes the following four components:
Knowledge and beliefs about the purposes for teaching a subject at different grade
levels.
Knowledge of students’ understanding, conceptions, and misconceptions of
subject matter.
Knowledge of curriculum materials available for teaching a subject and
knowledge of horizontal and vertical curricula for the subject.
Knowledge of instructional strategies and representations for teaching particular
topics (Manross et al., 1994, p. 6).
Snow (1998) provided several implications for conductor teacher training. Using a group of novice conductor/teachers the preparation and planning for a rehearsal was investigated. The participants showed an expansion of teacher thinking and ‘far richer imagining and visioning for conducting’ (p. 204) with the apprentice model. They also showed evidence of a greater linking between ‘musical content knowledge and growing pedagogical knowledge’ (p. 204), due in part to the emphasis on score analysis in the AUSTRALIAN CHORAL CONDUCTORS 66
process of the rehearsal becoming more like a teaching plan. Snow stated that a principal observation during the project was the increase in the number of prospective conducting strategies and connections between musical knowledge and conducting decisions. The planning model of rehearsal plans facilitated a deeper understanding of musical knowledge, a growing awareness of pedagogical knowledge, and a bonding of these two ideas in the participants’ conducting and teaching.
Several studies have focused on music teaching and various levels of teaching experience, the topics of which include: comparing the perceptions of varying experience levels (‘expert’ versus ‘novice’) of music conductor-teachers, include the use of a rehearsal frame as an instructional tool (Irwin, 2006); the focusing of attention compared to number of years of teaching experience (Madsen & Cassidy, 2005); and the perceptions of factors affecting expertise in teaching (Sogin & Wang, 2002; Standley &
Madsen, 1991; Szabo, 1989). In Aldalalah & Fong (2010), research on pupils with high musical intelligence were shown to have had larger capacity in their working memory to accommodate and integrate incoming information. Hence the performances of the high music intelligence pupils were better across all academic areas (Aldalalah & Fong, 2010).
A master-teacher will accept responsibility for the development of this musical intelligence.
In several studies, researchers compared beginner teachers’ perceptions of expertise in teaching to those of experienced teachers. Teachout (1997) provided a list of specific teacher skills to beginner and experienced teachers, and asked them to rate the skills based on their perceptions of the most important skills teachers need during their first three years of teaching. Seven out of the ten top-ranked skills were common to both groups:
Be mature and have self-control. AUSTRALIAN CHORAL CONDUCTORS 67
Be able to motivate students.
Possess strong leadership skills.
Involve students in the learning process.
Display confidence.
Be organised.
Employ a positive approach (p. 45).
Of the seven skills ranked in the top ten of both groups, ‘be able to motivate students’ was ranked second by both the beginner and experienced teachers, and ‘display confidence’ came in third and fourth by the experienced teachers and beginner teachers, respectively.
Zimmerman (2006) showed that Learners and Teachers joined together in the choirs are influenced by the attributes of the conductors and the repertoire choice before the learning process even began. The process then required ‘attributes of effective learning environments to be combined with the four areas of pedagogical context; content, methods, sequencing and sociology’ (Zimmerman, 2006, p. 705). This can then lead to the learning outcomes (see figure 15). The master teacher and expert conductors have demonstrated that this is the pathway to quality of choral music programs. ‘The experience of interacting with the music and the singers, in particular socio-cultural contexts such as schools, community centres or churches, under the guidance of experts seem to produce desired changes in the learner’ (Varvarigou & Durrant, 2011, p. 330) as shown in figure 3. AUSTRALIAN CHORAL CONDUCTORS 68
Learners
• Background: knowledge, abilities, biography • Expectations/aspirations • Perceptions of subject matter • Conceptions of learning Process
Learning to be a choral conductor Attributes of effective learning environments (Entwistle, 2007) Musical • Empathy Repertoire • Enthusiasm Tutors Learning Outcomes and Choir • Explanation • Clarity Background & attributes Effective choral conductor attributes include: • Structure (knowledge/abilities, biography) • Level A. Philosophical and pedagogical principles A. Philosophical and pedagogical principles B. Musical: technical skills • Pace B. Musical: technical skills Likely pedagogical context to C. Interpersonal skills
C. Interpersonal skills: general leadership provide effective learning e.g., General leadership
D. Conceptions of learning contexts Cognitive Apprenticeships model Pedagogical approach Pedagogical approach (Collins et al., 1989; Eraut, 2007) Confidence and commitment Management of materials A. Content Expectations/aspirations B. Methods Perceptions of subject matter C. Sequencing Planning and preparation D. Sociology Monitoring Evaluation and feedback
Figure 3: Socio-cultural contexts, including teaching.
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Setting the Standard for Generations of American Conductors
The following examples of three internationally recognised choral conductors known within Australia and often used as models of expertise in choral conducting.
The level of expertise that is demonstrated can act as a comparison benchmark for the study of expert Australian choral conductors. There are few university conductors who have made greater contributions to public school choral music than Robert Shaw,
Rodney Eichenberger, and Weston Noble. Each has helped prepare hundreds of students to become choral music educators and each has inspired thousands they have conducted in honour choirs and choral festivals. Some brief background information is included in the discussed below. Extended information and biographies for the Noble, Shaw and
Eichenberger can be found in the appendices.
Weston Noble’s career has been described as ‘a display of service and respect for the spirit of the individual and for the art of music’ (ACDA 1996 conference award presentation n.p). Weston Noble was a recipient of the American Choral Directors
Association Robert Shaw Award. His approach to music was described by Robert Shaw during his presentation to Noble of the ‘Robert Shaw Award’ as:
reverent when he discusses the historical context, the emotional meaning, and the relevance of every piece of music with his choir members. There is a display of passion, exploring the spirit within music, and is able to find the worth in each piece he conducts. Noble’s choirs display a sound that demonstrates the axiom of no entity calling attention to itself, and the refinement and consistency of their performances is clean and precise (ACDA 1996 conference award presentation n.p).
His other awards include a Distinguished Service Award, received in 2006 from The
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints— the only non-Mormon to be so honoured—the St. Olav's Medal, received in 1999 from King Harald V of Norway for
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his contributions to Norwegian-American relations. In 1998 he received the inaugural
Weston H. Noble Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Choral Art. He has also been awarded the Outstanding Music Educator of the United States in 1989. Noble has focused his artistic and educational objectives on the concept of the exploration of the subjective side of the musical art. To the question: ‘What is the chief characteristic of an outstanding choral conductor?’ he responded, ‘vulnerability’.
When it comes to the landscape of American choral conducting after Robert
Shaw, all the unanimity that greets mention of his name evaporates. Shaw wielded an influence on virtually every American and international practitioner in the choral conducting field. He had a direct impact on most, through the quality and impact of his performances if not through actual contact (Oestreich, 1999). Shaw was considered a master of both professional (paid) and amateur (unpaid) choirs. When it came to amateur choirs Shaw was clear on his philosophy:
Choir members are not here because they are being paid to be here. They are here because they love it. So I tell myself: don't destroy that love. And that's not always easy to remember (Robert Shaw quoted in New York Times Jan, 1998).
Shaw became perhaps classical music's best-known American choral conductor, and an important orchestral conductor as well. The New York Times feature article on
Shaw in 1998, the day after his death, was a tribute and acknowledgement to Shaw’s expertise in the choral world:
Shaw believed in living composers as well as acknowledged masters. Shaw turned around the expectations of what a choir should be, and what it should be able to do. Shaw led conductors, who in turn led their audiences, to expect ensembles that could perform, individually and collectively, on as high a plane as their symphony counterparts. And he turned those choruses from social organizations into institutions of musical craftsmanship. Shaw had a deep belief in musical responsibility and believed in the great choral repertoire (New York Times, Jan, 1998).
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Rodney Eichenberger has spent much of his career exploring the effect of gesture and movement on choral sound. Eichenberger has taught countless novice and experienced conductors that what their choir members see directly and profoundly affects the sounds they create. He guides students in the discovery of the effects their postures, facial expressions, and hand movements have on the sounds their choir members produce. His understanding of the ‘motion’ of a phrase and the gestural language that evokes the desired approach to singing has been a significant contribution to the art of choral conducting. His methods have provided a wonderful addition to the use of verbal descriptions and vocal models as teaching techniques. Eichenberger’s humility, commitment to amateurs and his service to choral music and specifically the Australian choral community has been outstanding. Eichenberger has specific links with, and frequent visits to, Australia over the past 20 years. Eichenberger thus provided a pivotal point for comparisons between the American and Australian experts. Noble, Shaw and
Eichenberger consistently demonstrate all the attributes described by Durrant (2003,
2004) as well as Ericsson’s description of expertise.
The Australian ‘Cringe Factor’ and the Tall Poppy Syndrome
According to the literature, this lack of respect is one of the common areas of complaint that many of the finest choral conductors typically face. With the conductor working with an amateur chorus in combination with a professional orchestra, the skills and knowledge required are highly complex. Partly because of the attitude towards that very involvement with amateur musicians, choral conductors tend to obtain little respect, even—or especially—from the orchestral colleagues with whom they often collaborate (Oestreich, 1999).
AUSTRALIAN CHORAL CONDUCTORS 72
This can be seen in Australia not only from orchestral conductors, but also from other non-expert choral conductors. This ‘tall poppy syndrome’ that has been researched in Australia (Feather, 1989) can be seen within the choral conducting community. The term ‘tall poppy’ refers to a person who is conspicuously successful and whose distinction, rank or wealth attracts envious notice or hostility (Feather, 1989). The tall poppy syndrome has traditionally seen the celebration of individuals who achieve success at home or abroad only for them to be deliberately knocked back down again.
The tall poppy syndrome has meant different things to different Australians.
Spathopoulos (2009) stated that:
to golfer Greg Norman, the tall-poppy syndrome meant jealousy of success. Norman explained that if someone in America bought a sports car, then other Americans would say ‘nice car’. However, if someone in Australia bought a sports car, other Australians would scratch it. To tennis player Lleyton Hewitt, the tall poppy syndrome meant ignorance. After seeing his home crowd support a fellow youngster over him, Hewitt said it was the ‘stupidity’ of the Australian public to criticise, denigrate or refuse to acknowledge the better players. To swimmer Ian Thorpe, the tall poppy syndrome meant not conforming to traditional conceptions of Australian masculinity, which led to rumours and speculation regarding his sexuality (Spathopoulos, 2009, p. 37).
The tall poppy syndrome is not only limited to the sporting arena. It can also be felt in the scientific field as well. The scientists stated that ‘Australians were too focused on sport, and not giving due recognition to intellectual achievement’ (Spathopoulos, 2009, p. 38). Scientist Donald Metcalf received an ‘Australian Legend’ honour at the 2002
Australia Day Awards, and upon receiving the award said: ‘I could name 11 colleagues whose accomplishments would exceed those of our cricket eleven. They haven’t been entertaining people. They have been saving lives’ (Spathopoulos, 2009, p. 38).
However, if achievements are not celebrated then others will not be encouraged to follow in their footsteps.
AUSTRALIAN CHORAL CONDUCTORS 73
The ‘Australian cringe’ also affects the fact that there is no credible award system in place. When an individual wins an award from an Australian ceremony it is diminished in comparison to those of the large American or European award ceremonies
(Grammy Awards, the Oscars or the British Music Awards). These awards celebrate not only the winners but also all who are nominated.
Alternatively, when there is a credible award system in place there are so many opinions of the talent or ability of the award recipient that the acknowledgment of their achievements is overlooked. This research showed that in the face of the tall poppy syndrome, the ability to cut down anyone who is being recognised is a real factor in the willingness to accept Australian experts.
There is also the factor of the community expert or citizen-expert. According to
Tesh (1999) in light of the ways citizens actually take part citizen expert dichotomy appears fallacious when it is examined. Today’s society members, with access to information on the internet and the instant ‘expert’ title given to media competition winners such as Masterchef, Idol etc any member of the community or citizen of a country appear to be experts in nearly every field. Whether it be general community or society members dismissing the environmental expert, the religious leader or the lecture as an expert in their field, at least members of their own field acknowledge their own experts. However within the Australian choral community this distinction is not apparent. This concept will be discussed further later in the dissertation.
Lewis (1996) stated that ‘an entrenched egalitarianism is a myth to which almost all Australians subscribe. In fact the underdog is a national hero’ (n.p.). This was also seen in the Ashes win by the Australian cricket team where the captain of the team first response was to lament `Now everyone will expect us to play as well next time. It has put a pressure on the whole team'. Lewis claims that ‘Such tortured modesty is greatly
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respected by most Australians and the successful are expected to observe it or fall victim to tall poppy syndrome’ (n.p.). Not knowing the words to the National anthem gives great pride to many Australians. It is also source of pride to Australians that their
Prime Minister is frequently booed at public appearances (Lewis, 1996).
Summary
This chapter has looked into the study of expertise. Looking at what an expert is according to the research and then comparing this to leadership. When looking at the two areas the literature shows the distinction that being a leader does not automatically mean being an expert. This chapter investigated the styles of leadership including
Leading as a performing art, charismatic leadership, impression management and authentic leadership. This chapter looked at the five levels of skill acquisition from novice through to expert. The attributes of expert choral conductors were discussed and included, philosophical and pedagogical awareness, musical and technical skills and interpersonal and leadership skills.
This chapter showed the level of expertise in the United States of America and not only the level of expertise but also the recognition these conductors receive from their choral community. This was followed by the Australian cringe and tall poppy syndrome which demonstrated the challenge Australian’s experts face in a country that does not embrace leaders.
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Chapter 5: Methodology
Introduction
The project employed a mixed method approach, incorporating both quantitative and qualitative methodologies. The use of this mixed method increased the quality of the findings and provide a more comprehensive understanding of the information when being analysed. A mixed method ensured that the data collected had both depth and breadth (Tashakkori & Teddlie, 1998). In order to acquire the raw data necessary to determine how the conductors’ training and experience affected their choral practices, quantitative and qualitative research was undertaken. As Phelps, Sadoff, Warbutton and
Ferrara (2005) note: ‘Researchers who organise their projects to obtain quantitative data are in a much better position to produce a significant piece of research when qualitative data are also obtained’ (p. 65). This research methodology organised and analysed three data types: quantitative data, qualitative observational data; and ethnographical perspectives. As stated by Harrison (2007) ‘qualitative and quantitative methods involve differing strengths and weaknesses, they constitute alternative, but not mutually exclusive, strategies for research.’ Using quantitative methods, it is possible to give precise and testable expression to the qualitative ideas.
Survey
Advantages and limitations of quantitative survey data
According to Doyle (2006) the advantage of using a quantitative methodology such as a survey is that it can be a powerful and useful tool for collecting data on human characteristics, attitudes, thoughts and behaviour. Conducting a survey was the only available and viable option of data collection from the potential respondents (in excess
AUSTRALIAN CHORAL CONDUCTORS 76
of 1,000 ANCA members), considering the number of potential respondents and their locations across Australia. However, Doyle (2006) goes on to point out that surveys have limitations, including:
A single survey can establish whether or not a relationship exists between two
variables but is not sufficient to determine the direction of causality. Survey
studies rely on ‘self-report’ data, that is, they depend on participants to truthfully
and accurately report on their attitudes and characteristics. This does not always
happen. Survey studies are subject to well-known types of bias. For example,
since respondents know they are being studied, and have at least some idea why,
they may change their answers, either consciously or unconsciously, to show
themselves in a better light or to conform to the expectations of those who are
studying them (p. 3).
These limitations were considered when formulating, implementing and analysing the survey.
Survey design
The design of the survey considered several factors. As recommended by Battey and Bhaskaran (2007), these included:
Speed: Email and web page surveys are the fastest methods, followed by
telephone interviewing. Mail surveys are the slowest.
Cost: Personal interviews are the most expensive, followed by telephone and
then mail. Email and web page surveys are the least expensive for large samples.
Internet usage: Web page and email surveys offer significant advantages, but
may not be able to be accessed by all potential respondents.
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Literacy levels: Illiterate and less well-educated people rarely respond to mail
surveys.
Sensitive questions: Are people are more likely to answer sensitive questions
when interviewed directly or by a computer in one form or another.
On the basis of these considerations, a web-based survey was chosen, with the option of being sent the survey by mail if required. The survey itself contained of three types of questions: multiple choice, numeric open-end and text open-end (sometimes called
‘verbatim’). Rating scales and agreement scales are two common types of questions that researchers treat as multiple-choice questions and others treat as numeric open-ended questions (Battey & Bhaskaran, 2007). The survey contained both of these scales.
Why Case Study?
Case study is an ideal methodology when a holistic, in-depth investigation is needed (Feagin, Orum, & Sjoberg, 1991). Case studies are designed to bring out the details from the viewpoint of the participants by using multiple sources of data. This is asserted by many major researchers in the field, including Yin (1993), Stake (1995) and
Feagin and colleagues (1991). Case study research is not sampling research and the selection must be done so as to maximise what can be learned in the period of time available for the study. The benefits of this approach as Bartleet (2006) stated are that it:
…also provides a dialogic paradigm that has the ability to empower informants.
By allowing the informants to use their own words to describe their experiences,
we may be able to abolish the power relations that can often marginalise them
(p. 194).
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Definition of case study
Yin (1993) defines the case study research method ‘as an empirical inquiry that investigates a contemporary phenomenon within its real-life context; when the boundaries between phenomenon and context are not clearly evident; and in which multiple sources of evidence are used’ (p. 59). In other words, a case study is a unique way of observing any natural phenomenon that exists in a set of data. By unique it is meant that ‘only a very small geographical area or number of subjects of interest is examined in detail. Unlike quantitative analysis which observes patterns in data at the macro level on the basis of the frequency of occurrence of the phenomena being observed, case studies observe the data at the micro level’ (Yin, 1984, p. 23).
There are several categories within the methodology of case study. Yin
(1984) notes three categories, namely: exploratory, descriptive and explanatory case studies. A pilot study, as used in this research, is considered by Yin to be an example of an exploratory case study (Yin, 1984; McDonough and McDonough, 1997) and was crucial in determining the protocol that was to be used. McDonough and
McDonough (1997) suggest that descriptive case studies may be in a narrative form.
This narrative form was captured through the interviews with each case study.
Design of case studies
The design of the case studies in this research followed the first and second category of Yin (1984). Exploratory case studies examining the phenomena in the choral practice of Australian choral conductors were conducted through observations and interviews. Prior fieldwork and small-scale data collection was conducted before the research questions and hypotheses were proposed. As a prelude, a pilot interview was conducted along with a sample survey of several conductors. This initial work
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helped prepare a framework for the study and was crucial in determining the protocol to be used.
Advantages of case studies
There are a number of advantages in using case studies. The examination of the data is most often conducted within the context of its use (Yin, 1984); in this case within the individual rehearsals and the context of the professional experience in which the choral practice takes place. To explore the choral practices the conductor uses, the researcher observed the subject within his/her rehearsal environment.
While Yin, cautions researchers not to confuse case studies with qualitative research, he also notes that ‘case studies can be based...entirely on quantitative evidence’ (1984, p. 25). A case study of choral practices used by an individual subject can give access not only to the numerical information concerning the practices used, but also the reasons for the practice, and how these practices are used in relation to other practices.
Disadvantages of case studies
Often, case study research is dismissed as useful only as an exploratory tool. Yin
(1984) discusses three types of arguments against case study research. Case studies are often accused of lack of rigour. Yin notes that ‘…too many times, the case study investigator has been sloppy, and has allowed equivocal evidence or biased views to influence the direction of the findings and conclusions’ (1984, p. 21). Case studies have been argued to provide little basis for scientific generalisation since they use a small number of subjects. The question commonly raised is ‘How can you generalise from a single case?’ (Yin, 1984, p. 21).
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Finally, case studies are often labelled as being too long, difficult to conduct and apt to produce a massive amount of documentation (Yin, 1984). In particular, case studies of an ethnographic or longitudinal nature can elicit a great deal of data over a period of time. This danger appears when data are not managed and organised systematically.
Multiple cases
Multiple cases augment external validity and help guard against observer biases
(Leonard-Barton, 1990). Yin argues that the logic underlying a multiple-approach is similar to that guiding multiple experiments, and that each case should be selected so that it
‘either (a) predicts similar results (a literal replication), or (b) produces contrary results but for predictable reasons (a theoretical replication)’ (Yin 1984, pp. 48–49).
Since the objective of the research was to create an overall view of current choral practices by Australian choral conductors, a methodology able to elicit both literal and theoretical replication was required.
The Case Study Selection Process
The participants involved in the case studies were chosen from the ANCA membership list. This membership registry represents choirs and conductors across
Australia. They are diverse in repertoire genre, style, size, and location as well as conducting experience. Conductors who are registered members of ANCA were invited to voluntarily place their name on a registry from which they were chosen for interviews. Other national and international leading choral conductors were invited to participate in the study. All were interviewed at an initial meeting and then a number
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were invited to be part of the longitudinal study. Conductors of diverse musical style were considered for possible case study. These included world music, gospel singing, barbershop, jazz, multi-cultural ensembles, adult community choirs, children’s choirs, and church or school choirs.
There were a number of criteria that decided upon the inclusion of the conductors. These included: conductors who performed public concerts regularly throughout the year; conductors who have toured within the previous 12 months, or were intending to tour within the next 12 months (either nationally or internationally) and conductors who have more than 15 years of experience in choral conducting; conductors that had the conducting attributes of Durrant (2003, 2009) and the expertise as stated by Ericsson (1993). Conductors who conduct more than one type of choir, are prominent at conferences, present industry workshops and have gained high respect within the choral art form as a conductor and leader in the industry by their colleagues were considered as the prime candidates for interviews. It is acknowledged that there may have been conductors outside this brief that may have a strong following within their own communities.
The Australian conductors invited to participate as case studies were thus chosen due to their depth and breadth of experience, their knowledge base and their leadership within ANCA. Each conductor is at the forefront of presenting and promoting excellent choral practice, as defined in the literature on expertise. These conductors have all toured extensively nationally and internationally. They are often called upon by other choirs, companies and conductors to present workshops, lead or train conductors and repertoire sessions on music, including choral practices. They have also been invited to be guest conductors for major events such as the Commonwealth Games, national and international festivals, and to conduct local, national and international choirs. Together
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they represent a cross-section of conductors within the western art music traditional section of choral music with a balance of children’s, youth, adult, church and community choirs.
Interviews were conducted with Noel Ancell, Heather Buchanan (USA), Emily
Cox, Carl Crossin, Faye Dumont, Peter Leech (UK), Stephen Leek, Graeme Morton,
Mark O’Leary, and Lyn Williams. Drawing on the definition of Australian conductors from earlier in the dissertation, the non-resident conductors were chosen due to their accessibility and unique situations. As an Australian conductor who moved to the USA and gained full-time employment within the choral music sector, Heather Buchanan presents a unique perspective on the developments within the choral music sector and the opportunities to be a choral conductor both nationally and in the United States.
Buchanan also often promotes and performs Australian choral music with her American choirs and visits Australia annually. This also gave a distinctive insight into the perceptions that an American choir may have of Australian choral music.
Peter Leech is one of a very few Australians to be in full-time employment as a choral conductor in the UK. In 2003, Leech won First Prize at the Mariele Ventre
International Competition for Choral Conductors. He was the first Australian to win this prize. The restraints of time, cost and travel were also considered in order for the researcher to be able to complete a holistic, in-depth investigation nationally and internationally. This interview and the observation of his rehearsal techniques took place in Bristol, England.
As part of the longitudinal study, follow-up interviews were conducted with five of the conductors currently living in Australia. During the following discourse non- gender specific pseudonyms for each of these conductors have been used as it is the contents of what was discussed in the interview data that is important, not their personal
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identity. Pseudonyms have been used for ease of readership and to create a narrative flow (Stake, 1995, Yin, 1994). These conductors were chosen for their convenience and availability for interview, that is they were a convenience sample (Tashakkori and
Teddlie, 2003).
Longitudinal Study
A longitudinal study could be considered any study where an individual is observed or measures taken at different times. White and Arzi (2005), however, add two qualifications to this definition. The first concerns the length of time, the second the nature of the measurements (White & Arzi, 2005, p. 138).
The rule for length of time between the first and the last measurement is arbitrary, but White and Arzi (2005) suggest that one year is an appropriate minimum. For choirs, a year completes a round of activities, and is usually long enough for changes to settle and for the ephemeral to disappear. Furthermore, the yearly changes in choral contexts affect conductors’ practices through the arrival of new choir members, access to new repertoire, and sometimes a new role or position. This study looked at the period of five years, due to the professional position of the researcher within the national choral association which created opportunities for collection of the oral history of many choirs and discover the current choral practice of a diverse range of conductors.
Longitudinal study: context and structure
In this research the purest form of a longitudinal field study (namely daily participant observation) was not feasible. As the case study participants live and work throughout Australia, intermittent observations were completed over the five year study
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period and interviews were conducted at a time and place convenient for both the participants and the researcher. Most interviews were conducted five years apart.
Management of data
Because longitudinal studies involve repeated measures, management of the data was a key task for the researcher. Data for each individual subject was linked, which is not as trivial a task as it might seem, especially when the records are more than a summary score on a test. Tapes of interviews and/or of rehearsals and their transcripts and field notes have been labelled in such a way that specific items can be retrieved quickly after a year or more. Novak’s conversion of ‘interview data into concept maps was a creative solution for knowledge representation and data storage’ (White & Arzi,
2005, p. 146). This research used a similar idea with concept maps. All data from every session was kept and stored in a secure location after its analysis.
Attrition
While loss of subjects can affect any research, the length of longitudinal studies makes attrition particularly likely. As well as attrition, researchers may have to cope with dispersion. This is almost inevitable when the study involves a geographical breadth as large as Australia. Management of attrition and dispersion depended on design, effort, and luck. This longitudinal study was fortunate in that all the individuals in the case studies continued working within the Australian choral conducting community. However, as the years passed some of the subjects did move to different positions. After a gap of five years, the researcher was able to contact all members of the original sample living in Australia, and also meet five of them in person.
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Advantages
While longitudinal studies demand organisation and effort, they were unavoidable as the discovery of the development of choral practice and an understanding of choral conducting remained the core aim. In each individual, this development of choral practice takes many years, and such progress would remain hidden from short-term study.
Choral practice not only takes time to occur, but the consequences may take time to appear. They can be erratic, with spurts and regressions, depending on the training and/or professional development a conductor receives. Arzi (1988) points out that understanding can continue to change for the better or for the worse after instruction has ended. A single, immediate post-test of a single event therefore provides a limited and possibly misleading evaluation. Only a longitudinal study can show whether an early change in choral practice is permanent or flexible, and whether it leads to further development.
A longitudinal study allowed the researcher to compare the conductors with their earlier selves, and permits a more detailed, and probably more accurate, account of the factors that affect their practices than could be generated by a cross-sectional study. In this longitudinal study, all the case studies were available for the follow-up interviews.
Thus this longitudinal study enabled individual matching of data and this enhanced the internal validity. Which, according to Campbell & Stanley (1963) ‘the basic minimum without which any experiment is uninterpretable’ (p. 175).
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Establishing Validity
External validity
Multiple case studies on a given topic clearly have more external validity, or generalisability, than a single case study. For instance, the single case study of an individual conductor does not take into consideration the variables of training, professional standing, choir conditions, number of rehearsals, performances, standard of singers, objectives of the individual and/or organisation. By expanding the sample of cases to include conductors with varying professional and personal attributes and combining this with the survey of choral conductors from all levels of expertise, training and skill, the researcher was able to offset the potential lack of external validity.
Construct validity
One validates a construct by observing whether predictions made on the basis of the propositions about its relationship to other variables are confirmed when tested. If the construct as measured can be differentiated from other constructs it also possesses to discriminate validity (Campbell & Fiske, 1959).
One construct that was of some importance to the theory under development in this study was the ‘communicability’ of a choral practice, defined as the degree to which a choral conductor’s practice and techniques and underlying choral principles can be communicated to other conductors. Multiple measures of this construct were possible, ranging from what are often considered objective measures. For example, this could refer to the level of specific documentation and availability of training to more subjective measures. Furthermore, the ease of use, relative to the perceived skill level of the users is considered.
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As indicated by responses in the surveys and the case studies, choral practice contributed to the conductors’ perceptions of how choral practices are viewed and developed within Australia. The two methods thus provided corroborating evidence of both convergent and divergent validity for the construct.
The longitudinal study aided in the precise definition, and the case studies demonstrated the consistency of the predicted patterns of relationship between choral practices and other variables.
Data Collection
Data was collected by three different means: surveys, interviews and longitudinal case studies.
Quantitative survey
The first component was a quantitative survey of all listed ANCA members, distributed in January 2008. This survey provided background information on the current state of choral conductors’ training and experience as well as their knowledge of
Australian choral music. It was important to obtain a high response rate to the survey.
The research factored in two main sections to increase the possibility of a response rate.
Firstly, the design of the questionnaire made it clear to conductors that the survey was both important and easily accomplished, and secondly, an implementation plan was created that included multiple mailings with prompting phone calls as necessary directed at each potential respondent. As a result, over 600 responses were received for the survey.
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Interviews and longitudinal case studies.
The second component to the data collection was the qualitative research interviews that made up the longitudinal study. The longitudinal study was one in which the participants, choral practices and changes were studied over a five-year period, with data being collected at multiple intervals.
In some case studies, an in-depth longitudinal examination of a single case or event was used. This examination provided a systematic way of observing the events, collecting data, analysing information, and reporting the results over a five-year period of time. Qualitative research interviews are ‘attempts to understand the world from the subjects’ point of view, to unfold the meaning of peoples’ experiences, to uncover their lived world prior to scientific explanations’ (Kvale, 1996, p. iv). There are both advantages and disadvantages in using qualitative interviewing. Some advantages for this research include the fact that these interviews allow the participant to describe what is meaningful or important to him or her using his or her own words rather than being restricted to predetermined categories. Interviewers also have the flexibility to use their knowledge, expertise and interpersonal skills to explore interesting or unexpected ideas or themes raised by participants. The interviewer is the instrument in this type of evaluation (Patton, 1987). The case study interviews provided a framework within which people could respond in a way that accurately represented their point of view on
Australian choral conductors and whether their training, knowledge and experience contributed to their current choral practices.
When relying on interviews as the primary data collection method, the issue of building trust between the researcher and the interviewees was important. The researcher addressed this issue by several means. First, an established procedure of how to approach the interviewees was designed. In most cases, the candidate was telephoned
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first, and then sent an email explaining the key features of the project and outlining the broad issues to be addressed in the interview. For ethical reasons, it was also important to communicate how the information was intended to be used and stored.
The interviews allowed the participants to present their ideas, philosophies and experience in their own words, thus giving a full, rich, and unique picture of Australian choral conductors’ practice. The interviewer was sensitive to nonverbal messages, effects of the setting on the interview and nuances of the relationship. While these subjective factors are sometimes considered threats to validity, they can also be strengths because a skilled interviewer can use flexibility and insight to ensure an in- depth, detailed understanding of the participant’s experience. As Kvale (1996) states,
other disadvantages or limitations that need to be considered include, but are not
limited to facts such as the data may be more sensitive to personalities, moods,
and interpersonal dynamics between the interviewer and the interviewee;
interviews can be expensive and time-consuming; and that qualitative interviews
are more subjective than quantitative interviews because the researcher decides
which quotes or specific examples to report (p. v).
The interviews in this research project used open-ended, qualitative interview questions combined with more closed-ended questions in a semi-structured interview format.
Interviews of choral conductors and composers took place twice, five years apart, involving a diverse range of Australian choral conductors previously listed in the selection process.
The researcher travelled to conduct extensive face-to-face interviews with conductors in order to obtain their personal insight and experiences as Australian conductors within the choral sector. Observations of conductors in rehearsal were also
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conducted so as to gain an understanding of the way in which choral practices are used with their choir/s.
Number of data collections
In 2007, a pilot interview was undertaken with Dr. Roy Wales, the founder of
ACCA, which then became a founding partner organisation of ANCA. This interview gave background to the beginnings of ANCA and the goals of a national organisation.
The background information from this interview provided the basis for many of the questions that were asked of current ANCA members.
This pilot interview also gave the researcher insight regarding the number of interviews to conduct. A minimum of nine conductors were then chosen for interviewing, with six being chosen for case studies and participation in the longitudinal study.
The researcher studied the choral practices of conductors by collecting real-time and retrospective data at two points in time, over a five-year period. Collecting data twice had interesting implications for the interpretation of the data. During the first data collection of the initial interviews of nine choral conductors, for example, the researcher collected retrospective data about the conductor’s training, experience and initial information on their ideas of choral practices and Australian choral music. Although the data gained provided a picture of how the conductors experienced the Australian choral industry, it was too early to assess the effects of this process at that stage. The researcher entered the ANCA organisation two years later and found interesting effects that had not been anticipated at the first interviews.
The second round of interviews was conducted five years later with five of the original nine interviewees. The researcher again travelled to conduct extensive face-to- face interviews with conductors to obtain their personal insight and experiences.
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Data Analysis
Published studies generally describe research sites and data collection methods, but give little space to discuss the analysis (Eisenhardt, 1989). One cannot follow how a researcher arrives at the final conclusions from a large volume of field notes (Miles &
Huberman, 1994).
The researcher used a number of strategies to ensure that the analysis of the data collected was valid, well-argued and had justified conclusions. Among the purposes for mixed-method evaluation design, Greene, Caracelli, and Graham (1989, pp. 255–74) highlight five major areas that might enhance the evaluation:
Triangulation: Tests the consistency of findings obtained through different
instruments.
Complementarity: Clarifies and illustrates the results from one method with the
use of another method.
Development: Results from one method shaping subsequent methods or steps in
the research process.
Initiation: Stimulates new research questions or challenges results obtained
through one method.
Expansion: Provides richness and detail to the study exploring specific features
of each method.
Denzin (1984) identified four types of triangulation of data:
Data source triangulation, when the researcher looks for the data to remain the
same in different contexts.
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Investigator triangulation, when several investigators examine the same
phenomenon.
Theory triangulation, when investigators with different viewpoints interpret the
same results.
Methodological triangulation, when one approach is followed by another, to
increase confidence in the interpretation (p. 107).
In this research, data source and methodological triangulation was utilised to increase the chances to control, or at least assess, some of the precieved threats or multiple causes influencing the results of the perceptions of the conductor, choir and observer.
These influences were taken into account when analysing an event. Complementarities through rehearsal observation and conductors’ interviews added information about the choral practice and qualified the scores and statistics from the survey.
The use of in-depth interviews with conductors provided new insights and an initiation into how Australian choral practices are being perceived and valued by conductors. Integration of the procedures mentioned above created an expansion of the breadth of the study and enlightened the more general debate on choral practices,
Australian choral conductors, and the current state of choral music in Australia.
Researchers (Yin, (1989) Ely, (1998)) agree that a retrievable case study database should be created. Such information may include written notes, transcribed interviews, audiotapes, survey questionnaires and narratives (Yin, 1989). Ely (1998) refers to this process as the safe keeping of all data entries in a log. She advised that the log should be chronological in its record of all data and researchers notes. By keeping such detailed records, observations may be more objective. Total objectivity however, is impossible, as it is the observer who decides what to see and write (Swanwick, 1996).
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Though limitations may not necessarily be viewed as restrictions but rather implications, their recognition for the purpose of this research was important.
With the above implications in mind, data on current ANCA membership was collected. This included number of singers in choirs, geographical information on where choirs were placed, training of conductors, repertoire choices, commissioning of works, work status, years of experience and tour information. This, as well as other data provided by the survey, was analysed via a comparison of the ANCA 1998 survey and the 2010 ANCA members database.
Quantitative methods, such as the survey, were then used within a national qualitative framework of interviews and case studies. The qualitative methods of the interviews and case studies were in turn used to deepen the understanding the meaning of the numbers produced by the quantitative methods (MacDougall, 1982).
In this study, the data was reduced and analysed in various stages. This involved establishing the chronology, coding, and writing up the data according to phases and themes, introducing organisational integration into the analysis, comparing the cases, and applying theory arising from the analysis of Durrant and Ericsson.
The first step in the analysis was to establish the chronology of the cases. The next step was to code the data into phases and themes reflecting the contextual factors and features of choral practices. For the interviews, this implied marking the text with a specific phrase or a theme, and grouping the paragraphs on the same theme and phrase together. The same procedure was followed in organising the documents. Before writing up the cases, the information on each theme was scanned in order to build up the facts and file them in with perceptions and reactions that were illustrative and representative of the data.
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As a result, a number of overall themes, concepts, and relationships emerged from the within-case analysis and cross-case comparisons. The final step was to compare these emergent findings with theory from the quantitative survey, as well as other relevant perspectives. The comparison of emergent concepts, theory, or hypotheses with the extant literature involved documenting the similarities and contradictions. The key to this process was to consider a broad range of theory
(Eisenhardt, 1989). On the whole, linking emergent theory to existent literature enhanced the internal validity, generalisability, and theoretical level of theory-building from case in this research (Meyer, 2001, p. 342).
Validity and Reliability
The problems of validity in qualitative studies are related to the fact that most qualitative researchers work alone in the field and focus on their findings rather than describing how their results were obtained. There are also limitations in processing information (Miles & Huberman, 1994). Researchers writing about qualitative methods have questioned whether the same criteria can be used for qualitative and quantitative studies (Kirk & Miller, 1986; Sykes, 1990; Maxwell, 1992). The problem with the validity criteria suggested for qualitative research is that there is little consistency across the literature as each author suggests a different set of criteria. One approach in examining validity and reliability is to apply the criteria used in quantitative research.
Hence, the criteria to be examined here are training, experience, and professional standing.
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Problems with the Methodology
No methodology is perfect. Some of the shortcomings here are inherent in the methodology and others are attributable to inadequate understanding of research findings. ‘The inherent limitations of qualitative case studies, such as the vulnerability of data to subjective interpretation and the difficulties of compiling evidence about relationships among variables are well known and need not be elaborated further here;
(Leonard-Barton, 1990, p. 277). Miles and Huberman (1984) provide a useful guide to overcoming some of these problems. The labour intensity of the longitudinal portion of the dual design is self-evident. However a number of the potential biases inherent in both the longitudinal and the ethnographical nature of the cases have already been explored.
Summary
The mixed methods approach explained in this chapter revealed the comprehensive level of data collection and why this methodology was chosen for the research that was undertaken. By using a mixed method for data collection for this study, the intention was to obtain a more comprehensive and diverse coverage of the general community of conductors’ experiences. Through the survey, combined with the informal interviews of a number of conductors, and the longitudinal case studies, depth and breadth of data emerged. These data will be analysed and discussed in the following chapters.
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Chapter 6: Survey Results
This chapter presents the results from the 2008 survey of the ANCA membership and conductors who attended choral conferences and workshops. Analysis relates this new data comparatively to an earlier survey from 1998. The data that follows gives the specifics of the results for geographical information, choral practices, training and repertoire choices, in addition to insights into the philosophies of the choral conductors. The data also illuminated information about the occupations of, and payments for, conductors.
1998 and 2008 Choral Conductor Surveys
The 2008 survey was conducted to create a cross-sectional time comparison with the 1998 survey conducted by ANCA as a joint project with the MCA and the SAA. At the time of the 1998 survey, ANCA obtained a total of 351 responses. The main purpose of the 1998 ANCA survey was to ‘gain data on the career structure for professional choral conductors’. The results of this survey can be found on the Music
Council’s website at www.mca.org.au. The 1998 survey results led to some diverse findings. Conductors were asked about repertoire, with just over 37 per cent of those surveyed stating that they performed Australian repertoire. When asked about employment status, less than 2 per cent of respondents stated that they were working as full-time conductors.
The 1998 ANCA survey revealed that choral conducting was not a rational career choice in Australia in 1998, that there were extremely few opportunities and that the financial rewards had not reached a professional level. The 1998 ANCA survey was the launching pad for a national survey which was issued to all 2008 registered ANCA
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members devised as a component of this dissertation. Areas of interest were compared and are analysed in Chapter 7. These include a comparison of the number of choirs registered as members, the choice of repertoire, training, the location and size of the choir, rehearsal and performance schedules, and conductors’ employment status, as well as establishing whether choirs tour either nationally or internationally. The results from this survey were analysed in direct comparison with the 1998 ANCA survey.
The 2008 research survey was conducted online, with an option to complete a paper version if desired. The invitation to complete the survey was sent to all ANCA members in 2008, which then included over 800 different choirs and conductors. The paper survey was also distributed at music conferences where delegates were invited to complete and return the survey to a designated secure location during the conference.
The survey was completely anonymous and neither the online nor the paper survey results can be attributed to any one individual. As discussed in Chapter 5, the survey has a number of limitations. The survey relied on self-report data, that is, it depended on participants to report truthfully and accurately their attitudes and characteristics. There was also no means of determining if the person answering the survey was a choral conductor. Survey studies are prone to well-known types of bias. For example, since respondents know they are being studied, and have at least some idea why, they may change their answers, (either consciously or unconsciously) to show themselves in a better light or to conform to the expectations of those who are studying them. This may have been the case, especially for the questions regarding the repertoire chosen and the hours spent in preparation. Another limitation with this survey was the fact that there was no opportunity for the researcher to follow up on any of the questions with individual respondents.
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2008 Research Survey Results
The online survey invitation was distributed to over 800 ANCA members, and the paper survey offered to more than 350 conference delegates. A significant number of surveys were completed (n= 606) either online or in paper form. Eighty-five per cent of the returned surveys completed more than 95 per cent of the questions. The respondents had the potential to be conductors of more than one choir; therefore the data may include some overlap in the responses for more than one category. The 606 respondents to the survey collectively conduct a total of 1,291 choirs with 43 percent of respondents conducting one choir, 21 percent conducting 2 choirs and 36 per cent of respondents conducting three or more choirs (Figure 4).
Number of Choirs conducted by one conductor
1 2 3 4 5 6 7+
6% 4% 1% 1% 24% 43%
21%
Figure 4: Number of choirs conducted by one conductor.
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The 1,291 choirs can be shown in categories of age, gender and in some cases genre (Figure 5). School choirs represent the largest proportion of the choirs listed, at over 50 per cent. The smallest representation was university or conservatorium choirs, at 1 per cent.
Primary 33%
Church 8%
Adult Female Secondary 6% 19% Adult Male 1%
Adult Mixed Tertiary 21% 1% Childrens Community Youth 7% Community 4%
Figure 5: Types of choirs.
Focus choirs
If they conducted more than one choir, conductors were then requested to choose one of their ensembles to be their focus choir for the rest of the survey questions.
This saw a reduction in the school choirs down to 41 per cent, while adult mixed choirs increased from 21 per cent to 32 per cent (Figure 6).
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Primary Church 26% 6%
Secondary 15%
Adult mix Tertiary 32% 1% Children's Community 9% Youth Adult Adult Female Community Male 6% 4% 1%
Figure 6: Focus choirs.
State distribution
These choirs are distributed across all Australian states and territories (Figure 7).
The number represented from each state may have been limited by the ANCA membership in each state, or enhanced by the location of the conference where the paper surveys were offered. Over 70 per cent of the choirs represented stated they were situated within a capital city.
VIC TAS 2% 30% SA 7% WA 2% n/a 2% ACT 2%
QLD 33% NSW 22%
NT 0%
Figure 7: State distribution of choirs.
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Singers in the choirs
The next question was to determine approximately how many singers were represented within the survey (Figure 8). With 606 choirs, not quite 50 per cent of the total choirs from Question 1, and using the mean point of each category, it can be surmised that there are approximately 18,672 total singers involved in the choirs surveyed.
250 39%
200
150
21%
100 16% 12% 11%
50
1% 0 8 or less 9 to 20 21 to 35 36 to 50 51 to 65 66 or more
Figure 8: Number of singers in each group.
Rehearsals and performances
The next section of the survey looked at rehearsals and performances.
Conductors were asked how often they rehearsed and how many performances their choir gave each year. Conductors were asked to identify if their rehearsals and performances were part of the requirements or expectations of a larger organisation such
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as a church, university or school (Figure 9). Over 85 per cent of the conductors surveyed stated they rehearsed once per week. In response to the question ‘Are rehearsals and performances set as part of a larger organisation?’ the percentages were almost equal, with 47 per cent responding ‘no’ and 53 per cent ‘yes’.
Conductors were then requested to limit responses to performances outside those required by the larger organisation. This showed that 75 per cent of choirs performed less than five times per year, with most choirs performing less than three times per year.
3 to 5 37%
6 to 11 12%
monthly or Less than 3 more 38% 13%
Figure 9: Number of performances per year.
Repertoire
When it came to questions regarding repertoire, the majority of choirs allowed their conductor to choose the repertoire, with 80 per cent being chosen by the conductor alone. Seven per cent was chosen by the artistic director of the association, and a small number of programs were chosen by committee or with suggestions from the choir. One choir stated that the accompanist chose their repertoire. Respondents were asked to state what their repertoire comprised of by choosing ‘Mostly’, Frequently’, ‘Occasionally’ or
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‘Never’ for each genre: classical/traditional, jazz, gospel, opera, barbershop, ethnic, popular/modern, musical, Australian and other. When defining ‘other’ the following were listed: church music, sacred, African, Welsh hymns, a cappella, world music, foreign language, secular songs, canons, medieval, Gilbert and Sullivan, hymns,
Christmas carols, folk, renaissance, feminist lyrics, contemporary, religious, original compositions and commissions (Figure 10).
Repertoire performed Never and n/a Occasionally Frequently Mostly 500
450
400
350
300
250
200
150
100
50
0
Figure 10: Repertoire performed.
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Touring
A new category of questions was added to this survey that did not appear in the
1998 ANCA survey. This series of questions related to touring nationally and internationally, and was included to discover if choirs were touring, and if so, what repertoire they were touring with. Only 17 choirs toured in 2006–2007, with eight of these touring interstate or nationally, while seven choirs stated that they had toured internationally (Figure 11).
Local 5
1 0 1 4 0 2 International 1 Interstate / 3 1 National 4
Figure 11: Touring in 2006–2007.
Conductors were then asked if their choir intended to tour in 2008–2009. There were 16 choirs stating that they were planning on touring. However, only one was planning an interstate or national tour, and this choir was also planning to tour locally and internationally (Figure 12). A number of choirs stated they were unsure at the time of the survey.
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Local 7
1 0 0 2 1 0
International 0 Interstate / 7 0 National 0
Figure 12: Touring 2008–2009.
Occupation
Conductors were asked to state their occupations and were given the following options for full-time, part-time or not applicable: choral conductor, church musician, school teacher, tertiary lecturer, musician or performer, retired or other. When asked to define ‘other’ the following responses were given, doctor, student, administrator, secretary, composer, accountant, builder, home educator, fashion designer, private tutor and band director.
Below, Table 3 and Figure 13 show the raw numerical data from the responses.
Raw data is presented as respondents could give more than one response. Of 606, respondents only four were full-time choral conductors, and while 305 stated they were part-time choral conductors. However, all 606 respondents presumably conduct at least one choir.
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Table 3 Respondents’ Occupations
Occupation Full-time Part-time N/A
Choral conductor 4 305 297
Church musician 1 100 505
School teacher 166 128 312
Tertiary lecturer 4 13 589
Musician or performer 21 273 312
Retired 4 55 547
Other 54 113 439
320 300 4 280 21 260 240 220 166 200 180 160 305 140 273 54 120 100 1 80 60 128 100 4 113 40 20 4 55 0 13 Choral Church School Tertiary Musician / Retired Other Conductor Musician Teacher Lecturer Performer Part Time Full Time
Figure 13: Full-time versus part time occupations.
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Conductor training
The next section of the survey examined the training that the conductor had received. As the paper survey was offered to delegates at music conferences, many of which were offering professional development in choral conducting, this may have increased the number of respondents stating professional development as their training
(Figure 14). The question did not specify a requirement to state the amount or timing of the training.
PD 22% No formal 36%
Part of Uni Degree 18% On-the-Job 20% Some formal 4%
Figure 14: Conductor training.
Those who responded as having had some formal training or professional development were then asked to identify if the following areas were included within the training: gesture, repertoire selection, vocal training and other. Respondents listed the following as ‘Other’: ABC Adelaide, AMusA, Bachelor degree, dealing with children, informal, life, Masters degree, musicology, Music degree, rehearsal technique, sing and
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plays, teaching children, and extremely limited. It appears that almost half of the formal training and professional development courses have been limited to gesture as presented in Figure 15.
Other 3%
Vocal Training Gesture 32% 44%
Repertoire 21%
Figure 15: Formal training.
Payment and position.
The final section of the survey asked respondents if their choral conducting was renumerated or not. Fifty-one per cent of the respondents stated they received some sort of payment, 24 per cent stated they were unpaid, 5 per cent stated other which included responses such as honoraria, voluntary with donations, choristers make annual donations or paid a percentage of ticket sales, while 20 per cent did not respond. Of the
51 per cent who stated they were paid, 155 conductors were paid as an independent position, 138 stated that payment was included in their salary, ten were paid as a separate activity with salary, and five were paid for performances only. Respondents
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were then asked ‘What is the amount you are paid for choral conducting that is not part of your salaried position?’ This was an open-ended question. Table 4 shows the responses, which have been categorised into similar responses for ease of reporting.
Table 4 Conductor Payments
Number of Amount respondents
$35–$50 per rehearsal per week 34
$51–$85 per rehearsal per week 19
$90–$140 per rehearsal per week per concert 55
$150–$240 per rehearsal per week per concert 24
$1,500–$2,000 per annum 7
$2,400–$2,800 p.a. 5
$3,000–$3,500 p.a. 4
$4,000–$5,500 p.a. 7
$6,000–$7,500 p.a. 5
$8,700 p.a. 1
$22,500 p.a. 1
$23,000 p.a. 1
$25,000 p.a. 2
$40,000–$50,000 p.a. 2
Unwilling to provide information 141
The final question was ‘Do you consider yourself a professional choral conductor?’ Only 15 per cent responded ‘yes’, 67 per cent responded ‘no’ and 18 per cent did not respond.
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Summary
This chapter showed that the majority of Australian choral conductors surveyed do not consider themselves to be professional in this role. There were 606 respondents, representing 1,291 choirs and 18,672 singers. Eighty-five per cent of these conductors were from Queensland, Victoria and New South Wales, with over 70 per cent from capital cities. With regard to rehearsals, the data showed that 85 per cent of conductors stated they rehearsed once per week. Seventy-five per cent of choirs performed less than five times per year, with most performing less than three times per year. Repertoire was chosen by the conductor alone 80 per cent of the time. There was considerable diversity in repertoire, with Australian repertoire performed frequently by less than one third of choirs surveyed. One of the most significant results was that of training for conductors.
Only 4 per cent of conductors reported having any formal training, with 18 per cent of these having some training as part of a tertiary degree. The majority of conductors, 88 per cent reported no training at all. The most frequently reported occupation was that of teacher. Again, this is significant as these conductors lead school choirs, and often more than one choir, with no or little training. Payment was also reported upon, with 24 per cent reporting no payment at all. The results of this survey will be analysed and compared to the results of the 1998 survey in the following chapter.
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Chapter 7: Survey Data Analysis
The 1998 ANCA survey was the launching pad for the 2008 national survey reported in Chapter 6. This chapter sets out to trace trends and developments evident in the two surveys conducted a decade apart. Areas of interest that are analysed in this chapter include a comparison of the number of choirs responding, their choices of repertoire, training, the location and size of the choir, their rehearsal and performance schedules, conductors’ work status, as well as establishing whether choirs tour either nationally or internationally. A copy of the 2008 survey can be found in Appendix 1, and the 1998 survey results in Appendix 2. The results from the 2008 survey are analysed in direct comparison with the 1998 ANCA survey.
One area in which growth was seen was the current ANCA membership, where numbers have grown from 351 in 1998 to 537 in 2008. Subsequently, this grew to more than 1,000 members in 2011 (which included both financial and non-financial members). This was an increase of approximately 55 per cent in ten years but this has more than doubled in the last five years.
The 2008 survey was for all listed ANCA members. An invitation to complete the survey was issued in January 2008. This survey sought background information on the current state of choral conductors’ training and experience as well as their knowledge of Australian choral music. A web-based survey format was chosen, with the option of the survey being sent by mail if requested. The survey itself contained three basic types of questions: multiple choice, numeric open-end; and text open-end
(sometimes called ‘verbatim’). Rating scales and agreement scales are two common types of questions that certain researchers treat as multiple-choice questions and others
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treat as numeric open-ended questions (Battey and Bhaskaran, 2007). The survey contained both of these types of question.
Over 600 responses were received for the survey. This initial data has been summarised and collated into categories reflecting the responses to the survey questions, and is shown in Table 5. The survey results led to some diverse, though not unexpected, findings. The majority of conductors stated that they were school choir conductors and when asked about repertoire, just over 37 per cent of those surveyed reported including Australian repertoire. It was unclear from this survey how much or what they considered Australian repertoire. When asked about work status, less than 2 per cent of respondents stated they were full-time conductors. The earlier survey had revealed that ‘choral conducting was not a rational career choice in Australia in 1998’
(Music Forum, 1999, 4/4, p. 22), that there were sparse opportunities and that the financial rewards had not reached a professional level. The 2008 survey did not distinguish between male and female respondents, but we can see from the
MCA/ANCA 1998 survey that the majority of respondents, 67 per cent were female.
Table 5 Comparison Summary of the 1998 and 2008 Surveys Respondents
Survey results MCA/ANCA 1998 This study 2008
Number of conductors responding No. Per cent No. Per cent
Total number 351 100 606 100
Male 33.0 Not asked
Female 67.0 Not asked
Age group Not asked
Under 25 0.6
25–34 17.4
35–50 44.2
Over 50 37.9
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Place of work
Capital city 70
Inner city 16.8
Suburb 54.4
Large regional centre 16.0 18
Small regional centre 6.6 5
Country town 12.8 7
Conductors were asked how many choirs they Their choirs conducted and then were requested to choose one of these for the remainder of the survey
Total number of choirs 741 1,291 total; 606 in focus questions
Total number of singers 28,218 ≈37, 344
Number of choirs/conductor 1–7 1–7
Number of singers per choir 8–180 8–180
How often do the choirs rehearse?
More often than weekly 11.6
Weekly 85.6 85
Less often than weekly 2.8
How often do the choirs perform?
a b Weekly 5.3 0
Monthly or more 19.2 13
6–11 times per year 36.6 12
3–5 times per year 34.1 37
Less than 3 times per year 4.9 38 aThis is suspected to include choirs that are part of a larger institution such as cathedrals. bThis was because the distinction was made as performances apart from those associated with larger institutions such as cathedrals.
The results in Table 5 also show there is little change in the patterns of rehearsals, with 85 per cent of choirs in both 1998 and 2008 rehearsing weekly. The
1998 survey question regarding the number of performances a choir gives per year may include some crossover of conductors performing as part of a larger organisation, such as church choirs, school choirs etc. The 2008 survey asked if the choir performed
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outside the required or expected performances of the larger organisation. This showed that 38 per cent of choirs perform less than 3 times per year outside required performances.
Table 6 Comparison Summary of the 1998 and 2008 Surveys Repertoire
Survey results MCA/ANCA 1998 This study 2008
Number of conductors responding No. Per cent No. Per cent
M, mostly What repertoire do the conductors use? F, frequently O, often
M = 48 F = 18 Classical 64.4 O = 8 Total = 74
M = 0 F = 6 Jazz 23.4 O = 13 Total = 19
M = 4 F = 7 Gospel 26.2 O = 16 Total = 27
M = 2 F = 6 An ethnic style 15.7 O = 15 Total = 23
M = 2 F = 1 Opera 3.1 O = 6 Total = 9
M = 5 F = 2 Barbershop 5.4 O = 3 Total = 10
M = 5 F = 17 Australian repertoire 37.9 O = 13 Total = 35
M = 28 F = 26 Popular/Modern Not asked as separate category O = 9 Total = 63
M = 4 F = 14 Musical Not asked as separate category O = 11 Total = 29
M = 2 Other(church, popular, modern folk, children’s, 59.0 F = 3 musicals) O = 6 Total = 11
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The main difference between the 1998 and 2008 responses to repertoire questions, as seen in Table 6, is a reduction in the choice of Australian repertoire by almost 3 per cent. The greatest increases are seen in the popular/modern category and the classical/ traditional category. In the popular/modern category conductors listed commercial pop songs as examples of their current and recent past repertoire. These works reflected repertoire commonly seen on television programs such as ‘Glee’ and
‘Idol’. Very few conductors listed contemporary art music works, or commissioned works, as examples of modern works.
Table 7 Comparison Summary of the 1998 and 2008 Surveys choir breakdown
Survey results MCA/ANCA 1998 This study 2008
Number of conductors responding No. Per cent No. Per cent
Who do they conduct?
Children (unchanged voices) 47.0 40
Youth(older teens/young adults) 38.7 23
Adults 54.4 37
Male only 10.0 1
Female only 25.4 6
Mixed 78.6 21
In what context do they conduct?
School 55.3 52
Primary school 34.2 33
Secondary school 30.2 19
Tertiary education institution 4.6 1
Church or religious institution 19.9 8
In Table 7 there appears to be an overlap again between the 1998 and 2008 results as seen by the more than 100 per cent therefore one can only conclude that some respondents answered in more than one category. Also in the 1998 context question,
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55.3 per cent stated they conduct in a school, yet primary and secondary schools combined is 64.4 per cent. This may have included some community youth choirs with primary or secondary age students. The other clear difference shown above is the reduction of conductors stating they conduct in a church or religious context. This may also be due to the 2008 survey requesting that the respondents choose one of the choirs they conduct to be their ‘focus choir’.
Table 8 Comparison Summary of the 1998 and 2008 Surveys time invested per week
Survey results MCA/ANCA 1998 This study 2008
Number of conductors responding No. Per cent No. Per cent
This was divided into; Hours they spend preparing, conducting and 1. Preparation rehearsing per week 2. Conducting / Rehearing
1. 21% Up to 1 2. 11%
1. 29% More than 1, up to 2 2. 30%
1. 50% Up to 2 24.8 2. 41%
1. 18% More than 2, up to 4 30.8 2. 35%
1. 5% More than 4, up to 6 35.3 2. 5%
1. -1% More than 6 9.1 2. 4%
Hours spent on administration, promotion, fundraising per week
Up to 1 57.5 24%
More than 1, up to 2 17.4 42%
More than 2, up to 4 12.5 27%
More than 4, up to 6 0% 0%
More than 6 12.5 7% Table 8 data shows the hours spent conducting and the hours spent in administration tasks such as promotion: there is a large increase in the number of hours
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spent by conductors on administration, promotion and fundraising. The MCA/ANCA
1998 survey worked with ‘up to 2 hours’ as the first category for preparation and rehearsal time. The 2008 survey divided this category into two separate categories: ‘up to 1’, and ‘more than 1 up to 2’. This was due to the respondents that stated that many choirs rehearsed once per week, and within schools this time was often reported as only an hour per week. The 2008 survey also made the differentiation between hours in preparation for conducting and hours conducting in rehearsal. It is clear from the 2008 survey (Table 8) that most conductors spend less time preparing than they do conducting, with the majority of conductors spending less than two hours per week in preparation. Yet the majority of respondents stated that they spend two or more hours conducting rehearsals. The preparation and rehearsal time was combined in the 1998 survey and there is no way to distinguish how many hours are spent in preparation in contrast to rehearsal.
The other difference shown above, is that many respondents state they are spending more time on administration that on conducting or preparation for conducting.
In 1998 of respondents spent up to one hour per week in administration. This doubled in the 10 years to the 2008 survey. There is an increase in time spent on administration from 17.4 per cent to 42 per cent in the ‘more than 1, up to 2’ hours per week category and from 12.5 per cent up to 27 per cent in the ‘more than 2, up to 4’ hours per week category. This appears to be a significant increase in a conductor’s time spent on administration and may be one of the reasons less time is being spent on preparation for rehearsals. The specific reasons for this increase and details of the types of administration tasks were not researched at this time.
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Table 9 Comparison Summary of the 1998 and 2008 Surveys Occupation and Salary
Survey results MCA/ANCA 1998 This study 2008
Number of conductors responding No. Per cent No. Per cent
What is their main occupation?
Conductor≤1% Church musician ≤1% Within the music profession 74.1 Performer 3% Teacher 58% Other 20%
Outside the music profession 23.4 9%
Not stated or retired 2.6 9%
Is their conducting work full or part-time?
Full-time 1.7 ≤1%
Part-time 98.3 98%
Paid 51% Unpaid 24% Employment status Other 5% Not answered 20%
Conducting is part of salaried position 43.6 25%
Conducting activities are apart from normal work 58.4
Not paid apart from salaried position 66.4 62%
Paid for choral work apart from normal work 34.2 9%
Payments Pay per rehearsal/week
Paid nothing or payment is part of a salaried 68.4 $35 - $50 31% position
Paid less than $1,000 6.3 $51 - $85 10%
$1,000–$2,000 6.6 $90 - $140 44%
$2,000–$5,000 7.7 $150 - $240 15%
$5,000–$10,000 4.3 Pay per annum
$1500 - $4000 35 individuals $4000 - $8700 13 individuals $10,000–$30,000 6.3 $22,000 – 4 individuals $25,000
$40,000 - 1.1 2 individuals More than $30,000 $50,000
Table 9 shows that the main occupations of the conductors in 2008 remain within the music profession, while the MCA/ANCA 1998 survey data in Table 9 does
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not show the differentiation within the music profession. However, as the membership of ANCA in 1998 was predominately school teachers, it can be concluded that a large percentage of the respondents would be teachers as shown in the 2008 survey results.
Table 9 shows that the percentage of part time conductors has remained the same at 98 per cent over the 10 years from 1998 to 2008. This is interesting if we consider the
Australia council funding mentioned in chapter three; According to the ANCA survey
(1998) there were only 6 out of 351 (or 1.7 per cent) of conductors who were working full-time in this field in 1998. Hypothetically if this was consistent with the Australia statistical growth in employment, a 13 per cent increase in employment (with the increased number of groups growing to 562) would have meant that approximately 83 conductors would have been expected to be employed full time in Australia in 2008.
The research data did not support this growth for choral conductors.
Table 10 Comparison Summary of the 1998 and 2008 Surveys Choral Training
Survey results MCA/ANCA 1998 This study 2008
Number of conductors responding No. Per cent No. Per cent
Conductors claiming to have choral conducting trainingc
Claimed to have formal choral conducting 64.7 4% training
Claimed to have no formal choral conducting 35.3 36% training
Claim up to one semester only of conducting 21.0 18% training
How was the formal conducting training undertaken?
Special conducting course 31.6 Gesture 44
Vocal 41.0 32 Training
Conducting training part of another course Repertoire 21
2.8 Other 3
How many conductors claim formal music 49.6 Not asked qualification? cNote that this question was ambiguous in the 1998 survey and the results may not give an accurate picture.
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Table 10 shows that only 4 per cent of the 2008 respondents have formal choral conducting training. Over 50 per cent of the 2008 respondents state that they have no formal training or only one semester of conducting training. This semester was usually as part of another music or education degree. It is no surprise then that only 2 per cent of respondents stated that they are professional choral conductors.
Many Australian conductors mentioned Shaw and Eichenberger when talking about training workshops both here in Australia (Eichenberger) and after travelling to workshops in the USA. There is agreement within the American and Australian choral communities that Noble, Shaw and Eichenberger are experts in the field. This acknowledgement of expertise will be used later in the dissertation for comparison with the Australian choral conductors’ level of expertise.
The MCA completed a ‘Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats’
(SWOT) style analysis in its review of choral music in Australia in 2009, this style of analysis was therefore used for the comparison of the two surveys. The results of the
1998 and 2008 surveys of the Australian choral practice were examined the with respect to each SWOT category. The analysis draws directly from the MCA SWOT analysis completed by Helen Pietsch (2009) on behalf of ANCA, available on the MCA website.
Strengths
Increase in involvement
The data showed that there is growth in the community choir sector. The number of people involved in choirs throughout Australia has increased dramatically over the
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past decade. This data provided a snapshot of a cross-section of choirs, and is by no means complete.
Capacity to change the quality of life through singing
Most people can be taught to sing, as singing is an activity is inclusive rather than exclusive. It can be eminently healthy both physically and mentally when taught effectively. Choral music has the capacity to dramatically change the quality of life of hundreds of thousands of Australians (Morton, 2004).
Recognition choirs can give a community or school
Choirs often bring local, state and national recognition to the school. In some schools, such as St Peters Lutheran College in Brisbane, the St Peters Chorale has brought international recognition to the school. This choral ensemble is cited numerous times in choral textbooks, such as Buchanan and Mehaffey, (2005) ‘Teaching Music through Performance in Choirs’. Choirs make communities within schools, and help students achieve a sense of belonging in a way few other sectors can achieve.
Development of cultural understanding
As choral music is easily portable across countries, choirs can promote cross- cultural understanding. The data from the 2008 survey showed that a number of choirs tour nationally and internationally. These direct cultural exchanges are potentially one of the great strengths of choral music.
Choirs as advocates of Australian artistry
An increasing number of Australian choirs are now touring regularly overseas and gaining international recognition for their artistry. The choirs that do tour act as international advocates, whether intentionally or not, of their national choral music and repertoire. Many of these choirs have also produced a considerable number of CDs, bringing Australian music to an increasingly wider audience.
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The opportunity for stimulation of Australian compositions
The increasing number of choirs that commission Australian repertoire for international tours or performances within Australia has stimulated creative activity.
Australian composers now enjoy a considerably better market than at any other time in
Australia’s history as illustrated in the quantity of choral music found in the Australian
Music Centre.
Choirs as an economic force
Choirs as such are becoming an economic force, for example, in their purchasing power (scores, equipment, venue hire, instrument and uniform purchases, etc.) and offer employment possibilities to conductors, accompanists, instrumentalists, orchestral forces and support staff. This area is an untapped and unstudied element of choral activity that requires further work (Pietsch, 2009).
Weaknesses
Insufficient education or training for conductors
As the 2008 survey data shows, the majority of those who are currently conducting choirs in Australia have received meagre or no training in conducting technique. There was a small amount of basic gesture, rehearsal technique, repertoire choice or vocal health. These conductors expressed a desire for more training in all areas of conducting. The data showed that most choral conductors working with community and/or church choirs have learned from watching others and/or from participating in a choir themselves. They often have had to ‘step up’ and out of the choir
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when their conductor left the choir, regardless of any specific training in conducting.
This may be valuable experience to some, however, some formal training with an expert in choral conducting and obtaining their feedback will benefit a conductor, and also the choir much more efficiently than the trial-and-error approach mentioned above. Often, due to a lack of understanding of conducting, repertoire, voice and vocal health, choirs become immersed in music that does not extend, enrich or excite the choir members or the audience.
Lack of availability of tertiary training
In comparison to the tertiary courses available in the USA or the UK, there are insufficient Australian universities that offer students a course in choral conducting.
There are a small number of postgraduate opportunities to include conducting as part of the degree, and these are still mostly in the orchestral domain. Universities do have choirs where students can sing, yet few are at high artistic standards, despite the fact that this environment is where excellence can be learnt regarding technique, repertoire, rehearsal strategies and performance experience. At some time during their careers, most music teachers and many non-music teachers are asked to lead a choir, and this lack of training in conducting at tertiary level needs to be addressed in education courses as well as music courses. Teachers/conductors who encourage singing or take choirs can have a great deal of influence on their students’ vocal development. Lack of understanding of the development and care of the human voice can have significant ramifications for their students:
For example, several speech pathologists in Adelaide have reported a rise in the number of primary school students presenting to them with vocal health issues (e.g., nodules on the vocal folds) often around the time of the public primary school music festivals that run choral programs for three terms of the school year in that state. The speech pathologists attribute this to teachers who have instructed children to sing loudly or have not understand the need for some
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‘warming up’ period and training in singing in the lower or upper ranges of the voice, occasioning students to ‘force’ the voice beyond its capabilities (Pietsch, 2009, p. 3).
Poorly skilled conductors have the ability to reduce the number of future singers
This is especially relevant for conductors of choirs for young children, who may exclude children either through audition or individually during the year, without understanding that singing in tune is a skill that can be enhanced by experience and training.
Lack of opportunity to attend and attendance at professional development training
There are a few week-long courses that conductors can attend for professional development. The University of Queensland holds a week-long national winter school for choral conductors. Gondwana Choirs has a week-long choral conducting summer school. ACCET hold an annual summer school for choral conductors. In some states
ANCA runs occasional conducting workshops, the Australian Society for Music
Education and the Kodaly Institute run some professional development workshops and each holds conferences for teachers that include a few choral conducting classes.
ANATS (Australian National Association of Teachers of Singing) also offer workshops addressing vocal technique and vocal health. These opportunities are not well attended by conductors of school choirs and community choirs. Some reasons for this are discussed in Chapters 9 and 10.
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There are disincentives for teachers to access professional development
Some schools do not support their teachers financially in curriculum and non curricula areas they undervalue, such as music. Most courses or workshops are run at weekends or out of school hours.
Lack of skilled and trained conductors to lead choirs
While the number of choirs as reported in the 2008 survey has expanded since
1998, adequately trained and skilled conductors have not increased proportionally.
Choirs regularly report difficulties they have in finding any willing person to even consider taking on the responsibility of conducting the choir. Often those that do take on a conducting role have little or no knowledge of leading a choir or training voices.
Lack of understanding of the skills and attributes required to train choirs
As well as the lack of skills for new conductors mentioned above, those conductors who have been leading choirs for a long time are often too confident in their existing abilities, and do not seek professional development or any further learning to address their lack of skills. This relates to the recent research of Pietsch (2009):
While they attract loyalty from their choristers after many years of working together, they do their choirs a disservice by their overconfidence and lack of willingness to extend their skills. The quality of their choral product deteriorates and the concert-going public cease to support the local choral scene (p. 3).
Lack of employment pathways
There are few opportunities for full-time employment in the area, but this is changing as the growth in the popularity of community youth choir increases. While
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there are a number of part time positions available within larger organisations it is the administrators that are employed full time. Pietsch (2009) stated:
there are a number of community youth choirs and programs in each state of Australia where a person has been employed full-time to manage the administration of the organisation. These large organisations usually employ a number of young, inexperienced conductors part-time, as well as accompanists to train the choirs under the organisation’s umbrella (p. 3).
Lack of consistent pay and work conditions for choral conductors.
The data from both the 1998 and the 2008 surveys showed that most conductors of these fee-paying youth community choirs are paid at an hourly rehearsal rate
(between $20–$60 an hour) and may or may not be paid for time they give at choral camps and for performances. Rehearsals are in the vicinity of two (sometimes 2½) hours one night per week after school, which means that this income is unlikely to be sufficient to live on, even if they conduct for 5 nights each week. Rehearsals do not usually take place over school holidays, resulting in employment payments that rarely extend beyond 40 weeks in a year.
The survey data shows that many conductors of adult community choirs are expected to provide their services voluntarily. There appears to have been no shift in attitude in this regard compared to the data from the previous decade. When a community choir conductor is paid, remuneration may take the form of an hourly rate or an honorarium. These rates are often lower than those paid to conductors of youth choirs, where income from parents is usually well in excess of payments extracted from adult choristers who attend choir for leisure rather than an education as associated with youth choirs. Again, the data showed there is no uniform practice, with amounts varying depending on the generosity of the community choir. Income from an adult community choir would rarely be sufficient to enable a conductor to be self-supporting, unless the
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organisation comprised more than one choir and concerts were regular and well attended.
Within the church sector, the assumption that conductors will give their services voluntarily as a service to the church is no longer accurate. Most of the church choir conductors reported payments of some form; many were in the annual salary category, although none of these were paid at a rate commensurate with their level of training and/or experience. Primary and secondary school teachers comprise the largest sector of the choral conductors surveyed. Schools throughout Australia vary considerably in their support for choral music. In general, it is still the norm for most private and public schools, whether primary or secondary, to timetable choir rehearsals in lunchtimes or out-of-school times and for performances and concerts to take place out of school hours.
The hours spent by teachers preparing for and conducting rehearsals and performances were not taken into consideration when determining teaching loads and salaries.
Additional payment was extremely rare and it was considered part of the teaching salary. The exception to this is the South Australian Public Primary Schools Music
Festival, where:
… the majority of choir rehearsals for this program (which encompasses up to 80 per cent of the state schools in the state) are conducted during school hours and timetabled. While the majority of choir trainers involved in the program are drawn from music teachers or generalist primary school staff, 12 per cent of choir trainers were hourly-paid instructors employed by the school for the purpose of running the choral program (Pietsch, 2009, p. 3).
It is clear that working conditions, pay structure, recognition of the amount of work involved and lack of agreement across the sector as to fair remuneration and fair working conditions hampers the treatment of choral conductors in schools, churches and in the community.
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Opportunities
Expansion
The expansion of the choral sector is certainly possible, but the lack of trained personnel is the main difficulty. The opportunity to involve all members of society in choirs, giving them meaningful and worthwhile activities is a growth area waiting to be tapped.
The spread of music education
Singing is one of the most accessible forms of music education for all. It does not require a massive injection of cash to train singers by comparison to that required for an instrumental programme (Pietsch, 2009). A choir can be established by anyone in any situation, school, institution, community or sub community. If taken by a trained conductor, this can enhance and develop music education. With a little insight, choral music education is available to everyone.
Creativity to be harnessed
Australia has an abundance of creative talent waiting to be tapped. A further growth in choirs and the continued tradition of choirs travelling overseas offers numerous opportunities for Australia to benefit. According to Pietsch (2009) ‘the growth of a marketable music publishing industry, giving opportunities for local composers to compete in a market dominated by the USA is both an opportunity and a challenge’ (p. 3).
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Threats
Damage by untrained conductors
The growth of the quality of the choral organisations in this country has been limited and in some cases possibly damaged by a lack of adequately trained and skilled conductors/choir trainers. The 2008 survey and Pietsch (2009) both identify that though the number of choirs has expanded, it is becoming increasingly difficult for choirs to find adequately trained and skilled conductors to lead them. Some singers have damaged voices due to the conductors’ inappropriate expectations of the singers. These expectations put on singers are often due to lack of training in voice by the conductors.
Insufficient funding of choral music.
The inadequacies of funding for choral music have been documented regularly, including Chapter 2 in this dissertation.
Lack of regular employment and good working conditions
The 2008 survey data shows that the opportunities to work in a paid position of choral conducting are not regular or with regulated working conditions. Conductors are expected to invest numerous hours in preparation, administration and marketing without pay. Yet, without conductors, there would be fewer choirs and the sector may not survive.
Dangers of an amateur profession
Because choral music in Australia is still predominately amateur, it lacks the organisational structure and advocacy support that is attached to instrumental and orchestral music in the country (Morton, 2004). Australian choral music needs structural and organisational assistance to continue to flourish.
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Summary
This chapter has demonstrated that there is a large amount of choral activity across Australia. The chapter discussed the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats within the (general) choral community, as well identifying the similarities and differences between the choral communities revealed in the surveys carried out in 1998 and 2008.
The data from the survey comparison revealed that there has been little or no increase in the payments for choral conductors over the past ten years. It also showed that there had been a decrease in the number of choirs stating they perform Australian repertoire since 1998. This is in spite of an increase in the number of choirs in Australia, as seen from the respondents and the ANCA membership.
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Chapter 8: Case Studies
Australian Case Studies - Experts in Choral Conducting
This chapter investigates the expertise of selected Australian choral conductors.
It also introduces the reader to the conductors who agreed to be interviewed, either informally or for the case studies more formally over several hours. Conductors who were part of ongoing discussions, observations and also agreed to be re-interviewed as part of the longitudinal study for this research are included. While the chapter does name each of the conductors interviewed, it does not distinguish between the informal interviews, case studies and those who participated in the longitudinal study. The conductors who were interviewed as part of this research included Noel Ancell OAM,
Heather Buchanan, Carl Crossin OAM, Faye Dumont, Peter Leech, Stephen Leek,
Graeme Morton AM, Mark O’Leary and Lyn Williams OAM.
Noel Ancell is well known throughout Australia as a conductor, composer and teacher. Highly regarded as clinician and adjudicator, he has over 30 years experience in helping musicians to achieve excellence. Recently, in addition to two seasons as guest conductor of the National Youth Choir of Australia, he has twice conducted the
Victorian Honour Choir, and conducted the combined choirs of the World Alliance
Festival of Singing for men and boys in Prague. As Artistic Director of the Australian
Boys Choral Institute, Ancell conducts the Australian Boys Choir and The Vocal
Consort, with whom he has toured internationally ten times. He has a strong commitment to contemporary music and, in addition to his own compositions and arrangements, he has been responsible for commissioning several new works by
Australian composers. He was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) for his contribution to choral music.
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Heather Buchanan is Director of Choral Activities at Montclair State University
(MSU), Upper Montclair, New Jersey, where she conducts the MSU Chorale and MSU
Chamber Singers. Prior to Montclair she was on the conducting faculty at Westminster
Choir College of Rider University from 1998–2003, where she conducted the
Westminster Schola Cantorum and taught graduate and undergraduate choral conducting. A certified Andover Educator, Buchanan specialises in the teaching of
Body Mapping and somatic pedagogy for choral musicians. Her publications include the video ‘Evoking Sound: Body Mapping and Gesture Fundamentals’ (GIA
Publications, 2002) and she is also Co-editor and Compiler of the GIA publication
‘Teaching Music through Performance in Choir, Volume I and Volume II’.
Emily Cox is Music Director of the Canticum Chamber Choir and the Brisbane
Chorale, and a part-time Lecturer in Choral Studies at the Queensland Conservatorium
Griffith University, where she directs the Conservatorium Chamber Singers and teaches undergraduate and postgraduate conducting subjects. She is a regular guest lecturer and conductor for the Royal School of Church Music and ANCA. Cox has been Choir
Director at St Mary's Anglican Church, Kangaroo Point, since 1994. Cox’s ensembles have become the ‘choirs of choice’ of professional arts companies in Brisbane. Cox maintains close contact with the choral world in Europe and North.
As a conductor, educator, clinician and composer, Carl Crossin is well known and respected throughout Australia as a choral conductor. A graduate of the Sydney
Conservatorium of Music and the University of Adelaide, he also studied choral conducting in the United States and Britain as the recipient of international study grants awarded by the Australia Council, the South Australian Government and the Henry
Krips Conducting Scholarship. Carl is Founder/Director of the Adelaide Chamber
Singers, the Elder Conservatorium Chorale and the University of Adelaide’s chamber
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choir, Adelaide Voices. He is currently Director of the university’s Elder
Conservatorium of Music where he is Director of Choral Music, Head of the Music
Studies Program, and Lecturer in Conducting. He has toured nationally and internationally with his various choirs on many occasions. He was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) for service to music, particularly as a choral conductor and founding director of the Adelaide Chamber Singers.
Faye Dumont regularly conducts the Melbourne Chamber Choir and the
Melbourne Women’s Choir. She also conducts the occasional Melbourne Mastersingers and the professional ensemble Chorelation. She has been a conductor/lecturer at
Melbourne University, the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, Latrobe
University and the Australian Catholic University and currently conducts the choirs in the School of Music Conservatorium at Monash University. Faye was the founding president of the ACA and, since the amalgamation of the choral organisations into
ANCA, has served one term as its National President. She is convenor of the Australian
Choral Conductors Education and Training summer and winter schools in Melbourne.
She founded the Choral@Montsalvat, Voices of Women and Sing Christmas choral events in Melbourne, and has been artistic director of the Melbourne International
Choral Festival. Faye has written the popular choral handbook ‘You Can Do It—
Starting a Choir’ and has followed it with ‘You Can Do It—Conducting a Choir’ which are available by contacting Faye directly.
Peter Leech has over 25 years experience as a choral and orchestral conductor, composer and musicologist. A graduate of the Elder Conservatorium of Music at the
University of Adelaide, Peter was awarded a degree in composition (studying with
Graeme Koehne and Peter Brideoake) in 1990, having previously gained a Bachelor of
Arts in Modern European History at the same University in 1987. He was conductor of
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the Bristol Bach Choir from 1999–2008, with whom he achieved consistent critical acclaim. Peter won First Prize at the 2003 Mariele Ventre International Choral
Conducting Competition, which included the Silver Cup of the Italian Republic and an appearance at the 2005 Ravenna Festival directing Coro Euridice at Ravenna Cathedral.
Stephen Leek’s distinctive music is immediately recognisable, capturing the enigmas, drama, rhythms, colours and ethos of Australia. He has been credited with having made a significant impact on, and a major contribution to, the development of
Australian choral composition and performance and how that has been promoted and discussed throughout the world over the past 25 years. Stephen taught composition and improvisation at the Queensland Conservatorium Griffith University until 2009. He is currently a Vice President of the IFCM. Among his array of personal accolades is the award in 2003 of the prestigious Robert Edler International Prize for Choral Music. He has won numerous other national and international awards for his music including several Sounds Australian Awards, and in 2004, his work die dunkle Erde was selected by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation to represent Australia at the UNESCO
International Rostrum of Composers in Paris.
Graeme Morton is one of Australia’s eclectic choral musicians. He is currently
Choral Conducting Fellow at the University of Queensland, Director of Music at St
John’s Cathedral, and Director of the Brisbane Chamber Choir. As a composer, Graeme is published by Augsburg Fortress, Kjos Music, and Morton Music. He has commissioned many of the pieces that have become Australian choral classics including
Hopkin’s Past Life Melodies and Leek’s Ngana. The release of the CD Until I Saw in
1990 saw it become the winner of the National Critics Award for the best performance of an Australian Choral Composition. Graeme is a Churchill Fellow, the recipient of a
2001 Prime Minister’s Medal, 2011 Lord Mayor’s Australia Day Cultural Award, 2012
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finalist in two categories for the APRA/Amcos Australian Art Music Awards for
Excellence by an Organisation or Individual for Services to Australian Music, and for
Excellence in Music Education. Graeme has received the award of Member of the
Australian Order (AM) for service to the arts, particularly choral music and culture, as a conductor, director, composer and academic, through the performance of new
Australian musical works, and to youth.
Mark O’Leary is one of Australia’s most active children’s choir conductors, widely respected for his work with Young Voices of Melbourne which he founded in
1990. With Young Voices Mark has produced nine CD recordings, toured all states and territories of Australia and made seven international tours to Europe, South Africa,
North America, Asia and Samoa. Mark is also Principal Guest Conductor of Gondwana
Voices, Australia’s national children’s choir. Mark publishes Australian choral music for young choirs in the Young Voices of Melbourne Choral Series and his arrangements are performed all around the world. He was the recipient of a Churchill Fellowship in
1989. This fellowship took him to England, Hungary, Finland, Canada and the USA to study outstanding children’s choirs.
Lyn Williams is Australia’s leading director of choirs for young people, having founded two internationally renowned choirs: the Sydney Children’s Choir in 1989 and the national children’s choir, Gondwana Voices, in 1997. She has recently added a number of other choirs to the Gondwana Choirs program, including the Gondwana
National Indigenous Children’s Choir, the Gondwana Chorale, the Gondwana Singers and Junior Gondwana. Her exceptional skill in working with young people is recognised internationally for its high artistic quality and ground-breaking innovation. In addition to her work with young people, Lyn has been Music Director and Conductor for a number of major events, including the Opening Ceremony of the Melbourne 2006
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Commonwealth Games, the Rugby World Cup in 2003, and the NSW Centennial
Ceremony in 2001. In January 2004, Lyn was awarded Medal of the Order of Australia
(OAM) in recognition of her services to the Arts as Founder and Director of Gondwana
Choirs. She also received the NSW State Award at the 2006 Classical Music Awards for her long term contribution to the advancement of Australian music. Lyn is a Churchill
Fellow. In 2009 she won the Australasian Performing Right Association-Australian
Music Centre Vocal/Choral Work of the Year for her work The Dominion of Dreams.
Extended biographies of the conductors interviewed are available in Appendix 3.
The previous chapters on expertise, and in particular the section on the
American conductors Noble, Shaw and Eichenberger, discussed specific examples of the common elements that define the expert. The interviews with cse study participants examined if the same qualities demonstrated in the previous chapter describing the
American choral conductors were present in their Australian counterparts. These included passion, drive, excellence in repertoire selection, rehearsal preparation, nurturing of talent, demanding of perfection within themselves, and the intangible factor of innate musicianship. According to Lebrecht (1991) this intrinsic extraordinary level of musicianship is the one thing that appears not to be teachable (p. 324). This may explain why all expert conductors are not only expert conductors but master teachers as well. Each of the participants in the case studies clearly demonstrated a high level of expertise in each of the abovementioned attributes, and thus has been considered expert in their field.
Within this chapter the participants initial influences, pathways and training are reported on from the data gathered during their first interviews. These responses were part of the formal interview conducted at the outset of the research process. Each case
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study has been given a non-gender specific pseudonym for anonymity and to avoid any bias based on gender, age, choir conducted or personal background.
Passion was one of the common elements identified in each of the American conductors mentioned above. The interviews with the case studies began by asking about their passion. The case studies were asked ‘Where did the passion for choral music begin, and what influenced it?’ The research examined if passion for choral music was common among experts or whether it was purely accidental that they all became experts in the choral music field.
The Passion for Choral Music: Where did it all Start?
The experts who participated in the case studies all talked about the sound of choirs, and in particular, the music that they sing. Using a technique employed by
Greene (1997), more than one response (or quote) has been included in instances when different candidates have given almost identical responses to each issue. The meanings of these quotes are related to the existing literature as outlined in the following chapters.
There is a common thread of the love of the verve that choral music offers. All the case study participants conduct and represent a variety of styles, genres and ages of choirs, and talk about the passion for, and importance of, good quality repertoire. Good quality as one case study explains, ‘it is about great art which is in fact a comment about the repertoire itself even before the standard, because the standards are achieved by wanting to bring to life music that deserves to be brought to life’ (Lou).
To the question regarding when this passion for choral music took hold, all of the case studies and most of the interviewees also talk about it being an early experience. Indicative comments include, ‘choral music is something that I love’ (Chris)
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or ‘I heard his choir and was just bowled over by the virtuosity, the energy in the choral singing’ (Andy). Passion has consistently come first for every case study, and for many it is just as important as their education in contributing to their success as a conductor.
Having the drive, passion and desire for choral music as an art form is a common element for all of these experts. One expert explained that ‘I think education is important, however education is something you discover. When you get out there you learn skills very quickly because you have to, or you don’t survive. But without the drive and passion for whatever you are learning you will eventually tire of it and move on to something else’ (Will). This was then combined with the common idea that if an individual has the drive and passion, he or she will naturally seek out the learning experiences, education and opportunities necessary to develop their skills and knowledge.
Not all experts began with the same genre or style of music when they discovered their passion. All discovered a passion for voices in harmony: one was ‘not to straight choir music, but to early rock music with vocal harmony’ (Chris); for another it was renaissance choral music right from the start. This expert commented, ‘I couldn’t believe how beautiful this thing was’ (Max). Common to all experts is a specific memory of a turning point, the critical moment. Elements of critical incident technique were used to identify and categorize critical incidents following the guidelines espoused by Flanagan (1954). The critical incident technique (CIT) relies on the idea that critical incidents will be memorable, making their capture possible through interview, observation or self report. Critical reflections were used by Newman (1993) as a way of getting teachers to tell their stories regarding valuable experiences in teaching. In applying CIT to aspects of teacher education, Alastuey, Justice, Weeks and Hardy
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(2005, p. 41) noted a range of identifiable features relevant to this research, including
‘an enjoyment of working with children’ and ‘personal influences.’
The case studies were able to identify some of their critical incidents, ‘I actually started running my parish church choir, an Anglican parish in Adelaide, when I was I think 15’ and another case study remembered ‘I was 12 and I remember this very, very, distinctly; I grew up in Canberra, I was on a bike ride one day and I had my transistor radio with me and I heard a song’. This expert can even remember the name of the group and the song that was the trigger for their passion for vocal harmony. While all case studies may have a different style or genre that triggered their passion for choral music, the common element was that there is a critical moment for every expert, and that this moment happened between the ages of 12 and 15.
The other common variable was that there was the lack of fostering of their passion by their high school music teachers. Either through a lack of opportunity for choral music within their school or due to their music teacher’s lack of experience, none of the case studies were given opportunities to develop their passion in the high school arena. That is as Lebler (2007) states, ‘they have learned through informal means and peer based experiences rather than under the tuition of a personal expert mentor, and their intention has been to learn to perform rather than learn how to perform’ (p. 208).
All these experts created opportunities for themselves outside their formal education, and many of these opportunities were with local church or community choirs.
Pathways Taken and Influences along the Way
The next area that the case study participants were asked to discuss was their pathway to becoming a choral director, and what the influences were on this
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journey. While their pathways appear different at first, it is clear there is a strong link to a mentor in all the case studies. Throughout the interviews the experts consistently spoke about ‘the most amazing good musician incredibly passionate about the music and an amazing teacher stunning choral director’, an ‘extraordinary music teacher’, ‘a fabulous choir director’ or a ‘lecturer who actually gave me some good opportunities’, an ‘inspirational conductor’, ‘a master teacher’ or ‘inspirational teacher’. The case studies discuss their pathway, while influenced by a significant person, it was also one of self-directed and creating their own opportunities. Lebler (2007) describes this as
‘when the development of self-directed learning ability is an explicit goal, it is necessary for students to do much that has previously been teachers’ business. The student must act as a master’ (p. 207).
This research also revealed that the descriptions that the experts gave of their most influential person are the same as those the students and singers in their own classes or choirs use to describe these experts themselves. As well as these descriptions, many of the case studies have created critical moments for their own students. One case study was even acknowledged by a 2012 Grammy Award winner as having influenced and inspired them as a young developing musician.
As choral conducting was not available as a tertiary degree within Australia (and is still not available at the time of this research, other than within a general masters degree as a specialisation), none of the experts actually studied conducting as their degree or as a major within their degree. However, all are expert musicians and have one or more music degrees, often specialising in another instrument. The following are a sample of the influences and pathways the case studies followed to become the expert musicians they are now.
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Case Study 1: ‘Max’
The passion for choral music can be seen in Max from a critical moment at age
14 when, ‘buying two records, one of which was the music of Thomas Tomkins and the other one was of French choral music and I couldn’t believe how beautiful this thing was, and especially the organ introduction….I loved the verve of all that music.’ Max explains that the symbolism of choral music is very powerful, ‘I really respond the symbols within the music. But I think also with that formality of liturgy goes a formality of music.’ At an early age Max’s involvement in church choirs was prominent, ‘I would sing in the church youth choir, I loved to sing’. While Max did not consider himself a great singer, his musicianship and passion for choral music was clearly shown at an early age. John Nickson, ‘who was the most amazing good musician incredibly passionate about the music and an amazing teacher stunning choral director’ was a great influence on Max as a young conductor. ‘So I guess there were some experiences early on that were starting to say, choral music is something that you like, and I kind of really knew that I guess.’
Max also played piano and was accepted into university as a piano major with organ as second instrument. This changed to an organ major in second year, going on to completing a university degree with honours and a Masters degree in organ. ‘I had just converted to organ, it was supposed to be my principal study, and my actual starting on organ repertoire got diverted because I was asked if I could accompany the Brahms
Requiem…hence my organ playing gave me another connection with choral music.’
While at university Max sang with the university choir which sang almost exclusively
Renaissance music, but straight away Max discovered the ‘serious’ repertoire of the
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choral music art form. It was the Girls School Treble Choir that gave Max the first opportunity to look at ‘the great repertoire of choral music’, including works like
Britten’s A Ceremony of Carols and Rejoice in the Lamb. While teaching in a secondary school, Max also had his own choir in the Methodist Church in Brisbane, developing not only his own skills but also his knowledge and experience of repertoire and performance. Max went on and worked as an organist in a major cathedral, followed by an appointment as Music Director in an Anglican parish. ‘I guess saying that the early days in choral music were really early days in church music, of course by then I was a serious organist, I was working towards a Master’s degree in organ, in organ performance’. Even as an organist, his connection with choral music and choral music repertoire was present. When a health issue meant that being a professional organist was not possible for him, choral music direction became his chief means of music expression.
The next stage for Max was to start his own choir of young adults, which was the first of its kind within Australia in its choice of repertoire and philosophy. Alongside creating and developing his own community choir, Max was also a secondary school teacher developing a choral music education program. Max’s philosophy was, and still is, ‘if I love this choral music I can share that with my students too. I hope that I show them a sense of spontaneity and exploration and investigation. That music is a journey, not a result.’ Max talks about acquiring a knowledge framework through assembling often small and apparently incidental facts and ideas:
...being the bowerbird that picks up things, I remember the organist and the choir
conductor of St Paul’s Cathedral (UK) came and did a summer school here in
Australia and he said, and again it is absolutely anecdotal in passing, but he said
there are only ever two professions where a boy was the perfect embodiment of
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the profession; chimney sweeps and choir boys and again just formalising what I
already knew, which was much of the great choral tradition was still an amateur
tradition.
Max explains the choice not to study overseas created an opportunity ‘when
(they) were away learning how to be a conductor, I was actually here on the job, and therefore learning how to be a conductor.’
Again Max talks of being a bowerbird in the learning process ‘you took everything that you could from anywhere’. Professional development was consistently present in Max’s journey:
James Jordan came years and years later, in fact I invited him here to do some
seminars and stuff and someone asked him in the middle of a seminar, how do
you know this stuff, and he said well three mornings a week I conduct a first
year chorus at the Westminster Choir College, that is the best choral laboratory
in the world, and I thought to myself, that’s it, I too have expertise developed by
working in the laboratory that is my own choir.
Max was recognised for his talent and ability with choral music and was invited to be a visiting professor at universities in the USA, ‘I went and taught at St Olaf for six months as a visiting professor, and was surprised at that invitation.’ The reason behind the invitation was due to respect and the acknowledgement that Max ‘had a holistic view that I took into my choir everyone that I could possibly get through the door’ and with this philosophy Max was still able to create an incredibly high standard that was recognised internationally. ‘The theme in my work as a choir conductor, I hope it’s been that it is about great art which is in fact a comment about the repertoire itself even before the standard, because the standards are achieved by wanting to bring to life, music that deserves to be brought to life.’
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Upon returning from the United States, Max started a new choir with a new brief, ‘…the brief at the time was to have a small group of really expert singers. The initial choir was stunning, most of them were singing with (Opera company), they were highly trained voices’. This created the opportunity for Max to move into a new dimension of commissions and choral art music.
It can be seen from this case study that Max took every opportunity that arose to develop or enhance his own skills and professional development with enthusiasm.
‘Well, I am really happy with where my journey has taken me. I’m very clear that what led me in this path was, a whole pile of things, but central to it was the impetus that the music itself, the great music itself, (not just any music), but the great music itself provided.’ Max is a currently a Lecturer in Choral Conducting, a Cathedral Director of
Choral Music and a community choral conductor, and often is contracted as guest conductor for choirs and events in Australia and internationally. Max is a master conductor and an inspirational teacher.
Case Study 2: ‘Lou’
Lou talks about the influence of an effective education system where at the age of 14 Lou took up the cello, ‘which became my dream instrument’. Singing in choirs while at primary school was also prominent in Lou’s early development. The school was a creative arts school that had the strength ‘to get lots of musical kids together at that young age and lots of drama kids’ all in the same place and explore creativity without boundaries. As with every other case study in this research, Lou had a specific
‘extraordinary music teacher’ who made a lifelong impact.
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Lou graduated from a National School of Music with a double degree majoring in cello performance and composition, and had to decide whether to become a cellist
(after winning an Australian national cello competition), or a composer. The opportunity to be a musician resident as a composer and performer with a dance company arose, ‘I was actually writing music for them and playing at the same time and also running workshops because we were on the road for months of the year in school having to run four or five workshops a day then do rehearsals in the afternoon, then write a piece at night for the next day. It was great, fantastic, I was young, and I did that for over 2 years.’
Following this Lou became composer in residence for a secondary school.
‘…coming to work at the secondary school, I would talk with my colleague at length about the lack of repertoire, the lack of conducting skills, the lack of choirs that could actually do anything.’ This was the catalyst for Lou to work with another choral expert to ‘set about to change that’. ‘It was a great vehicle for me as a composer as well because there was nobody else doing it.’ Up to this point composing, while within the choral music art form, had been the priority. ‘In terms of conductors you know it’s an interesting journey.’
Lou did not have any choral or conducting training, apart from a six-week course as a student. ‘So from then on it’s just been learning and discovering things as you go. I think now in terms of conducting, I don’t think of myself as a great conductor, certainly not in terms of the way of conducting skills, but you know people come back from America with PhDs in choral conducting many times and they still can’t communicate.’ Lou however is clearly an international figure in choral music with recent appointments to the International Federation of Choral Music Board and appointment as Choral Director for a choir in Shanghai.
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As with Max above, Lou also believes in creating opportunities and developing skills with your own choir, ‘because like choral skills, like conducting skills, like compositions you got to do it, you got to do it’.
Lou has been invited to conduct and workshop with choirs around the world, including the USA, the UK, Europe and Asia. ‘I love it when people invite me to go and do these things because it is so different, and certainly in America they love it, because it is so un-American in the way we conduct, they like to see something different.’
Lou’s career, which has been over thirty years, has not all been simple:
...the first ten years of my career we were really struggling, pushing, pushing,
pushing, then the next ten years it happened and a lot of groups were performing
in Australia, new groups not just happy tunes but we were actually singing and
people playing it on the radio, performing in concert halls. But in a sense that
risk-taking had become conservative in itself, and in more recent years, I have
seen a real shift against risk-taking, I think there’s been a real reaction to once
again feeling warm and comfortable and taking the easy option, feel good, we
want to hear stuff that we go ahh.’
Lou is currently a freelance conductor, composer and educator.
Case Study 3: ‘Andy’
Andy, as with the two previous case studies, was also involved in choirs at a young age ‘I always saw choirs as a kid, as being a kind of part-time extra thing that you did’. Andy started running his Anglican parish choir, at the age of 15, ‘built up, really from scratch, in what was a new church quite a reasonable sort of choir in the
Anglican tradition’. Having that moment of passion and realisation before age 15, the
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pathway was underway without Andy even knowing. ‘A fabulous choir director fuelled my passion and introduced me to a lot of that repertoire essentially that kind of led to lighting the next fuse so to speak.’
While at university ‘one of our lecturers actually gave me some good opportunities, an inspirational conductor, a master teacher’. ‘It’s amazing how you can have just one conversation’ and this determines your pathway. Graduating from university as a music teacher, ‘I wanted to be a teacher’, Andy was working both within the classroom and out of the classroom ‘Then when I left university I was a music teacher in a school in Hobart and in my music programme, choirs were part of that, orchestras were part of that classroom music, the whole shebang. I guess I kept up the weekend organ playing and conducting the choirs as that kind of optional extra on top.’
Andy took the opportunity presented when ‘one of the members of staff who had been involved in the (children’s choir) years ago, and they were short of a teacher for their summer school, and would I like to go up and help out, so I thought well that sounds like fun’ After the experience of the summer school, Andy went back to create a choir in the same genre, ‘I went back and said, OK we can have a similar choir here, so that started up, and again that was something that was on the side, my real job still being a school teacher.’
Some years later, Andy went to Melbourne as a lecturer in music education. At a similar time the chairperson of the choir Andy worked with at the summer school visited and told him that the choir director was leaving. When asked whether he would be interested in the position, and ‘he was very persuasive and I thought, well why not’.
The choir then became Andy’s main focus, though it was not a full source of income.
Other work was necessary as well, and that is where Andy has remained since 1990.
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For Andy, as for many of the other case studies, their training was ‘on the job’, supported by professional development. This is consistent since there was no alternative in this country when Andy was a student:
What I did as a youngster was to decide that I didn’t want to be one of the many people who went away and then come back, probably disappointed, with RFA after their name, which stood for ‘returned from abroad’, and that was supposed to have had some kind of cachet in its own right and more often than not it didn’t, so I thought no, I’m going to do this by myself and I am going to do it here. I didn’t know any better and nobody was advising me. Andy remains active in the youth choir he has been with since 1990 and also is involved internationally in the choral field, making decisions and attending summits, as well as appearing as guest conductor for events around the country and internationally.
Case Study 4: ‘Chris’
Chris’s passion for voices in harmony goes back not to straight choir music, but to rock music. Chris remembers ‘very very distinctly’ that growing up in Canberra, at the age of 12 he was on a bike ride one day and ‘I had my transistor radio with me and I heard a song by an American band.’ This was the critical moment for Chris, and vocal harmony has always been his passion since then.
As with the other case studies, Chris did not have a great choral experience in his high school years. While at university, Chris sang in a university choir for a while, and the director gave him some conducting to do while he was still a student. Chris then formed his own group of singers, ‘a very small group’. ‘I had other little experiences with musical societies at Uni and I took the Choir Society at the Uni. My group continued once I graduated’. The course Chris had done was four years, but it was still only a diploma, so then Chris completed his honours year in musicology. Chris remembers a long conversation with Richard Gill, ‘a fabulous choir director’, after
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hearing his choir, and was bowled over by the virtuosity and the energy in the choral singing. This fuelled Chris’s passion even further and introduced him to a lot of that repertoire. ‘Richard Gill essentially kind of lit the next fuse so to speak.’ John August was another important influence for Chris, ‘John August is essentially a choral man, and was another big influence. He was one of England’s leading choral men in the 60s and
70s and is another inspirational conductor. It’s amazing how you can have just one conversation…’
In 1985, Chris was teaching in a secondary school with a special music centre at that time, and he went to a summer school at Westminster College. ‘I made a decision that I didn’t want to go and study with just one person.’ He says that many people had gone over and studied with Rodney Eichenberger, ‘they are fine conductors, but they came back and you could see that they were heavily influenced by Rod’s way of doing things.’ Instead of intensive study with one person, Chris completed a number of summer sessions, ‘I couldn’t afford to do anything else at the time’, and studied with a variety of people, including Robert Shaw. ‘In his workshop everyone formed a big choir and you sang and although not one of us conducted a note during those two weeks, you all came away better conductors.’ He commented, ‘So it was really Gill, Shaw and
August. Eichenberger to a lesser extent I suppose, because what he influenced for me was my technique. Shaw, Gill and August influenced everything about the choral and everything that I did.’
Upon returning, Chris worked as a lecturer at the Flinders Street School of
Music, where he was appointed as one of the conducting residences and was then able to create his own job as Choral Director. This school of music merged with the university in 2002 and Chris is still with a major university, and is currently building a total choral programme to continue developing conducting. Chris has also established a
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community chamber choir which is entirely separate to this tertiary position. Chris remains a lecturer in music and community choral conductor, and is an inspirational conductor and a master teacher.
Case Study 5: ‘Will’
Each case study so far has revealed a critical moment that each conductor remembers as the turning point in their career. The critical moment for Will was ‘this recording of the Tapiola Choir and then I was just very, very, taken by art and the instrument’. Will had heard a recording of the Tapiola Choir and suddenly knew:
I was at the Conservatorium in high school, we had a school choir, none of us liked it, or rather we pretended we didn’t like it because choirs were not on the list of career priorities, it was be a soloist, if you can’t do that play in an orchestra, and if you can’t do that teach, and if you can’t do that, well..., but Choral music and conducting didn’t come anywhere on the hierarchy.
The passion for young singers is exceedingly evident in everything Will does with their choirs ‘but I would love for the incredible things that young singers do to be really celebrated, you know I look sort of enviously at other cultures where, you know like the
Tapiola Choir is famed and Vienna Boys Choir is celebrated, but actually our kids are as good in Australia, you know we have kids doing amazing things’. Will also talks about the passion for young voices and being especially interested in the phenomenon of young people being able to reach such an incredible level in the choir industry through their voices. This is a much higher level than they can reach with their other instruments at this age, ‘I love it, I love the kids, I love what they can achieve and so it grew from there’. Will has passion, and drive that is consistent and unwavering.
The pathway for Will is similar to those of the other case studies, in that a music degree after schooling was the first step, ‘…my degree is in performance. I played the
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harp. I performed for years with the Sydney Symphony.’ Will also studied in the United
States for a year at a college in Ohio:
I went there because the best harp teacher was there. At the end of that I realised that I could be a harpist but actually it wasn’t going to be fulfilling enough for me, so I came back and worked as a harpist but concentrated on doing conducting, and I did a graduate diploma in conducting at the Conservatorium in Sydney which is all you could do then but it was all orchestral and opera, and I did a little bit of conducting in the USA but it was still orchestral conducting….I never studied a second of choral conducting. In the early years of Will’s career, ‘I started a choir at 2BMS in Sydney, I had been doing it and I loved it but I was still doing all the other stuff as well and then I suddenly realised that this is my career. I love it, I love the kids.’
Will now is Artistic Director of a major organisation, ‘it starting from nothing, and wouldn’t existed if I didn’t have a certain amount of drive, it was part of the deal really.’ Will created the pathway and the rules and hence the organisation has become the most successful youth choral association in the country, both artistically and business-wise.
The pattern seen previously with all the case studies is that each person has taken all the opportunities given to them; however, they have all also made their own opportunities and driven their careers in the direction they wish to follow. As Will said,
‘Well I think…definitely needs to be a combination of formal training and opportunities and then, having said that, to be a conductor you need a lot of initiative and so there were no opportunities when a lot of us started out. So what did we do, we made our own opportunities. I did that from when I was in high school all the way through, I got my own groups together.’
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Summary
Researchers have studied the specialised knowledge, techniques and strategies used by experts in order to identify pathways leading to more advanced professional knowledge (Bergee, 2005). Compared with novices, experts use domain-related knowledge and problem-solving strategies differently. Experts ‘see the world differently’ (Bereiter & Scardamalia, 1993), gathering and storing information hierarchically into ‘chunks’. Experts solve problems by focusing on deep structure, undertaking qualitative analyses, and developing strategies before and while taking action (Bergee, 2005). These conclusions on specialised knowledge and strategies are common to all the case studies, as is their philosophy of choral conducting. Each case study described a distinct moment in their memory that choral music and vocal harmony had a profound effect on them as being the moment that their passion had a clear direction to follow. The innate musicianship that every case study displayed is also exceptionally clear, and is another factor that distinguishes them from the non-expert.
This chapter discussed the common threads and patterns in each of the case studies. Each conductor showed great passion and drive for their music, and all have created their own choirs and continue to do so. In creating their own choirs, and thus their own opportunities, each case study has shown passion and drive combined with their own innate musicianship. As many of the case study participants stated, ‘it’s really hard learning choral conducting through a textbook’ and all agreed that getting ‘out there and doing it’ is the key to success. The case study participants had clearly done this with humility, willingness to continually learn and to try new things. Artistic integrity is considered essential by all the case studies. Integrity in this context is considered along the same line as Schuller (1997) ‘a kind of morality of conducting as
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an art and as a coherent philosophy, not as a mere profession or, worse, a business’ (p.
9). The case studies talk about not taking up commercial events for the sake of money if it meant they were required to compromise their artistic integrity. They believe that artistic integrity comes first.
After their initial musical education and passion had directed them to choral music, there were two distinct pathways the case studies followed to attain the level of expert as a choral conductor:
Travelling overseas to study with other choral conducting experts.
Remaining within Australia and creating opportunities to conduct their own
choirs.
All the case studies have at least one degree in music and continue to develop themselves professionally by working with other experts, accepting new challenges and pushing their own boundaries.
Thus, the answer to the initial questions of whether passion was common amongst experts or did the impetus arise from other sources, and were their pathways common to all experts, or whether it was purely accidental that they had all become experts in the choral music field was quite clear. Each had made a decision on the basis of a ‘calling’ to the profession that began between the ages of 12–15, and then their musicianship, passion and drive had allowed each case study to follow slightly different paths to all excel in the choral conducting field.
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Chapter 9: Choral Practice
This chapter looks specifically at the choral practice of the experts in the case studies. Issues that arose included the training of novice or beginner conductors, the limitations put on choirs by the conductor, and the philosophy of auditioned versus non- auditioned choirs. The chapter also discusses the importance of repertoire, performance practice, and artistic integrity. Artistic integrity is one of the most important attributes held by all the experts, and was one of the attributes that clearly distinguished them from non-expert conductors. The chapter concludes with an exploration of training for community conductors, professional development in the form of conferences and the conductor as an educator. From this, the implications for conductor and teacher educator are analysed.
Choral practice within Australia is varied, as revealed by the survey results presented in Chapter 7, yet the case studies demonstrated remarkable consistency of practice. The experts’ choral practices align and are remarkably similar in philosophy, theory and approach. The central question here is: Is this expertise transferrable and learnable? Questions that were asked of the experts included where they considered the training for choral conductors should be provided, and what they believed should be included in the training of choral conductors.
All of the case studies share the philosophy that their choral practices were built around ‘making it work’. For instance, many accompany their choirs from the piano, because in the beginning they had learned that they could have a much greater influence on choral tone, energy, vitality and engagement, especially in the early days of learning a piece, by leading from the keyboard themselves. The case studies said that this went against many of the ‘teaching conducting’ books that they read when they were starting
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out, with most recommending against a conductor leading from the piano. Although recent thinking is making this more acceptable in both academic (Holt & Jordan, 2010) and community circles, the point is that these conductors were still very much learning on the job.
Choirs are often limited by the conductor’s expectations. This however was not the situation for the case studies. They worked ‘outside the box’ and have earned respect nationally and internationally through the knowledge of what they do. Hence, the question of which practices these choral conductors put in place to achieve such high levels of musicianship was asked.
Who Should Sing
The notion of ‘can’t sing’ as a cultural myth is confirmed by Welch and Murao
(1994). Welch (2001) suggests that judgements about musical ability persist because we prefer a division between those who can and those who cannot. ‘It is culturally acceptable and even cool to claim singing disability’ (Richards & Durrant, 2003, p. 80).
According to Welch (2001) ‘singing skills develop sequentially’ (p. 12).
The consensus of the case studies agree with Welch’s statement and demonstrate this with the teaching and learning within their choir. The case studies all stated that singing should be open to everyone. This is not defined as having non-auditioned choirs or not creating a choir of certain ability or experience. Welch highlights the point that ‘learning can be fostered by anyone with musical expertise, including peers’
(Welch, 2001, p. 12). The case studies demonstrated this point in that often students would take rehearsals and in some cases even conduct performances.
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All of the case studies had auditioned choirs, however, not in the usual sense of audition which means that only the best are accepted. Max described their audition process as follows:
We have ‘auditions’, so in that sense, officially the choir is an auditioned choir, but I don’t like the word ‘audition’ much because the audition process is actually this, we take every boy that walks through the door, in Australia you need to do that because in Australia you need to encourage young members in. So you take every boy that comes through the door. And then you take every girl that you can take, until you run out of chairs in the room, and then that is where the auditions stop (Max).
The case studies agreed that it was extremely important that no-one should be excluded from singing. ‘If a person is not suited to a particular choir either due to voice or numbers, make sure that in your school you have another opportunity for them to sing.’
This often comes from their own experience, ‘I actually have this very great sense that I wouldn’t have passed an audition to most of the choirs that I know of young people. I wouldn’t have wanted to have been excluded from that opportunity available to me and therefore I am not going to exclude other people’ (Chris).
For most of the case studies, the audition process serves to determine where members are going to be placed as opposed to if they are going to be placed. In one case, the auditions were more about which choir candidates would be placed in, as the organisation has multiple choirs but they are not aged-based. The case studies all agreed that ‘commitment and engagement are the only qualities that I am really interested in’
(Max). One internationally renowned conductor from the United States was very impressed with the difference from an initial rehearsal of one of the case study’s newly formed choirs (which he heard in Australia) and the standard of performance with the choir on tour. Initially not all in the choir could match pitch and lacked confidence. The
American director commented, ‘If you can take these kids and take them from nothing
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to where I heard them end up, then let’s use those skills’ and thus an international invitation to become a visiting professor in the USA followed for that case study conductor. The high level of musicianship that the case study demonstrated in the leadership and artistic integrity of the ensemble demonstrates the high level of responsibility the case study takes in developing the musicianship of each member of the choir. This is a clear example of the level of expertise in the case studies. These qualities will be discussed further later in this chapter.
Another case study discussed the compulsory participation in choir for university students:
We actually have a compulsory first year choir, all first-year students, whether they are jazz drummers, violin majors, or voice majors, the lot have to sing. It’s an ‘add on’ to their aural training. This is to show the linkage between aural training and singing. I think it works pretty well. Not everybody is sold on the idea, you know students come in and have never sung before, and say ‘why do we have to do singing?’ But I am happy to say that by the end of the year most of the ones that needed to be turned around had been turned around (Chris).
Development of Musicianship
The next practice that each of the case studies discussed was the importance of the aural development that all choir members receive, whether they realise it or not.
There are a number of indicators of quality arts education. Two key documents cited by national and international literature (Davis, 2008; Ewing, 2010; President's
Committee on the Arts and the Humanities, 2011) with respect to understanding what constitutes quality in arts are Bamford (2006) and Seidel, Tishman, Winner, Hetland, &
Palmer (2009).
Bamford (2006) emphasises that while many of the goals and characteristics of quality arts education are shared with quality education in general, the arts retain a
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number of particularities. The quality indicators developed as a result of Bamford’s
(2006) international study were found to be achieved more cost-effectively, more holistically, and with greatest ‘on the ground’ (p. 89) impact within quality arts educational environments. Bamford (2006) also states that these quality indicators hold true for both education through the arts and education in the arts. The indicators of quality listed are a summary of those identified by Bamford (2006). These indicators are drawn from international research and literature, including The UNESCO Roadmap for
Arts Education (2006). Indicators of quality identified by Bamford (2006) include:
Active partnerships between: schools and arts organisations; and teachers,
artists & community;
Shared responsibility for planning, implementation, assessment, and
evaluation;
Opportunities for exhibition, presentation, and performance;
Development in a specific discipline;
Development of artistic and creative approaches to learning;
Provision – critical reflection, problem solving, and risk taking;
Collaboration and teamwork;
Inclusivity;
Detailed strategies for assessment and reporting on learning, experiences,
and development;
Professional learning for teachers, artists, and the community;
Flexibility of school structures; and
Permeable boundaries between the school and the community.
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The indicators of quality identified by Seidel et al. (2009) are summarised, look at quality in the following categories; student learning; pedagogy; community dynamics; and environment. Indicators of quality identified by Seidel et al. (2009) include:
Student Learning
Engagement;
Purposeful experiences creating or engaging with works of art;
Emotional openness and honesty;
Experimentation, exploration, and inquiry; and
Ownership.
Pedagogy
Authenticity;
Modeling artistic processes, inquiry, and habits;
Participation in the learning experience;
Making learning relevant and connected to prior knowledge; and
Intentionality, flexibility, and transparency.
Community Dynamics
Respect and trust among all participants, along with a belief in student
capacities;
Open communication; and
Collaboration.
Environment
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Functional and aesthetic space and materials;
Arts occupying a central place in the physical environment; and
Sufficient time for authentic artistic work.
Seidel et al. (2009) suggested that these indicators should not be taken as a checklist on quality in arts education, but as a useful reference point.
An example of quality arts education is clearly seen with Education Queensland, which runs an intensive music school (like a summer camp) for outstanding young instrumentalists, called Musically Outstanding Students (MOST). This programme is designed for instrumentalists from all over Queensland and is scholarship-based.
Approximately 50 students are transported, housed, taught and developed on full scholarships provided by Education Queensland. While all students are there because of their performance instrument, the programme acknowledges the importance of choral singing in the overall development of the musician. Every day each young musician participates in the choral ensemble:
We don’t call this choir, because if you called it choir, already there would be a pre-conceived barrier, they call it Aural Studies. But in fact it’s a choir and I am employed as a choir conductor and we run it as a choir, it’s a straight rehearsal with performance at the end, and the process of course looks after most of their aural training. Significant whiz kid players, the standard of instrumental playing is very high, but their contact and exposure or the image they have of choirs is such that they would approach it in quite a different way if it was called choir (Max).
Another of the case studies spoke in terms of the way that they work with young people,
‘we are very interested in their total musical education so it’s a very long way from just singing by rote. So from the earlier stages there is music literacy involved with reading of notes, following the musical line and when they are in our senior choir we do music theory as well’(Will). This case study had their own training system within their
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organisation and by the time the members were in the senior choir they were ‘working at the equivalent of tertiary level of training, some of the kids develop perfect pitch’
(Will).
Not all case studies currently work with young singers. However, all have previously done so, and all still work within an educational framework. They all agreed that attitude to the choral tone, identifiable style, sound, are definite characteristics of choral music. These elements, according to the case studies, all need direct attention by the conductor. Along with the musicianship of the members, this set up what they call a high quality choir.
Repertoire
Repertoire choices made by the conductor, as well as the elements of pronunciation and diction further distinguish the high quality choir. Roberts (2007) stated that
all of our students be given the opportunity to explore the great works of the choral literature. I also believe that our responsibility is to teach the musical arts and to explore how the emotional context of these mighty sacred works is realized in music. Our goal must be to expose the intricate musical vocabulary that allows composers like Bach, Handel, Mendelssohn or Britten to play on our emotions - to drive us into believing the message of the text in no different a way than a film score can illuminate and create the emotion of film sequence before us (p. 58).
All the case studies stated that they continue to listen to music of ‘the great composers’, developing their own knowledge of repertoire, so as not to simply present the same pieces every year. The research also discovered that the diversity, depth and breadth of knowledge and performance experience of repertoire amongst the case
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studies was vast in scope. The distinction of ‘great repertoire’ continually surfaced in the case studies, interviews, and this also is stated in the literature (Roberts 2007).
There is a need to be discriminating when using the adjective ‘great’. When talking about great in the acting field, McGillian (2006) states ‘the criteria should be quantity of quality’ (p. 39). This implies that one great work does not make the body of work great. The term great is also used in the ‘art world’. Jessup (1962) discussed the definition of great art by stating ‘the term 'great art' has in the long past figured centrally in that kind of rhetorical and effusive discourse about art which has proved itself fruitless in aesthetic understanding’ (p. 26).
When it comes to music the definition appears less clear. The history of music shows that in the early periods of music, such as the Baroque and Classical periods, if the expert (or professional) musician didn’t like the music then it was not performed.
Therefore the general population relied on the expert’s opinion for their musical entertainment. In the twentieth century western cultures, music is readily available to everyone. Opinion and popularity is often driven by the media and especially television and no longer deferred to the experts for guidance. Television often has ‘expert panel of judges’ for talent shows which confuses both the idea of expert and great music. The definition of ‘great’ has often been diluted. ‘Great’ music seems to take on a ‘what’s popular’ criteria.
The case study participants agree with Roberts (2007) that the great composers and their body of quality works are essential in every conductor’s repertoire. Haldeman
(2005) stated ‘Classical music speaks to a universal human need for deep meaning and emotion. Superficiality has always been the mainstay of majority tastes. It sells more’
(p. 50).
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Repertoire was universally important to all of the case studies. Gillis (2010) agrees that repertoire is one of the core elements in any choral programme:
For outstanding choral programs, the repertoire is the core of the curriculum. Many eminent conductors and music educators have echoed this. Like other academic courses, choral programs should continuously stimulate interest and growth by providing good-quality musical literature to accommodate students’ varied musical needs (Gillis, 2010, p. 4).
Repertoire is usually chosen by the conductor of the choir. This process has a number of contingencies that will influence the choices. These often include influences that may be to the detriment of the musical development of the choir. Many conductors, even those in the proficient category described in the previous chapters, choose repertoire due to one or more of the following: popularity of the music with the choir, the commercialism of the music, attractiveness to gain potential audiences or just childhood memories of themselves. None of these are necessarily inappropriate when artistic integrity is upheld. However if a conductor chooses ‘to conduct shallow music they can only conduct notation’ (Battisti, 1997, p. 5). The case studies agree and demonstrate in their own programs the importance of repertoire choices:
…in the end great music will inspire musicians to achieve great performances. Just like drama inspires actors to find the character. We cut our choirs off at the knees by not giving them great music to sing and therefore it doesn’t nourish them in the same way, and therefore it’s harder for them to get the great performances (Max).
Music is an aural art and the conductor should have an appetite, preference, and appreciation for good-quality music of various genres (Gillis, 2010).
In recent decades there has been a significant shift in the Australian culture, led by choral experts such as the participants in the case studies. During the 1980s and early
90s the literature shows that Australia was just becoming aware of its own music and its own composers (Bebbington, 1997). Despite this, the difference between the 1998 and
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the 2008 surveys showed that choirs are currently performing fewer Australian compositions than in the late 1980s. This is another area where the case study participants stood out from other conductors: ‘When we go overseas, and even in
Australia, we perform a high proportion of Australian music. In Australia, to teach
Australians the music they should know, composers that should be second nature to them, and overseas to demonstrate and showcase our own composers’ (Lou).
Australian repertoire is discovered, shared and created through composers in residence, commissions, and ongoing development with composers. All the case studies commented that ‘commissioning new works every year’ and ‘singing new works especially commissioned’ were significant aspects of their repertoire selection process.
These conductors take leadership roles in not only developing works for their own choirs but also for future choirs. There is also an understanding that, in this way, the conductors will contribute to creating an exciting compositional future because they are not tied to a past. For these conductors and future conductors this is the repertoire journey. ‘So that is going to have its effect on musicians but also have its effect on audience, part of the conductor’s role is to not only develop the musicians but also to develop the audiences’ (Andy).
Battisti and Garofalo (1990) further contend that conductors must internalise music with the intent of conveying to the ensemble the mental model they have established in their minds. This is demonstrated in each of the case studies in their performances and their knowledge of the repertoire. All of the choirs conducted by the case studies have a vast amount of music in diverse genres and styles within their repertoire. Will explained that:
In last term, our Christmas term, we did our whole Christmas concert, half of which was with a Latin American group, so it was all in Spanish, a whole half
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programme to memorise in Spanish and as well all the Benjamin Britten works in the first half, so they had approximately fifteen works to memorise in a term but on top of that we were doing a recording for New Years Eve, we were doing works for the Harry Potter Exhibition and the choir had all this from memory.
Assuming that a person has the artistry to conduct, one must also have a clear understanding of the ‘aesthetic values and expressive qualities that can be derived from first-rate repertoire’ (Gillis, 2010, p. 2). Again this is a common thread through all the case studies that is demonstrated by their choice of repertoire.
The case studies are all strong advocates for commissions and developing young composers in the choral music artform. Many of the works commissioned by the case studies have become internationally known repertoire and icons of Australian choral music. Once on the Mountain composed by Stephen Leek, won the Sound of Australian
Award for the best choral piece of the year in 1989. The performance of the work by St
Peters Lutheran College Chorale, won the Award for the Best Performance of an
Australian Contemporary Work in the same year. This work was the first choral commission by an Australian choir to be acknowledged both nationally and internationally. ‘…it was good to take Australian music overseas and no one was doing it at this point, except this high school choir, not consistently…’(Lou). This work was commissioned by one of the case studies. Another work that has become an icon of
Australian choral music is Sarah Hopkins’ Past Life Melodies, also commissioned by one of the case studies. Even though these works were commissioned almost 20 years ago, they are still often performed by both international and Australian choirs.
In the past five years the case studies combined have made 28 international and national tours. One of the elements that has guided the repertoire choices of all the case studies whenever they tour is that Australian music is a priority. ‘When an international choir turns up in England or Europe they have their own repertoires and they do it so
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well’ (Lou). The case studies had all experienced international tours where the most popular repertoire was something new and from the choir’s country of origin.
‘Australian choirs must sing Australian music’ was unanimously stated by all the case studies, interviewees and many other Australian conductors. According to the experts, touring is critical for the development of a choir. However, when these conductors discussed tours, they spoke of professional-style music tours, not social sightseeing tours. One case study discussed the point that their choir when on tour is on a choir tour, regardless of where and their age:
The tour is always only a choir tour, first the members are making the effort to come on tour then they are going to sing a whole length of programmes and technically we take two full-length programmes away, and they all sing two nights out of three. It is really exhausting but that is what it’s about, performance experience. You have a motto that says: the music always comes first (Max).
The case studies all advocate that repertoire should not only nourish and extend the singers but also expose audiences to new or unknown works. When discussing contemporary art music, one case study is known to have said of singers and students alike:
why is that when we choose to go to a film with friends we say ‘what’s on?’ and then it’s either ‘no I’ve already seen that one let’s go to something new’ or ‘great I don’t know that one let’s see it.’ But when its choosing a concert it’s more like ‘what are they playing? Oh I don’t know that piece, no I don’t want to go’’ (Max).
This demonstrates the responsibility of the conductor to choose repertoire in an intelligent manner and not only select the ‘old favourites’ to attract an audience, but also to expose and excite audiences about new contemporary art music.
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Performance Practice
Another choral practice common to all the case studies was performance experience, an area often undervalued outside the arena of choral experts (Durrant,
2003). In comparison, a sporting team, even at the school level, trains more than once a week and performs once a week, and at the end of the season they have performed the equivalent of 14–16 ‘performances’. In the same period of time, a typical school choir may not have performed at all, or possibly has performed only once or twice.
Performance experience was considered very important, and the number of performances completed in a year by the case study choirs was equivalent to one per week is another factor that sets these choirs apart. The 2008 survey data showed that 75 percent of choirs performed less than five times per year.
Engagement is often more immediate with a choral experience than any other group activity that requires group skills, and the case studies all mentioned the opportunity for their singers to engage directly with great music. The case studies are leading by example in both philosophy and practice as seen with the following statement:
If I am a young pianist playing a Beethoven Sonata for the first time, a huge proportion of my effort is absorbed in the technical issues. If I am a singer coming to sing the Requiem for the first time, correspondingly much less time can be spent on the technique, I can teach a Grade ten student the Faure Requiem in a term, doing some other repertoire as well, from nothing to a concert performance. When I was in Grade ten, I couldn’t learn a Beethoven Sonata in a term, and I was doing two hours practice a day (Max).
The case studies also stated that ‘you can come to choral music where you can engage with the music, not having to have it filtered or pushed through those barriers that in a sense the technical demands create’ (Chris). While technique and enjoyment are important, the conductor can be blinded to the fact there is a goal beyond that of
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enjoyment, and that goal is to encounter music that changes lives and to encounter music which ‘in the right sense is profoundly spiritual in the broad sense’ (Max), it’s about the soul and the spirit and it’s about the basic things that animate the way we are, it’s about beauty, the sadness and it’s about things in life.’ Another very important issue for Will was the level of engagement required within a choral ensemble, ‘more importantly, more significantly, choir is where musicians learn engagement with the music’.
None of the case studies denied the social and community benefits of choirs, but all agreed that they so much more than just the external benefits, ‘I hope it was that I showed them a sense of spontaneity and exploration and investigation, that music is a journey not a result’ (Max).
Artistic Integrity
Artistic integrity, where the art form is not compromised for commercial gain, is part of the each of the case studies presented here. Artistic integrity should never be compromised for money or commercialism (fame). ‘I’m not against them making money out of it and making it a business, I’m against the making money out of it as a business at the expense of artistic integrity’ (Andy). The 2008 survey data showed that a lack of artistic integrity, where the business is considered more important than the music itself, occurs mostly in the children’s choirs that run separate rehearsals across the state or country and then combine together for a very short rehearsal before a large concert. Some of these choirs (who request to remain anonymous) openly state that they are a business first. Little focus is directed towards any of the previously mentioned attributed that make a choir ‘high quality’. These choirs are designed as businesses first
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and foremost at the expense of the development of the choral art form. While this study is not making a judgment on whether this should practice should occur or not, it clearly shows that these types of choirs that are run for profit at the expense of artistic integrity.
The case studies demonstrated not only artistic integrity and professionalism.
The artistic integrity these conductors show has gained the respect and loyalty of their singers. This is demonstrated when the conductor changes choirs or developed a new choir many singers loyal to the conductor and the conductors choral practice join or move to this choir simply because of the conductor. This is due to the singer’s consistent commitment to their conductor and choral music, or to the way that choral music is expressed through the specific conductor.
Training
The next series of questions put to the case study participants dealt with where and how future conductors should be trained. The case studies all recognised lack of training was a weakness within the choral conducting community, with the 2008 survey data showing that more than 75 per cent of conductors lead choirs without having had adequate training. ‘What’s the definition of a good teacher, well there are lots of them, but one is; a good teacher is a person who can launch their students to be better than their teacher. And that is the cycle that we don’t yet have in conducting. The next generation of conductors need to be better than my generation’ (Max). This question required examining schools and young conductors, tertiary institutions, and community professional development, including conferences. A number of philosophies were discussed by the case study conductors. Each of these philosophies was firmly based
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within their own area of conducting expertise and experience. Given the diverse genres of choirs, a clear pathway emerged for each level or genre of conductor.
As part of the youth choir programme:
…a very big part of what we do is that we nurture emerging conductors, and it’s a really important part, so a really good composer, or a very talented musician starts conducting with us and develops themselves. We have a number of prominent conductors who have come up through this process or are in the process at the moment. We also have our conductor programme associated with our Summer School and in our recent concert, I had something I had never done before, an 11-year old boy, that’s one of the boys in my choir, and he conducted something in rehearsals and he was just so good, that I had to let him conduct in the concert. He was just incredibly good (Will).
Conducting is a leadership position. A great musical leader according to Battisti
(1999) must have a passion for music, enthusiasm, vision, commitment and courage (p.
39). They must have a desire to share this with others. Battisti states that a great leader is enthusiastic about what the group is trying to accomplish: ‘A strong leader has a vision and formulates a mission for the choir. They must be able to envision what is possible for his or her choir and then plan how to achieve those goals’ (Battisti, 1999, p.
40).
One of the case studies shares that in respect to the leadership expectations of a conductor ‘to have someone come in at first year and major in conducting is premature.
We have elective classes for second and third year in conducting but you can’t major in it. I’m just starting to build a postgraduate offering’ (Chris). This only suits people who have ‘already got their chops together and who want to explore something particular, using choir music and then they do performances, they do an exhibition’ (Chris). At the time of this research some universities were looking at instigating a Masters degree in music education but either centre it around conducting or managing ensembles in an educational setting. Currently most tertiary institutions in Australia do not provide the
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opportunities necessary for choral conductors to develop. This can be partly explained by the fact that Australian institutions are still influenced by the English model, and have not embraced any alternative models such as the American model, in which choir directors can develop and flourish.
One case study stated that ‘if we give kids amazingly rich choral experiences at university level, these are the experiences they will take back into schools’ (Max). All music teachers and conductors should have an awareness of the richness of choral music. ‘We actually need choral conductors to expand their own horizons in order to expand their students’ horizons’ (Will). Training in excellence for conductors is essential at all levels. The case studies model excellence for their singers and students.
‘The achievement of excellence is the goal of a good leader’(Battisti, 1999 p. 40). A conductor needs to encourage his or her students always to improve. ‘Conductors needs to realize that achieving and maintaining excellence demands dedication, never accepting today what was acceptable yesterday’ (Max).
Conferences
There is a shortage of conferences specifically for choral conductors within
Australia, yet this is one of the few ways in which community choir conductors and school choir conductors can network and gain professional development. However, many choral conferences in Australia do not receive significant support from choral conductors. This was clearly seen with the national choral conferences held by ANCA.
The 2006 conference had less than 60 delegates, the 2008 conference was cancelled at the last minute and the 2010 conference while much larger in numbers, 120 delegates, was still only approximately 10 per cent of the members within its organisation. This
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contrasts with the support given to conferences held overseas. The ACDA state conferences often have up to a thousand delegates and the national conferences have up to 6,000 delegates, which is significantly larger than the Australian conferences mentioned. However the biggest difference is that less than 10 per cent of the National members of ANCA (see survey figures in Chapter 6) attended the national conference.
Yet based on attendance figures of Australians at the IFCM and ACDA conferences nearly as many Australians travel overseas to these international conferences. One of the case studies noted that ‘there is a degree of fret in some people that if they go to a conference in Australia and they are not presenting, they feel that it’s an admission that
‘well I’m not very good I still have a lot to learn’, other than ‘yes I’m experienced, I think I’m actually quite good and I still have some things to learn’’(Andy).
In the USA, the American Choral Directors Association (ACDA) hosts state, regional and national conferences. The attitude there is ‘it doesn’t matter if you are presenting or not, everybody is there to network and share’ (Will and Lou). The case studies acknowledged that:
…it’s such a powerful networking opportunity and they get thousands of these things and I think it’s never caught on in this country. Probably because of you know there were some pretty serious wrangling in the initial stages, you know some pretty strong battles between the powers that be and thus there has never been a united front for conferences (Chris).
Australians seem to suffer from the label that ‘If the person has international success, and then comes back that’s accepted, people who live and work here and have success and become tall poppies or whatever reason, unless it has international creditability they just get cut down’(Andy). Therefore if there is an Australian conductor at the conference the impression exists that they are not considered as important or as
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respected as an international conductor, often without people knowing the ability and experience of either conductor.
To answer the question of why Australian conductors don’t attend conferences,
Andy explains that ‘to an extent complacency sets in, they get their job, they do their stuff and they get their little world around them, and because there is no requirement for people to upgrade their skills by attending conferences and summer schools then there’s no impetus to develop their skills’.
Further, there is a difference in what Australian conductors seem to expect from conferences compared to American conductors. ‘Tips and techniques! That’s what I hear all the time; most conductors just want their problems fixed. They want workshops on ‘how to…’ and to go back to their choir with strategies for x, y and z’ (Lou).
Listening to choirs and performances are almost additional afterthoughts provided during lunch breaks and at the end of the day. In the USA conferences primarily involve listening to choirs and networking with other conductors. This may also be due to the fact that the universities cover the technique and basic ‘Conducting 101’ options, whereas at the time of this research, Australians do not yet have that option. Combined with the lack of professional development options in each state, this means that these opportunities are sparse to say the least. ‘In Australia we tend to not network with other conductors, there is very little sharing or even attending of each other’s concerts’
(Chris). There is also a protectiveness of singers and little ‘open sharing’ of singers among choirs. Any conductors have stated that they feel Australia doesn’t have a national choral association that is leading the way. This is evidenced by the lack of support given to the ANCA national conferences and lack of support given to the conductors by the ANCA state chapters. Participants in the case studies have presented at all of the ANCA conferences and at many international conferences as well, some as
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the key note speaker. Their experience of timing of both national and international conferences was expressed best by Chris:
My feeling about conferences, choral conferences here is that it is the only way they can truly work is the American system where you say a particular weekend in the year you say this is the choral weekend. The band associations do it, brass bands, concert bands, national band championships; it’s the same weekend every single year. That’s the way they do it in the States and choral Conductors know that weekend in March you just leave it free (Chris).
In order to train conductors, who in turn need to train singers in their choirs, there needs to be education in the choral community that all choral leaders themselves need training.
Conferences are one of the best and most concentrated ways in which ongoing training and professional development can happen. Andy stated that while there is passion, often there is not training, and that assistance needs to be put in place for these conductors as well:
At the moment you can have anybody start the local community choir, which I think is fantastic, get in there with the passion and drive, now get the skills to go with it, the same way that you have church choirs, the choir director leaves or dies, someone from the choir emerges as the next conductor, without training other than being in a choir, which is not bad in itself. But where do we go to assist with that, what do we put in place to be able to enable these people to develop their passion (Andy).
Orchestral conducting, with significantly more limited opportunities for amateur ensembles (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2007) than are found in the choral sector, has a significant conductor development program centered around the Tasmanian
Symphony Orchestra. At the time of this research there is no equivalent opportunity for choral conductors.
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Conductors as Educators
As choral directors, the case study participants know first-hand the power that musical experience can have for students. Research studies have also documented the possible benefits of ensemble experience. One study noted that students can be
‘intellectually, psychologically, emotionally, socially, and musically nurtured by membership in performing ensembles’ (Adderly, Kennedy & Berz, 2003, p. 204) and another researcher documented that her interviewees enjoyed the music, their teacher and their choir friends, and that they felt a lifelong attachment to singing (Kennedy,
2002). All of the case study participants could recall an exceptional rehearsal or performance by one of the experts or ‘master teachers’ that they had stated inspired them. Master music educator or MME, is recognised by the Music Educators National
Conference (MENC) of the USA through identifying levels of achievement, accomplishment, and excellence above the norm (Cowden, 1992). MENC states that an
MME will have multiple means of musical expression and will recognize that performance, in addition to being what one does with voice and instrument, is also what one does in front of a class or on the podium. ‘Every rehearsal is viewed by the MME as a performance--carefully planned; having form, content, and design; and containing a climactic moment when it all comes together’ (Cowden, 1992, p. 26). There were a number of categories and indicators in common in the interviews that demonstrated the importance of conductors being educators (Gobet, 2005).
It was clear that the case studies demonstrated the consistent use of Gobet
(2005) and Grossman’s (1990) educational principles and therefore the level of learning within their rehearsals was enhanced. When looking at the American experts (Nobel,
Shaw and Eichenberger), this study conveyed that scope for education within the
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rehearsals was expected, and the opportunities for this were available more often than within Australian choral music programs. For the purpose of this research opportunities specifically refers to the number of rehearsals per week not the opportunities within each rehearsal. The standard practice within the American model is daily rehearsals with the choir in both secondary and tertiary institutions. Within Australia, the standard practice is a weekly rehearsal in both secondary and tertiary institutions. Therefore the content of the rehearsals becomes significantly more important and thus the conductor’s knowledge of all aspects of the work is paramount (Grossman, 1990).
This is true also for conductors not operating in the school context. The 2008 survey data in contrast to the case study interviews demonstrated that the gap between non-expert conductor and expert conductor was even greater within Australia.
When the attributes and components of an expert teacher and master educator are applied to the case study participants it is clear that the case study participants are all experts and ‘master teachers’ in their own right. This was something that the researcher did not set out to examine, yet it is clear that this is something that all the experts, both here in Australia as well as in the United States, have in common. They are all master educators.
Rehearsal Practice
Musicians in all contexts spend a great deal of time describing sound and musical concepts. Such descriptions relate to the form of knowledge known as propositional or descriptive knowledge. Propositional knowledge in music is the
‘knowing about’ type of knowledge—the ‘nuts and bolts’ of a particular composition
(Stubley, 1992). Examples of this kind of knowledge within a musical composition
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include knowing the composition’s time signature, key, tempo, dynamic markings, and articulation markings. In addition to these elements, propositional knowledge in choral music includes understanding the meaning of concepts such as vowel and consonant sounds, specific entrances and releases, syllabic/word stress, and text pronunciation.
The rehearsal choices made by an expert conductor-teacher during rehearsals were observed and discussed. Choral conducting/teaching is by its very nature ‘active’ therefore, it is no surprise that an expert conductor-teacher often gravitates toward active strategies during rehearsals. The particular nature of these active strategy choices, and when during rehearsals they are implemented indicates that these choices are two factors that contribute to improvisational teaching expertise. The expert choral conductor-teachers in this study were able to navigate seamlessly through various rehearsal strategies during their choral rehearsals. The conductors remained open, vulnerable, and not afraid to take risks when making rehearsal choices. They knew the musical scores being rehearsed from the inside out. In addition, they constantly exercised their critical listening and audiation skills so that they were able to respond to the choir’s sound in-the-moment, and based on their aural perception of how the composition and ensemble should sound.
Several implications exist that may individually and/or collectively assist choral conductor-teachers sharpen their conducting and teaching skills. In order to improvise in the moment of teaching, conductor-teachers should:
Possess a thorough knowledge of the musical compositions they are rehearsing.
Brainstorm, imagine, and prepare for rehearsals outside of the musical sounding.
Listen critically in the actual sounding and through the texture of a composition.
Remain open and vulnerable, and be willing to take risks when in front of an
ensemble.
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Engage in various forms of reflection between rehearsals.
The case study participants each utilised a refined system of score study in order to acquire a clear picture of their musical interpretation of a score and a mental image of the composer’s wishes. Successful improvisation of teaching strategies during rehearsals was demonstrated with a comprehensive understanding of the musical score.
Through the process of the actual rehearsal, the case study participants demonstrated that they fully considered all of the possible musical ideas that could have been taught/rehearsed within each composition, and all of the possible rehearsal strategies that could have been implemented to teach or rehearse the musical ideas.
Verbal and active strategies, ways of building connections with the composer, the compositional motives, the text, and the listener, and ways of building vocalism were demonstrated by the case studies.
The case study participants stated that they engage in reflective practice for both rehearsals and classes. Reflective practice is a term that carries diverse meaning
(Grimmett & Erickson, 1988; Richardson, 1992). For some, it simply means thinking about something, whereas for the case studies, it is a well defined and crafted practice that carries very specific meaning and associated action (Loughran, 2002). Planning and preparation away from the rehearsal allowed seamless navigation of rehearsal during teaching. Because ‘response to sound’ was the connective tissue of their rehearsal strategy choices, the case studies continued to develop and exercise critical listening skills, including audiation of individual vocal lines and of the vertical musical texture.
When engaged in deep listening, the consensus within the case study participants made appropriate choices of rehearsal strategies, to achieve their aural image of the desired sound, articulation, musical phrasing, and other areas of the composition being rehearsed.
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The consensus within the case study participants is that they accepted and embraced that each rehearsal was a living, breathing, and continuously emerging experience, just as human beings are living, breathing, and constantly emerging beings.
To expect that a rehearsal would progress exactly according to the rehearsal plan, and/or that a specific desired outcome would take place within a set rehearsal period was to limit the possibilities of various musical, relationship-building, and life-changing opportunities that may have taken place during a rehearsal.
It was consistent that teaching and rehearsing with a mindset of openness, the case study participants all allowed themselves to be vulnerable. This was an important attribute as considered by Weston Noble in a previous chapter. By taking risks with the music and/or the ensemble the case studies unlocked possibilities within the rehearsal, and unleashed their improvisational teaching capabilities. By reflecting after a rehearsal about the strategies that were successful, which teaching choices were not as effective, and the choir’s sound as compared to their aural image of the desired product, the case study participants prepared themselves for making in-the-moment decisions during subsequent rehearsals.
One case study stated that two forms of ‘active mental reflection’ between rehearsals: informal reflection which included studying the musical score and audiating intensely through recent rehearsals while spending time with the score; and formal reflection which included playing through the score at the piano, and singing, sounding, and listening to a recording of the composition. The case study called these areas of formal reflection ‘actualising’ or ‘sounding’ through the most recent rehearsal. Formal and/or informal reflection following a rehearsal, and prior to an upcoming rehearsal strengthened the case study’s conducting and teaching ability during rehearsals.
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Implications for Conductor-Teacher Education
Educators in conducting have the unique opportunity to shape young conductors in their thinking and preparation for teaching. By encouraging conductors to remain open to all of the possibilities during choral experiences instead of incorporating a ‘bag of tricks’ response, research such as Durrant (2003) has shown that they have a better chance of taking risks and making successful in-the-moment decisions as a novice, beginner, and even advanced-beginner conductor.
Durrant (2003) stated that in order to prepare novice conductors to teach successfully in the moment of sounding during rehearsals, and to encourage these young teachers to begin thinking like an expert earlier in their conducting development, conductor-educators should:
Continue to emphasise conductors’ growth in foundational musical skills.
Provide opportunities in a safe environment for exercising strategies during
rehearsals.
Encourage conductors’ to remain open to all of the possibilities during rehearsal
and when observing as an apprentice conductor.
Conductor training should focus on the conductor as teacher, musical collaborator, and pedagogue.
In Australia, most university’s course profiles for conducting imply that conducting students begin their training by developing skill in physical conducting technique. The course profiles state that this takes place once a week where the conducting instructor observes and attempts to refine the movements of the student into motions that will communicate the ideas inherent in the music. Students ultimately conduct one another in a laboratory environment, where the intent is to produce
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musicians who are able to interpret a musical score and be comfortable in front of an ensemble. In addition to physical technique, most conducting classes emphasise score study prior to rehearsal. For example, if an apprentice is assigned to conduct Mozart’s
Ave Verum Corpus, he or she would be required to know what the Latin lyrics mean, be able to give a short synopsis of Mozart’s life, and have some knowledge of his oeuvre.
The student should also possess an understanding of form, key, instrumentation, performing edition, and other compositional features of the work.
The criteria for many university conducting classes discuss two issues— conducting technique (communicating to an ensemble) and score preparation
(understanding the composer's intent)—noting that these are the principal foci of undergraduate conducting classes. A cursory examination of conducting textbooks (as given in Chapter 3), and course syllabi from the major universities within Australia
(University of Queensland, University of Melbourne, Elder conservatorium, Griffith
University, Sydney Conservatorium) corroborates these two topics as the primary components of the curriculum. Indeed, both score study and effective technique are critical elements in the interpretive process. To some extent, conductor training has largely been based on the model of the orchestral conductor. The rehearsals and performances of professional orchestras and choruses are predicated upon an atmosphere intended to reflect the conductor’s interpretive nuances. Similarly, most critical reviews of professional ensemble performances focus primarily on the conductor’s unique reading of the score and the resulting subjective quality of the performance.
The young conductors who enrol in Australian undergraduate choral conducting classes will be directing amateurs as there are no paid professional choirs within
Australia. As a result, the consensus of the case study participants recommended that
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the training of conductors should emphasise the development of a set of skills to ensure a successful and rewarding rehearsal process. The role of educational ensembles can be summarised this way: ‘musicianship is determined as much by the rehearsal process as by the conducting in the performance’ (Max). How the conductor teaches the ensemble on a day-to-day basis is a critical factor in creating a successful and rewarding musical experience for the students, the conductor, and the audience alike.
When asked “would you consider being a mentor for other conductors?” each case study has stated ‘yes’, ‘of course’, ‘absolutely’, ‘extremely happy to mentor any conductor who wishes to be mentored’, ‘definitely, but they would have to request it, I would not search them out’. Mentoring in front of a choir and peer learning presents a strong alternative to traditional models of teacher and student learning in a classroom.
According to Bartleet and Hultgren (2008) this process ‘offers conductors a more cooperative and collaborative approach to their professional development and learning’
(p. 194). Bartleet and Hultgren go on to state that this peer-learning style of mentorship gives conductors the opportunity to teach and learn from each other, in an inclusive manner (p. 195). Learning through apprenticeship has a long tradition in the tertiary institution. Most tertiary institutions have an expert player or singer teaching an individual student, often in a master–apprentice relationship (Hays, Minichiello &
Wright, 2000).
An arrangement of this kind would offer a great opportunity for many conductors to work with an expert and some of the best choirs in Australia. The level of experience represented by the case study conductors is of the highest international standard. Several of these case studies have completed Churchill Fellowships, visiting choirs and conductors around the world. There seems to be, however, a reluctance to utilise their knowledge and experience.
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The case study participants have acknowledged the need for conductor training within Australia and a variety of pathways for development of the attributes and experience needed for all conductors. ‘We need to give opportunities to young and emerging conductors, but you are not going to get quality conductors if you make it…right here’s your path, just step onto the beautiful moving walkway of conductor and you will come out the other end a pure conductor, that’s not going to work’ (Will).
There would seem to be no ‘right’ path to becoming a choral conductor. There are a number of expectations as the generations change, and opportunities to travel and study abroad expand: ‘We can see the younger generation, they are the late twenties early thirties, there are a few of those that are around that want to be conductors and have gone and done a degree in an American University, and are coming back here waiting to be given a job’ (Will).
Andy identified that there is a lack of drive in many of the emerging conductors to actually get out there and start their own choir: ‘They want a job where they are paid for conducting; as opposed to I’m passionate and inspired by choral music and have a need to express it’ (Andy).
Summary
This chapter has examined and discussed the choral practice of the Australian participants in the case studies. Therefore this research study has provided insight into the ways through which future choral conductors might emulate to reach an expert level.
The question of who should sing was discussed, with the overall consensus from the case studies being that choral music must be an inclusive art form. Development of musicianship was the next topic discussed, with it being clear that while all the experts
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had outstanding musicianship this was not the case for all conductors. It was also agreed that it was the conductor’s role to take responsibility for the singers’ musicianship development. The consensus of the experts stated that repertoire was one of the most important considerations for all choral conductors. The research revealed that, while the experts consider repertoire carefully, the general community of choral conductors often avoid choral art music and select the commercial pop style of music seen on television programmes such as ‘Glee’. This led into the area of performance experience where again the research showed a gap between the experts, who give performance experience a high priority, and the general community of choral conductors, who perform less than three times per year.
The final section of this chapter discussed the training of conductors from beginners through to professional development, including the apprentice or mentor model and attendance at conferences. This led into a section on the conductor as an educator, where again the importance of musicianship was considered paramount.
In summary, the greatest single influence identified in this chapter is the conductor’s own musical approach, where they have studied and what their sound visions are. This is where the experts stand out above any other conductor. Given
Australia’s vast size, and because there are characteristics of sound about groups that reflect their conductors or teachers, there is often a small group of conductors who work closely and influence each other. The Australian experts demonstrated that they did not allow geographic constraints to inhibit the development of their own conducting style.
They sought out any conducting opportunities, professional development, and built their own pathways and choirs along the way. The only things they did not actively seek were accolades and awards; the accolades and awards found them.
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Chapter 10: Research Findings
This chapter illuminates the findings of this research. The longitudinal study of
Australian choral experts examined the elements that defined them as experts, discussed the attributes common to both American and Australian conductors, and considered the gap between experts and non-experts. This chapter summarises the data from the 2008 survey and related it to with the knowledge and experience of the Australian experts. It summarises the effect of the perceived Australian ‘cringe factor’ on choral music.
Finally, this chapter presents the conclusions of this research.
Common Key Elements to both American and Australian Choral
Experts
This study set out to identify specific examples of the common elements that make internationally renowned choral conductors stand out from their colleagues. These include passion; drive; excellence in repertoire selection; rehearsal preparation and nurturing of talent; an expectation of perfection from themselves; and that intangible factor, innate musicianship. This intrinsic extraordinary level of musicianship is the one thing that appears to define that all expert conductors are also master teachers.
As observed throughout the study rehearsal observations the Australian experts also bring vulnerability and openness into their rehearsals. Vulnerability is a growth process, degree by degree as one matures. It is one of the chief characteristics of an outstanding choir director. To free creativity and enhance freedom, respect, and love a person must have vulnerability. It opens us to embrace sensitivity, beauty, and depth as music is encountered (Nobel, 2005). This was reflected in the humbleness of each case study participant. Many of the case studies commented on the exhaustion they feel after
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a concert, ‘like my whole soul was put into the performance’ (Max), and ‘the music is so moving, tears are not an uncommon factor in performances’ (Lou). Conductors without intuitive musicianship may not have this musical vulnerability and therefore it is reflected in their repertoire choices, performances, choir membership, loyalty and connectedness. One case study stated:
I have a vision in my head of what I want to hear and I try to communicate this to the people in front of me using everything I can muster from my imagination. I may sometimes look foolish in the attempt, but I don't care, because I have something to share and, after all, isn’t that the ultimate joy of conducting—to share your knowledge, experiences, joys, and desires, and receive them back as beautiful gifts when singers realise them in the music (Max).
Great instrumental and choral conductors all demonstrate gesture that is not bound by conducting patterns. Research showed that this was paramount to the power of communication, the beat pattern being secondary. This finds support in the eminent choral conductor Robert Shaw, ‘Never negate the power of the face. Your face, especially your eyes must be part of gesture. Eyes never lie!’ (Shaw, 1998, p. 2).
Shaw stated that many conductors are aware of the three methods of teaching: cognitive, affective, and kinaesthetic. Using the kinaesthetic activities can enable musical activities to involve physicality (Young, 2009). Freer (2007) suggests that:
… young adolescents need a change of activity, focus or location in the room about every 12 or 13 minutes … A meta-analysis of educational research concerning adolescent learners in five countries found males to be more kinesthetically and peer orientated than their female counterparts. (p. 30)
The affective method employs a great deal of imagination and imagery as to the intent of the composer. As conductors ask questions utilising the students’ feelings for this moment of the music, they are enhancing the presence of collective physical and emotional responses. ‘Achieving a musically satisfying result often requires that conductors not get in the way of the power of great art’ (Max). Many conductors may
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know a great deal but sometimes these become stumbling blocks for what they are trying to create. The case study participants were also clear in their understanding, ‘to understand the inner person is a challenge in itself, to change it is a triumph’ (Andy).
Chis stated that conductors needed to be ‘less in the way of the power of the music’.
This meant singers and audiences were more deeply affected by the ultimate goal.
Another element common to the American and Australian expert conductors is that of the ‘critical incident’ that led the individual to their careers in conducting.
Weston Noble related how, during his junior year at Luther College, ‘The director of the
Schola Cantorum asked me if I would take a rehearsal in his absence. I had never known a feeling like this! I immediately dropped my keyboard major and knew nothing could equal the experience of conducting’ (Noble, 2005). This is directly comparable to the Australian case studies ‘critical incidents’ presented in Chapter 8.
The research observed professionalism amongst the Australian experts as exceptional. For both the American and Australian conductors, personal interactions with other professional conductors were highly valued. They often spoke of working with each others’ choirs, running workshops with each other and generally nourishing each other without the ego, politics, or the need for personal gain. ‘We often work with each other at festivals and workshops’ (Will). ‘This is a great time to nourish each other and the less experienced could learn from this’ (Chris). ‘There seems to be so much pushing and shoving between some conductors who have little training and see themselves as experts, but they just try to get up and over each other. I can’t stand the backstabbing that I’ve seen in these conductors who appear to be in it for themselves’
(Lou). This again demonstrated the integrity of the experts. Robert Shaw similarly spoke of his professional relationship with Robert Fountain, relating: ‘We conduct each other’s groups sometimes. I immediately feel at home with his chorus, and I think he
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enjoys conducting mine. I love to get hold of his group, I can feel they have ‘making music’ as a purpose’ (Freer, 2007, p. 30). Shaw also speaks of it being ‘a wonderful learning experience; we were all such good friends and nobody was sensitive to any criticism.’ (Myers, 1962. p. 9) This is also true for the Australian case studies in relation to the national choral school. However, this element is absent with a lesser conductor and is often displayed by conductors who are missing that intuitive musicianship and thus personal vulnerability. ‘They seem to be out to prove how good they are and in the end all they prove is that they aren’t’ discussed many of the case study participants.
The significance of repertoire choice was the next key element common to both
Australian and international conductors. Conductors at all levels are constantly looking for repertoire. In addition to selecting repertoire to meet the needs of their singers and audiences, the conductors in these interviews expressed how repertoire contributes to their personal experience as conductor. Every conductor selects music which is a reflection of his or her particular musical bias and prejudice. The selection of the repertoire becomes a kind of reflection of oneself. Bruno Walter stated, ‘a conductor must become possessed by the music’ (Freer, 2007, p. 32). The experts expressed their belief in this throughout their interviews, and it has been a guiding principle for many.
They needed to be possessed by the music. Then they were able to transmit the music so that the ensemble itself was be possessed by it, convinced of its essential worth. ‘There lies the possibility that the conductor and choir together can communicate to their listeners in such a way that we’ll possess them with it’ (Shaw, cited in Freer, 2007, p.
35).
Above all, conductors must select and perform music that they like in the deepest sense of that word. Music that makes a special appeal, that draws them to it, that thrills them as they work with it. Short of that, they will never reach the music’s
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essence. Weston Noble spoke of the specific qualities of repertoire that promote these optimal experiences, including:
Originality and freshness, craftsmanship, vocal suitability, texts of substance, appropriateness for the occasion, duration, instrumentation, and most of all, music that ‘grabs me’. The conductor must always be excited about any given work to be programmed (Noble, 2005, p. 2).
Here the notions of passion and expertise remain relevant, since the music that the choral experts program themselves, can also be seen as music of high quality. This is the intersection of the love of the art form with a deep sense of what is ‘great’ music.
The consensus among the case study participants is that it is extremely important to collaborate with living composers in the presentation of music from their own time. It is the relationship with the artist, and the participation in the creative process that they have found to be so enriching for ensembles and their own growth as a conductor. They stated that music from one’s own culture, the commissioning of new works and the development of the arts culture they represent is of utmost importance. They also stood out as leaders, commissioning significant works as they agreed they are for the ‘greater good of the choral art’(Max) not for personal gain or ‘to employ your mates’ (Andy).
Training for Future Choral Conductors
When discussing the challenge of knowing how the experts reached their current positions and how other conductors might develop to the level they demonstrated, the cases studies all stated the importance of training, education, mentoring and ongoing professional development. Harrison (2005) stated how in adapting the literature pertaining to music teacher education the courses appears to indicate that developing the identity of the conductor is an ongoing responsibility, shared by students, schools, universities, and professional associations. The format and timing of delivery is variable
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depending on the context, but the essential content at the end of the pre-service phase could be more clearly defined and categorised in relation to attributes, knowledge and skills. In Australia, this approach has been encapsulated by the work of Jeanneret
(1995).
Studies in the United States regarding the training of choral conducting (Noble,
2005; Freer, 2007) highlight the distinct difference between American conductor training and choral conductor training within Australia. This starts with their secondary school music programs. The classroom music in secondary schools in the USA provides a choice of choral or orchestral classes. This means that students in tertiary education studying to be music teachers choose either the choral or the instrumental strand. Thus, choral conducting is much more prevalent in all universities, and especially those that are specialists in choral music. Specialist colleges and universities have degrees in choral conducting, often at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels. This is also due to the number of positions available for choral conductors. According to Wyvill (1996)
‘in the American universities the study of choral conducting or instrumental conducting is the foundation for every undergraduate studying secondary education’ (p. 85). The
2011 census of the USA showed the population to be 311,591,917. This compared to
Australia’s population in 2011 Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) census being
22,891,823, which is closer to the population of New York State alone. The USA 2011 census also stated that there were 5,053,122 teachers with 812,996 of these teaching in secondary schools. The post secondary institutions have 1,361,076. This compared to
Australia where the ABS recorded 110,000 secondary teachers. Post secondary teachers were not listed through the ABS. If one eighth of the secondary teachers in the USA teach music then that is the equivalent of the total number of secondary teachers in
Australia. As a secondary music teacher in the USA choosing the choral strand would
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be 50 per cent, then the number of potential choral conductors in secondary schools alone would be over 50, 000. Added to this is the large number of primary school teachers who also conduct a choir.
The impact of having at least half of the secondary school music teachers in the
USA as choral specialists also impacts the number of members in the American national choral association, ACDA.
How to Teach Conducting
Midway through the twentieth century, books emerged which addressed the technical needs of the conductor. They included a focus on technical elements of the process. At the same time as many European conservatories were starting to teach conducting, a new impediment to conductor training emerged, ‘the Übermenschen or supermen’ (Farberman, 2003, p. 87). This was the notion that conducting was a magical gift. This led to the notion of the ‘born conductor’ and the apprentice theory.
The training for apprentice opera conductors grew out of necessity, and when apprentices were given the chance to conduct a performance they were expected to be well versed in all aspects of the production. This can be easily transferred to the choral conductor, yet it rarely is. The consensus of the experts stated that ‘you can’t learn conducting from a book’. Therefore why is there not an apprenticeship or mentoring programme set up for choral conductors? The 2008 survey and the experience of the case study participants data showed that the apprentice or mentor training model has not been taken up by Australians due to the Australian ‘cringe factor’ and the continual looking to overseas experts, as well as the complacency too often seen in Australian
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conductors who hold comfortable positions and see no need for further professional development.
Weston Noble and Robert Shaw had both stated the importance of instrumental conducting as a learning opportunity for choral conductors. This was also stated by experts in this study:
I think the other really important thing for choral conductors, is that they do instrumental conducting. So there are things through Symphony Services Australia, courses that they have and you can learn a lot about technique and you know that’s really important as well. It’s not just about choral conducting, I don’t think it exists on its own (Will).
In orchestral conducting courses, such as the Tasmania conducting course, teachers and students often use a traditional apprenticeship model characterised by observation and tutoring, in which students attempt to emulate the master’s behaviour.
Students who do not fully understand the master teacher’s actions, however, are likely to develop meanings incongruent with the meaning that their teacher intends (Schön,
1987). Reflective practice goes beyond apprenticeship, with the conductor-coach (which may need to be two individuals) using a variety of approaches. One such approach may involve the expert and student meeting to watch videotapes of the expert’s rehearsals.
With assistance as needed from a coach, the expert conductor reflects on the rehearsal, bringing to the surface the underlying rationales for his or her decisions.
Participants in Ethell and McMeniman’s (2000) study experienced important revelations after an opportunity to access expert teachers’ thinking about their own practice. Another approach might involve sessions in which students are provided prompt questions (e.g., ‘Can you infer the teacher’s objectives?’), asked to indicate how they would teach the same lesson (or the same music), and then asked to compare and contrast their reflections with those of the experts (e.g., Bransford et al., 1986; Ethell &
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McMeniman, 2000). Expert performance provides provisional pedagogical theory from which novices may learn to be more like experts (Berliner, 1986). Attempts to train novices to use experts’ strategies have been somewhat successful. Deep understanding of skill development in such musical domains as conducting remains to be acquired, however. At this point, there needs to be a deeper, richer, more extensive research agenda in the conducting domain. The challenge for orchestral conducting programs of study may be, in Schön’s words, to ‘invent a workable marriage of applied science and artistry’ (1987, p. 171); that is, to unite the disparate fields of teaching, conducting skills, music study, and reflective practice.
Conducting pedagogy and professional development programs still seem to rely primarily on traditional didactic models, which encourage the one-way flow of knowledge and advice from an expert to their protégés. The master-apprentice system has a potential disadvantage in that it does not necessarily result in a shared, dynamic process, and tends to be somewhat limited by inherent power issues. It also seems to draw on somewhat outdated learning models that typify a sense of cultural elitism, and lack an understanding of more informal learning environments outside the Western conservatoire model.
The responses of the case study informants have shown that peer learning proposes a strong alternative to such traditional models, and ‘offers conductors a more cooperative and collaborative approach to their professional development and learning’
(Max). Indeed, peer learning on the podium gives conductors the ‘opportunity to teach and learn from each other, in an inclusive manner’ (Lou), that provides a musical experience qualitatively different from the didactic model of master and protégé. This model also combats the isolation conductors often experience in their work, and allows them to focus on context-specific issues together, instead of grappling with them on
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their own. In fact, the relationship that peers develop through such a process also offers conductors enduring support systems in their life-long professional development.
A Doctorate of Musical Arts in choral conducting is now offered by major institutions throughout the USA. Once a discipline is learned through formal training, leading to the status of ‘doctor’ and the holding of a professional position, it ought no longer to be considered a merely amateur practice (Schön, 1987). Therefore it could be considered that the disdain for choral singing and choral conducting is unwarranted.
The choral conductor’s skill set must be extensive. It requires expertise in voice and pedagogy and the choral art itself, for the training of the ensemble; it requires technical, that is, physical ability for the conducting of the performance. It also demands thorough background knowledge of music history, style, languages, general musicianship, and organisational skills.
The research showed in both the interviews and the survey that it was ‘incredible for conductors to be able to work with musicians who are at the very top in their field’
(Will). This was in contrast to some of the non-expert conductors, in whom complacency appeared to have set in to an extent, as the case studies stated:
Conductors get their job, they do their stuff and they get their little world around them, and because there is no requirement for people to upgrade their skills by attending conferences and summer schools then there’s no pressure or perceived need on conductors to improve (Andy).
Australia has so few full time choral conductor positions that there are high levels of complacency in many non-expert conductors in the safe school and community positions. There is no job performance reviews in most choral conducting jobs within
Australia. This leads to that idea that ‘if you think you know who you are, then you have probably limited yourself or constrained yourself in some way, which in the end is not productive’ (Chris).
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Where to Teach Conducting
There was no disagreement amongst the experts with respect to where conducting should be taught. All experts agreed that an obvious place was in the universities, the conservatoriums and ‘in every one of them’ (Will). However, this conflicted to a degree with the survey of choral conductors presented in Chapter 7. The results from the survey showed that many less experienced conductors reflect on the lack of a formal structure, curriculum, and a full degree, or the lack of a formal training, and think they missed out. They see American ‘schools, colleges and universities, with their choral programs and their first year chorus, specialist chorus, and the girls chorus and the women’s chorus, as fabulous, and intuitively think that without the framework that they have, we are missing so much’ (Chris). However, the experts expressed the opinion that they ‘don’t know if that is necessarily true’ and that ‘maybe because obvious choral opportunities are harder to find, we are better off in the end’ (Chris). The debate focused on the many roads to the same result. ‘Universities need to have training opportunities for their music undergraduates especially when they go into education.
Community choir conductors go back to university or access some adult education for professional development’ (Max). The data clearly showed that any conductor who is an expert or is developing towards being an expert:
...was just to be hungry for the summer school opportunities that Australian associations provide, that the RSCM (Royal School of Church Music) provides etc, or maybe it’s that they raced off and do some summer courses in choral conducting in the northern hemisphere, because there are lots of them around. Maybe it’s actually to find yourself working in a context where you can put resources into being mentored by someone (Chris).
Clearly there is no single way, and while the experts seem to have followed very similar pathways to reach their positions, they were quick to point out that if conductors
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actually created a sense that there is only one way, that this limited other people’s access to that pathway. This philosophy developed from a conductor having grown up in an environment where there is a methodology, a plan and a career path set out, and where it is easy to timetable conference attendance, being part of that environment.
Australians do not have this idea of methodology, and therefore do not see the need to go to conferences.
At the ACDA conferences (of which all of the case studies as well as the researcher had attended many), the focus is on performance, and most of the time is spent listening to choirs sing. For seminars and practical workshops, it is necessary to attend round tables at breakfast appointments, or the repertoire streams. In Australia, conferences are currently organised in the opposite manner, with much discussion and instruction on being a conductor. Listening to choirs sing is much less a part of the programme, and while this is understandable due to factors such as the difficulty of transporting choirs, and the lack of choirs’ availability, community choirs not being able to afford to travel and the best choirs not being able to attend.
The final result is that there are many workshops and conducting classes at
Australian conferences, with novice and intermediate conductors wanting to ‘pick up some tips’. The Australians have therefore developed a mindset that is almost opposite to that of the Americans in a sense that ‘they go to a conference to get a bag of tricks to survive because we don’t have them’ (Andy). Americans go to gain performance experience, repertoire and experience the sounds a different choir. ‘In the end it comes back to experiencing the quality of the musician leading the choir’ (Shaw, 1998, ACDA conference). One case study expressed the thought that there are ‘a number of experienced conductors, but not necessarily masters of conducting who feel that if they
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attend a conference without presenting they are admitting they are not good enough’
(Andy).
This is not present in the ACDA where it does not matter if one is presenting or not, everybody is there ‘because it’s such a powerful networking opportunity and they get thousands at these conferences and I think it’s never caught on in Australia due lack of many conductors to acknowledge they still have plenty to learn. We all have plenty we can still learn’(Andy). Most of the case study participants were present and active in the beginnings of the national choral associations in Australia and had all experienced what they stated as ‘some pretty serious wrangling in the initial stages, you know some pretty strong battles’ (Andy) which meant that there were divided opinions on what should or could be done. This divide is still felt and takes affect depending on where a national conference is held.
One area that has been consistently offered at both international and national conferences is that of repertoire. All the interviewees spent time discussing the importance of repertoire, and it was also the most commented on topic in the survey and the most requested topic at the last ANCA conference.
Choral Community and the Tall Poppy Syndrome
When it comes to respecting experts, the Australian ‘tall poppy’ syndrome comes into play. ‘If the person has international success, and then comes back that’s often accepted. People who live and work here and have success and become tall poppies, unless it has international creditability, less credible conductors can just cut them down’ (Andy). This is also where the acronym used in popular paradigm, RFO - returned from overseas - came from. The choral music community has not been immune
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to the attitude that success is something to be applauded and then dismissed or even denigrated.
Typically, at Australian choral conferences some non-expert conductors demonstrated the tall poppy syndrome by being negatively opinionated about Australian conductors. The international conductors, who by all the standards discussed in this research, may be no more expert than some Australian conductors, were lauded. The intermediate conductors and novice conductors, many of whom seemed to be vocal about how good they were, were also some of the most critical of others.
The tall poppy syndrome was experienced by many of the case study participants. The case studies all expressed great respect for all the people who lead choirs, stating that they wished there were more, and that they could be seen to be the best musician that they could be rather than just a ‘choral technician who waves their arms’ (Lou).
The tall poppy effect is also clear within choral community for the recognition of awards. Often experts have awards such as Member of the Order of Australia (AM) or Order of Australia Medals (OAM) which is rarely recognised, either by omission in acknowledgments of the experts, or is unknown by the community. This led to the fact that all the experts interviewed in this study have received recognition and awards nationally and some internationally, yet these awards were not easy to discover, and the experts often didn’t even mention them. Further, the case study participants all held a similar position on competitions for choirs: ‘I have a big problem with competition just all the nonsense and the comparison, you know you have two good choirs how do you make a comparison?’ (Andy) They recommended that choirs with integrity should not compete: ‘Don’t compare, don’t compete—just perform’ (Max). This did not automatically mean that the case study participants never entered competitions; they
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were selective in the competitions they attended and were there for a greater purpose than gaining a place or recognition. ‘Competition or trying to show they are better than another choir was not their reason for being in a competition’ (Lou).
The experts in both America and Australia all expressed openness towards mentoring other conductors at all levels. However, the Australian cringe means expertise is often still sought overseas. This is a carryover from the ‘new civilisation’ of
Australia where, as with any new civilisation, expertise is imported from the ‘old country’.
Influence of Expert Conductors on their Students
Many of the case study participants reflected back ‘at all the years that my choir has been functioning and I say all these kids have become amazing musicians around the world but I’m not so sure that so many of them have become conductors’
(Will). However, the number of expert musicians that have graduated from programmes run by the case study participants is significant. The relationship between the student’s musical expertise and the expertise of their master teacher as a direct result would be a topic for a further research project. The case study participants stated that the media has created a new area of influence for their ensemble singers. ‘It would be so much better if a student learning to sing in a choir somewhere, sees as a model of the singer they want to be, not some rather pop skewed image that they see of singing on the TV, but this amazing sound from a choir that is somewhere in Australian’ (Max).
Many non-expert conductors don’t appear to teach ensemble singing of a high level or repertoire that represents an engaging and enlivening journey for their students.
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The other challenge within the choral community is the needs of student and inexperienced conductors who are coming up in the levels of experience, ‘Many of these conductors want to start at the top’ (Will). Harrison (2005) stated that ‘we are seeing the I/me generation. A further complexity to this individualization of society is the I/me the instant celebrity generation. We could blame the media for this – particularly television’ (p. 3). Harrison (2005) also says ‘The whole notion of celebrity has so permeated the thinking of young people that it distorts their career aspirations’
(p. 3). This notion also finds support in Crozier (2005) who says
(television) shows have given students impossible-to-meet expectations, such as that they will learn skills profiled on the shows. Students also assume their studies will be glamorous and they will be handed jobs on a silver platter (p. 4).
As Will stated that ‘there is a shift with many of the younger generation, they are the late twenties early thirties, there are a few of those that are around that want to be conductors and have gone and done a degree in an American University, and are coming back here waiting to be given a job’. This was in contrast to the case study participants who demonstrated the drive to make it themselves.
Summary
Summary
The purpose of this study was to examine the extent to which choral conductors’ training and experience affects their knowledge and their ability to be a choral conductor within the Australian choral context. This included their formal and informal training in choral conducting; their choice of repertoire for their choral ensembles; their attendance at repertoire sessions; and their ongoing professional development in leadership of a choral ensemble. This research addressed each of these research
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questions under the following headings: choral leadership, pathway, repertoire, artistic integrity and professional training.
The main research question explored in this dissertation was: ‘What are the qualities and attributes of expert Australian choral conductors?’. The study concludes that the following areas are the attributes of expert Australian choral conductors; Choral leadership, Repertoire knowledge, Artistic integrity, ongoing professional development, and the pathway to get there. These areas are each summarised below.
Choral leadership
The survey and case studies suggest that the role of choral conductor is that of interpreter, trainer, educator, and performer in the context of both accompanied and unaccompanied choral singing. In common with orchestral performance, choral practice requires the temporal, emotional and interpretative coordination typical of ensemble performances. This justifies the presence of a conductor, and not simply a trainer, in front of a choral ensemble. Subsequent to this responsibility to develop from simple trainer to interpretative coordinator, choral conductors develop to match the specific needs of choral ensembles.
The fact that during the nineteenth century choral singing had become a mostly amateur practice initially caused some difficulties but may been seen today as having been beneficial in the long run. Working with untrained performers has forced choral conductors to improve their methods, skills and knowledge. While instrumentalists typically join an orchestra with some proficiency with their instruments, choral singers may often be completely dependent on the training received within the choir. This is why choral conductors must be more accountable for the musical results of their ensemble. The progressive acceptance that choral ensembles can only be as good as their leaders has greatly motivated the development of choral conducting.
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Looking back over the last century to the earlier days of choral leadership, the discipline of choral conducting has grown. The young generation of choral conductors learning their profession today is being given an image of choral conducting whose completeness they may take for granted. The role of the choral conductor has been progressively shaped to match the new conditions of choral performance, beginning from the simple role as an intermediary that the choral trainer played, to a musical discipline of its own.
Outstanding international conductors, such as Robert Shaw, have left an important legacy of ideas and methods which may assist today’s conductors in avoiding pitfalls. In order to develop, conductors could use the foundations laid down for them: the discipline could benefit from a better awareness of what has already been said and done. In order for written sources to be useful for the betterment of an artistic discipline, they should either help the artist (especially the developing young artist) to establish a clear focus on the philosophical nature of artistic practice, or help to develop technical aspects of the artistic goal that is being pursued.
For an artistic discipline to reach full maturity there should be a balance between technique and philosophy, or between the means and the end. It is much simpler to establish work habits and work priorities once one has a clear idea of what exactly needs to be achieved in an artistic performance.
Repertoire
This study examined the idea that repertoire knowledge and choice is paramount to becoming an expert. All the experts stated that they continue to listen to music of ‘the great composers’, developing their own knowledge of repertoire, so as not to simply present the same pieces every year. What the participants illistrated was the gap between the experts’ and the non-experts’ choice of quality repertoire, with the
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repertoire being chosen by the non-experts being limited and not quality art music.
Many non-expert conductors failed to take responsibility for extending their choir members’ knowledge of great music, nor did they expose them to a diversity of styles or genres. The experts emphasised the importance of performing the repertoire of your own culture. This included the importance of commissioning works from Australian composers. They felt that the challenge was one of educating audiences to be open to high quality contemporary art music. The influence that commercial music has, especially on school choirs, makes this challenge even greater.
Finally, the level of commissioning made by the experts was exceptionally high, yet only a few of the non-experts would consider commissioning. The point that all the experts stated is that performing works from one’s own culture should be a high priority, and that in their opinions all Australian choirs should be singing some
Australian music.
Artistic integrity
An impression emerging from the interviews is that the experts had high levels of artistic integrity. This suggested a difference between expert and non-expert conductors in three major areas:
1. Ignoring contemporary art music being for the sake of commercial pop music
due to the conductor’s personal motives. The experts in the case study often
chose contemporary art music, while non-expert conductors from the survey
often chose commercial pop music for a non-musical motive. This motive may
have been anything from trying to be popular with the singers, or for financial
gain.
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2. The choral art form being ‘sold out’ for a profit-generating business. None of
the experts were against making money as a result of their music, but all could
see that where the music was inconsequential and the main aim of the business
was to make a profit, there was little artistic integrity in these choirs.
3. Lack of personal integrity and thus lack of professionalism. This was seen when
non-expert conductors become caught up in the ‘tall poppy syndrome’ and
denigrate experts in front of their singers and other non-expert conductors.
The study highlighted the fact that the level of artistic and personal integrity shown by the experts was due to the fact that their efforts are dedicated to the music and the choral art form rather than personal gain or ego. This was emphasised by the fact that none of the experts sought out competition, accolades or awards, and were in fact honestly surprised when others acknowledged their work
What the research also revealed is that where there was a lack of artistic and personal integrity, singers were left without a rich depth of experiences. Audiences may never be exposed to the diverse world of contemporary art music, and then the choral music art form suffers.
Professional development
The consensus of the case study participants was that professional development was important at all stages of teaching and learning. Harrison (2008) sought to quantify the value of Professional Development, citing the work of Rowe (2003, p. 1) who suggests that what matters most for school education is “quality teachers and teaching, supported by strategic professional development.” Jorgensen (2003, p. 132) concurs:
The required extended opportunities in professional meetings for dialogue in seminars or discussion formats with other teachers… the need to be able to try out practical skills in master-class formats where they can receive feedback from others and hone skills in the company of others.
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This view on professional development for teachers can just as easily be applied to conductors, whether they be school teachers or not.
Training and professional development for conductors can be divided and summarised into two main areas: (1) beginning/novice conductor training, and (2) continuing development for community and school conductors.
Beginning or novice conductors need some formal training in the techniques and attributes of choral conducting. This could be provided in the form of a tertiary degree, or in the apprentice model, by learning from an expert. All the experts expressed a willingness to mentor emerging and established conductors who wish to learn more.
Continuing development for community and school choir conductors must face the challenges of the Australian cringe and the tall poppy syndrome. However, the ideas raised by the case study participants suggested that the apprentice and mentor model would work exceedingly well for these conductors. Conferences also would be a way for conductors to network, gain knowledge in many areas, and experience performances from a wide variety of ensembles. The challenge within Australia is that the conductors who need professional development the most often do not appear to recognise this need, or even seem to fact believe that they have no need for further development. The experts all agreed that everyone needs and continues to develop and should engage in professional networking and development at every possible opportunity.
The research sub-question ‘What is the pathway to becoming a choral conductor in Australia?’ was discussed and is summarised below.
Pathway
The pathway to becoming a choral conductor was discussed with the case study participants and also questioned in the 2008 survey. The case study participants were in
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agreement that pathways are needed, but that the conductor has to take the initiative as part of the journey to becoming a choral conductor. There are other useful opportunities that most choral conductors tend to ignore or avoid such as orchestral conducting, getting a mentor and building one’s own choir.
Existing literature on expert teaching and conducting has highlighted the importance of musicianship. Barrett (1992) stated that assistance from an expert, often a teacher or a peer whose musical capacities are more highly developed, should be available. The experience of explaining or teaching an item to another is often instrumental in clarifying the issues in the mind of the learner, and mentoring should be encouraged as a commonplace occurrence within the learning environment. When mentoring or tutoring, emphasis needs to be placed upon the processes of problem- solving, not upon the provision of a solution. This idea of assistance from colleagues was clear with the case study participants themselves working and networking with each other. They share ideas, repertoire, and often sit on the same boards together.
Many of them are involved in an annual national summer school and, as Will stated,
We all think the choral school (an annual event), is great professional
development for us because we see each other, we work and we go around and
see other people doing rehearsals and we just talk. We are working with the
young conductors and you know we all sit around and all talk about choral
conducting and that’s really good. I mean, I wish we were closer to Europe I
think maybe and you know able to do more in that way. It is great to go to the
World Symposium and network and see that we are also doing great things here
in Australia (Will).
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Conclusion
From this research, five conclusions can be drawn. Two of the conclusions are associated with findings on the conductors’ perceptions and passion; one conclusion is related to the findings on the knowledge and skills conductors need to develop expertise; and the final two conclusions are connected to professional development and the ongoing training needed to develop the level of expertise shown by the case study participants. The participants all demonstrated, through their humility, talent, musicianship, technical ability and professionalism, that they are experts in the field of choral music, pushing ego aside for the greater good of the music, musicians, and the choral music art form.
Perceptions and passion
Two conclusions were drawn regarding the passion and perceptions of choral conductors. Firstly, without passion for the choral music itself, a conductor will not attain the expert level of choral conducting. For the experts, this passion for the music outweighs all other aspects of conducting. It was sparked at a young age, inspired by an expert conductor and/or master teacher and led each case study participant to follow their individual pathways to expert level. The second conclusion concerns the perception by the Australian choral community with respect to expert choral conductors.
There seems to be a lack of respect and acknowledgement that Australians can produce experts. It was initially common to search overseas for such expertise. While this may have developed as a result of the nature of the White Australia Policy, it should no longer be necessary to look overseas for expertise. Australia has experts that can match, and often exceed, the expertise of their international colleagues. This is evident in both the international accolades and awards the experts have received.
AUSTRALIAN CHORAL CONDUCTORS 208
Knowledge and skills
The main conclusion with respect to knowledge and skills is that all attributes of choral conducting can be taught. The only area that could not clearly be demonstrated to be teachable was that of innate musicianship. This attribute of musicianship is something all the experts demonstrated, and appeared to be an element that distinguished the expert from the non-expert.
Professional development and training
This research showed that the overwhelming desire of all the conductors who participated is that universities and conservatoriums offer degree programmes for conductors at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels. While some universities do offer courses in conducting, they are usually part of another degree, and often for only one semester. The first conclusion is that there is a need for Australian undergraduates to be able to choose conducting as a major in their third and fourth years of study, and for postgraduates to be able to complete a Masters degree in choral conducting.
The second conclusion from this area of the research is that there is a need for more professional development workshops and courses to be available to community and school conductors so that they learn and develop their skills. ‘Toscanini is reported to have said ‘Conductors are born. Conducting cannot be taught’ (Bowen, 2003, p. 260).
This research has shown that by contrast, the physical art of conducting can be, and is being, taught. However, innate talent cannot be taught; neither can the intuitive musicianship that all the experts hold. Talent and musicianship alone are not enough to move a musician from the commonplace to brilliance, and yet without it, brilliance will never be reached. ‘Musicianship is central to conducting, and it is important that all conductors be open-minded when exploring new music for personal interest and growth’ (Gillis, 2010, p. 3).
AUSTRALIAN CHORAL CONDUCTORS 209
The achievements of the case study experts demonstrated that they all have talent, musicianship and the mastery of physical art of conducting. Ultimately, this research illistrated that to create better conductors and, in turn, better choirs, there need to be better musicians, as conductors: in order to develop better musicians in choir, there must be more research into and development of the musicians who become conductors.
Further Research
Previous research studies emphasise the benefits of choral participation for the individual and for society. However, research on the responsibility for planning and leading rehearsals and performances and how it falls on one individual in each choral context - the conductor - is an area relatively absent in current research. Although research on the various responsibilities attached to a choral conductor’s role has been identified, little attention has been given to his or her education, especially in Australia.
The suggested framework for effective education of choral conductors, drawing on research into effective teaching and learning environments within higher education, the workplace and in apprenticeship settings, needs further development.
Theories of expertise were explained to support evidence that effective choral conductors can be nurtured through education. Interviews supported the view that this can succeed where learners have opportunities to practise with a choir and when an
‘expert’ is teaching. Further research into the area of choral expertise within education is required to underpin theory for future choral conducting education. Research in music education that seeks to define high-quality preparation in choral conducting education may also provide a basis for strengthening the position of choral activities in schools
AUSTRALIAN CHORAL CONDUCTORS 210
and communities. If choral conductors can be prepared effectively in professional practice, more people will be encouraged to take up the role of choral conductor with confidence, which in turn will enable more people to experience satisfaction from choral participation.
Some of the implications from this research are applicable firstly to policy makers (politicians, school principals, universities etc), who should ensure that effective choral conducting schemes are developed, with a focus not solely on providing conductors with technical preparation in gestural competence, but also on offering learners support in developing confidence by providing opportunities for practical experiences with choirs. Secondly, more expert lecturers and tutors are needed in choral conducting education environments such as conservatoires, universities or short courses, to teach students how methods such as reflective practice, collaborative learning and regular feedback during their teaching can increase their standards of musicianship.
Singers, as vital components of the choral rehearsal, also represent another area of research with implications for what makes an expert conductor. By examining expertise from singers’ perspectives, it may be possible to identify some of the intangible elements that contribute to the formation of an expert conductor.
Choral conductors should be presented with the chance to possess a full awareness of their task. Conductors must take responsibility for the future of their discipline. Improvements in the training of choral conductors and of their general proficiency could be translated into a marked rise in the level of choral performance.
This study of Australian choral conductors and current choral practice highlighted seven areas not included in this study for possible further research. Areas recommended for future investigation include:
AUSTRALIAN CHORAL CONDUCTORS 211
The factors that allow ‘experienced non-experts’ to remain in the competent and
proficient stages, instead of moving up the continuum to the expert level.
The availability of tertiary degrees (music and/or education) that enhance choral
conducting practice within Australia.
Methods of encouraging conductors of community choirs to take advantage of
opportunities of professional development in order to avoid complacency and
mediocre conducting and choirs.
Innate musicianship in expert conductors; and whether a conductor can learn
what is needed to reach the expert level?
What is the Australian choral community doing to support the development of
quality conductors?
How expert conductors influence their students and the students’ career choices?
Do students of expert choral conductors have a greater chance to become experts
in their own musical fields?
As more professional-standard choirs are formed, they create more opportunities and better prospects for well-trained young singers. If this potential is fully realised, these voices, placed in caring and skillful hands, promise to make of the twenty-first century a new age for the choral art.
Successful conductors will be gifted and intelligent women and men who honour and love the music they choose to perform and will investigate and acquire the necessary technical skills to articulate their musical passions. Most importantly, they will regard music and technique as an inseparable entity; the movement of the gesture should be a mirror of a conductor’s musical soul and heart. Lebrecht (1991) stated ‘the conductor is the magnifying mirror’ (p. 5) of the choir in which he conducts. There
AUSTRALIAN CHORAL CONDUCTORS 212
needs to be a more robust and effective relationship developed between research and practice, and the dissemination of the potential influence of both. The old saying still holds true with each of these experts, ‘Put the music first and all else will follow.’
AUSTRALIAN CHORAL CONDUCTORS 213
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Appendix
Appendix 1 Australian Choral Conductors’ 2008 National Survey
INFORMATION SHEET & INFORMED CONSENT PACKAGE WHO IS CONDUCTING THE RESEARCH?
Further information or questions can be directed to;
Professor Peter Roennfeldt Investigator Dr Scott Harrison Investigator Ms Janet Wyvill Student Investigator Queensland Conservatorium, Griffith University Contact Phone (07) 373 56208 0410 692 844 Contact Email [email protected] [email protected] [email protected]
Why is the research being conducted? As part of a Doctorate of Philosophy (PhD) research the role of Australian choral conductors will be surveyed. A comparison to the survey completed by Music Council of Australia and ANCA in 1998 will also be conducted.
WHAT YOU WILL BE ASKED TO DO? You are asked to complete and submit the survey of Australian choral conductors and their current practices. The completion of the survey is voluntary and your participation will remain anonymous. Your participation in this survey will allow a comprehensive database to be set up of choral activity throughout Australia.
National Survey – has two sections. Section A is a survey consisting of 26 questions. No identifying details regarding you or your organisation are included. This section should take approximately 10 – 15 minutes to complete. Section B: If you wish to be included on a list of national choral conductors and considered for an interview to further the research thus giving more depth to this research please follow the links to register your details. These details will be on a separate page and will not be in any way identifiable with your survey responses.
Your participation is voluntary All participation is voluntary. Participants are free to withdraw from the study at any time. The basis upon which participants have been selected You have been chosen as a participant for this National survey because you are
AUSTRALIAN CHORAL CONDUCTORS 241
an Australian choral conductor or a choral organisation listed with ANCA, or have received the survey from someone who acknowledges you as an Australian choral conductor
The expected benefits of the research This data will be of assistance in developing national practices for choral music, and to create statistical analyses of the development of choral activity over the past 10 years.
Risks to you There are no known or expected risks involved in participating in this National survey.
Your confidentiality In accordance with the Commonwealth PRIVACY ACT 1988 and the PRIVACY AMENDMENT (PRIVATE SECTOR) Act 2000 this research will protect the information gathered for the purposes of analysis. The confidentiality of records will be maintained through the secure storage of data in a locked cabinet at a secure location for the duration of the research. The data will not contain any identifiers. To ensure a direct flow of benefits back to the communities in which the research has been conducted, the research findings will be presented in academic forums (conferences and journals) and the participants will not be identifiable in any publication or reporting resulting from the research. Information collected in section A of the survey will be unidentifiable with you or your organisation and all responses will be treated as confidential.
If you elect to participate in section B for this research this will involve the collection, access and / or use of the personal information you provide. The personal information collected is confidential and will not be available for publication without your consent. It will not be disclosed to third parties without your consent, except to meet government, legal or other regulatory authority requirements. The survey data will remain separate and anonymous and this will at all times be safeguarded. All materials collected will be treated as confidential and destroyed at the completion of the research, unless otherwise negotiated with your consent. For further information consult the University’s Privacy Plan at www.griffith.edu.au/ua/aa/vc/pp or telephone (07) 3735 5585.
The ethical conduct of this research Griffith University conducts research in accordance with the NATIONAL STATEMENT ON ETHICAL C ONDUCT IN RESEARCH INVOLVING HUMANS. If participants have any concerns or complaints about the ethical conduct of the research project they should contact the Manager, Research Ethics on 3735 5585 or [email protected] .
Feedback to you Participants may request feedback from the team at any stage throughout the project. Participants who complete or partially complete and return the questionnaire will be deemed to have consented to their participation in the research. Please detach this sheet and retain it for your later reference.
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National Choral Survey
1. How many choral groups do you conduct on a regular basis? (Please circle)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7+
2. What type of choral group/s do you conduct? (Please check or indicate with a number in all the applicable boxes) Church Adult Community Female only [ ] Male only [ ] Mixed [ ] Youth Community Children’s Community Tertiary Institution Secondary School Primary School
If you conduct more than one group, please choose one of your choral groups to be the focus of the remaining questions in this census.
Group Type (from Q2) ______
3. How many singers in your choral group? (please circle)
8 or less 9 – 20 21 – 35 35 – 50 51 – 65 65+
4. Where is your choir’s main focus? State ______
Capital City Inner City Capital City Outer Suburb Large Regional Centre Small Regional Centre Country Town
5. How often do you rehearse?
More than weekly Weekly Less than weekly
6. Are your rehearsals set as part of a larger organization structure? For example church, university or school? (please circle)
Yes No
7. How often do you perform?
Weekly Monthly or more 6 – 11 times per year
AUSTRALIAN CHORAL CONDUCTORS 243
3 – 5 times per year less than 3 times per year
8. Are these performances set as part of a larger organization? For example, church, university or school (please circle)
Yes No
If yes, how many performances do you do per year outside of the ‘required’ performances? (please indicate with a number/s in the appropriate box/es) Weekly Monthly or more 6 – 11 times per year 3 – 5 times per year less than 3 per year
9. Who chooses the repertoire for your choral group? Conductor Choir committee Artistic Director of Organisation Administration Other ______
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10. What style of repertoire does your choral group sing? Please indicate in the box for each:
Never Occasionally Frequently Mostly Classical / Traditional Jazz Gospel Opera Barbershop Ethnic Popular / Modern Musical Australian Other ______
11. What was a typical or representative list of works your choir performed in 2006/2007? (please list)
12. Were there any Australian works (not listed above) that you performed in 2006/2007? (please list)
13. What repertoire are you considering for 2008/2009? (please list)
14. What Australian works (not listed above) are you considering for 2008/2009? (please list)
AUSTRALIAN CHORAL CONDUCTORS 245
15. Did your choir tour in 2006/2007? (please circle)
Yes No If yes, please indicate Local / State Interstate / National International
16. Will your choir tour in 2008/2009? (please circle)
Yes No If yes, please indicate Local / State Interstate / National International
17. What repertoire did you / will you tour with? (please list)
18. How many hours do you spend on preparation per week? (please circle) 1 1 – 2 2 – 4 4 – 6 6+
19. How many hours do you spend conducting/rehearsals per week? (please circle) 1 1 – 2 2 – 4 4 – 6 6+
20. How many hours do you spend on administration/marketing etc per week? 1 1 – 2 2 – 4 4 – 6 6+
21. What is your occupation? (please select as many as applicable)
Full time Part time
Choral conductor
Church musician
School teacher
Tertiary lecturer
Musician / performer
Retired
Other (please state)______
22. How did you train to become a choral conductor? No formal training On-the-job training Part of a university course
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Professional development course
23. If you have formal training, what did it include? Gesture Repertoire selection/programming Vocal training Other ______
24. What is the status of your choral conducting? (select as appropriate) Paid: included in salary as part of salaried position requirements as separate activity within salaried position requirements as independent position Unpaid: unpaid and independent from salaried position unpaid but required / expected as part salaried position Volunteer in church / community group Other (please list) ______
25. What is the amount you are paid for choral conducting? (that is not part of salaried position) $______per week / rehearsal / annum. (please circle)
Decline to state
26. Do you consider yourself a professional choral conductor? (please circle)
Yes No
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Appendix 2 Australian National Choral Association 1998 Survey
Results
SURVEY RESULTS No. of conductors responding No. % Total number 351 100 Male 116 33.0 Female 235 67.0
How old are they? Under 25 2 0.6 25 to 34 61 17.4 35 to 50 155 44.2 Over 50 133 37.9
Where do they work? Capital city: Inner city 59 16.8 Capital city: Suburb 191 54.4 Large regional centre 56 16.0 Small regional centre 23 6.6 Country town 45 12.8
Their choirs Total number of choirs 741 100 Total number of singers 28,218 Number of choirs/conductor 1 to 7 Number of singers per choir 8 to 180
How often do the choirs rehearse? More often than weekly 86 11.6 Rehearse weekly 634 85.6 Less often than weekly 21 2.8
How often do the choirs perform? Weekly 39 5.3 Monthly or more 142 19.2 6 to 11 times per year 271 36.6 3 to 5 times per year 253 34.1 Less than 3 times per year 36 4.9
How do the conductors teach the music? From a printed score 320 91.2 By oral instruction 128 36.5
What repertoire do the conductors use? Classical 226 64.4 Jazz 82 23.4 Gospel 92 26.2 An ethnic style 55 15.7 Opera 11 3.1 Barbershop 19 5.4 Australian repertoire 133 37.9 Other 207 59.0
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(church, popular, modern folk, children’s, musicals)
Who do they conduct? Children (unchanged voices) 165 47.0 Youth(older teens/young adults) 136 38.7 Adults 191 54.4 Male only 35 10.0 Female only 89 25.4 Mixed 276 78.6
In what context do they conduct? School 194 55.3 Primary school 120 34.2 Secondary school 106 30.2 Tertiary education institution 16 4.6 Church or religious institution 70 19.9 Under auspices of a city/shire 12 3.4 Independent group or org’n 150 42.7 Other 8 2.3
Hours they spend preparing/conducting/rehearsing per week Up to 2 hours 87 24.8 More than 2, up to 4 108 30.8 More than 4, up to 10 124 35.3 More than 10 32 9.1
Hours spent on administration, promotion, fundraising/week Up to 1 hour 202 57.5 More than 1, up to 2 61 17.4 More than 2, up to 5 44 12.5 More than 5 44 12.5
What is their main occupation? Main occupation is within the music profession 260 74.1 Main occupation is outside the 82 23.4 Not stated or retired 9 2.6
Is their conducting work full or part time? Choral conducting work is F/T 6 1.7 Choral conducting work is P/T 345 98.3
Employment status Conducting is part of salaried position 153 43.6 Conducting activities are apart from normal work 205 58.4 Not paid apart from salaried position 233 66.4 Paid for choral work apart from normal work 120 34.2
Payments Total pay for all whose work as choral conductor is not part of the duties of salaried position $741,460 Paid nothing or payment is part of a salaried position 240 68.4 Paid less than $1000 22 6.3 $1000 -- $2000 23 6.6 $2000 -- $5000 27 7.7 $5000 -- $10,000 15 4.3 $10,000 -- $30,000 22 6.3 More than $30,000 4 1.1
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How many conductors claim to have choral conducting training? (Note that this question was ambiguous and the results may not give an accurate picture.)
Claimed to have formal choral conducting training 227 64.7 Claimed to have no formal choral conducting training 124 35.3 Claim up to one semester only of conducting training 74 21.0
How was the formal conducting training undertaken? Special conducting course 111 31.6 Conducting training part of another course 144 41.0 Other 10 2.8
How many conductors claim formal music qualification? 174 49.6
DERIVED RESULTS, PAID CONDUCTORS Paid for choral conducting apart from their full time work Paid for conducting choir(s) in a tertiary institution 12 3.4 - and paid more than $5000 7 2.0
Paid for conducting in a church or religious institution 20 5.7 and paid more than $5000 8 2.3
Paid for conducting in an independent group or org. 79 22.5 - and paid more than $5000 29 8.3
Paid and other work is outside the music profession 24 6.8
Paid but have no or very little formal conducting training 57 16.2 - and paid > $5000 p/a 17 4.8 Paid more than $30,000 p/a 4 1.1 Largest income $45,000
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Appendix 3 Australian Case Study and Interview Participants
The following biographies are of the choral conductors who participated in the interview process. The biographies listed are of different length and depth of information as they were either provided by the interviewees themselves, or taken with permission from their own personal or choral website. They are in alphabetical order.
No distinction between the interviewees, background interviews regarding choral conducting practices in general, case studies, and longitudinal case studies was made when presenting the biographies. Some interviews were brief and informal unstructured discussions. Others were semi-structured and more formal, taking up to two hours.
Noel Ancell, OAM
Noel Ancell is well known throughout Australia
as a conductor, composer and teacher. Highly regarded
as clinician and adjudicator, he has over 30 years
experience in helping musicians to achieve excellence.
Recently, in addition to two seasons as Guest Conductor
of the National Youth Choir of Australia, he has twice
conducted the Victorian Honour Choir, and in 2004 he again conducted the combined choirs of the World Alliance Festival of Singing for men and boys in Prague.
As Artistic Director of the Australian Boys Choral Institute, Ancell conducts the
Australian Boys Choir and The Vocal Consort, with whom he has toured internationally
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ten times. His private voice studio has produced a number of successful professional singers. Ancell is an honours graduate in Music, and holds Bachelor’s degrees in both
Arts and Education, a Master’s degree in Musicology, Fellowship of Trinity College,
London, and Membership of the Australian College of Education and the Australian
National Association of Teachers of Singing.
He was the founding conductor of the Monash University Orchestra, and has been responsible for the formation of choirs in three states. His involvement with church music began as a boy, and has continued in such posts as Organist and Director of Music at St Mary’s Cathedral, Hobart, and Consultant to the National Liturgical
Commission. As an educator he has held positions as Director of Music at The Friends’
School, Hobart, and Lecturer in Music Education at Christ Campus of the Australian
Catholic University, where he was also Head of Creative Arts. Ancell was President of
ANCA1998–2002.
Ancell has a strong commitment to contemporary music and, in addition to his own compositions and arrangements, he has been responsible for commissioning several new works by Australian composers. His compositions have mainly addressed the needs of the performing groups with which he has worked. Ancell is strongly represented in the Catholic Worship Book (Collins, 1985) and in other hymnals in
Australia and the USA, and his secular compositions and arrangements are widely performed and appreciated. He has published several academic papers and is a contributor to the Oxford Companion to Australian Music.
Ancell was recently awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia for his contribution to choral music.
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Heather Buchanan
Heather J. Buchanan is Director of Choral Activities at
Montclair State University (MSU), Upper Montclair,
New Jersey, where she conducts the MSU Chorale and
MSU Chamber Singers. Prior to Montclair she was on
the conducting faculty at Westminster Choir College
of Rider University from 1998–2003, where she
conducted the Westminster Schola Cantorum and
taught graduate and undergraduate choral conducting.
A certified Andover Educator, Buchanan specialises in the teaching of Body Mapping and somatic pedagogy for choral musicians. She is also a PhD candidate with the
University of New England (Australia) researching the impact of Body Mapping on musicians. She is in her fourth season as Artistic Director and Conductor of the Greater
South Jersey Chorus, where she conducts the 75-voice full chorus and the 40-voice
Chamber Choir. She also continues to serve as chair for Repertoire and Standards for
Youth and Student Activities for the New Jersey chapter of the American Choral
Director’s Association. Born in Brisbane, Australia, Buchanan earned a Bachelor of
Music degree from the Queensland Conservatorium of Music and a Master of Music degree with distinction from Westminster with a double major in choral conducting and music education. Her publications include the video ‘Evoking Sound: Body Mapping and Gesture Fundamentals’ (GIA Publications, 2002) and she is also Co-editor and
Compiler of the GIA publication ‘Teaching Music through Performance in Choir,
Volume I and Volume II’.
A vibrant musician and dynamic pedagogue, Buchanan has 18 years experience as a choral director and music educator, having taught on the music faculty of the elite
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Brisbane Grammar School and part-time at The American Boychoir School. She continues to teach choral conducting and Body Mapping in Westminster’s Saturday
Seminar and Summer Session programs, and in 2003 was the conductor of the high school Vocal Institute, where she is also the founding conductor of the select Women’s
Choir. She frequently works in the wider community as a guest conductor, clinician and adjudicator with school, church and community choirs. In June 2002 she guest conducted an invitational choral festival hosted by St. Peter’s Lutheran College
(Australia), and in July 2003 she presented at the National Jewish Cantor’s and Guild of
Temple Musicians’ Jubilee Convention in New York City.
Buchanan is also an experienced singer and has performed and recorded with the
16-voice semi-professional ensemble The Quodlibet Singers (Australia) in addition to singing major repertoire with the Westminster Symphonic Choir and the New York
Choral Artists. A former member of the renowned Westminster Choir, she performed in the opera chorus for Spoleto Festival USA productions of Wozzeck (1997) and Jenufa
(1998). In 1999–2000 Buchanan was chorus master for Westminster Opera Theatre’s productions of Millennium Opera Party and Candide (Bernstein). In May 1999 she played the ‘Wicked Witch of the West’ for the Westminster Conservatory’s production
The Wizard of Oz, and appeared as ‘The Ghost of Christmas Past’ in the Westminster
Actor’s Company production of Scrooge in December 2002.
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Carl Crossin OAM
As a conductor, educator, clinician and composer, Carl
Crossin is well known and respected throughout Australia
as a choral conductor. A graduate of the Sydney
Conservatorium of Music and the University of Adelaide,
he also studied choral conducting in the United States and
Britain as the recipient of international study grants
awarded by the Australia Council, the South Australian
Government and the Henry Krips Conducting Scholarship.
Crossin is Founder/Director of the Adelaide Chamber Singers, the Elder
Conservatorium Chorale and the University of Adelaide’s chamber choir, Adelaide
Voices. He is currently on the staff at the university’s Elder Conservatorium of Music where he is Director of Choral Music, Head of the Music Studies Program, and Lecturer in Conducting.
Crossin has toured nationally and internationally with his various choirs on many occasions. He conducted the Adelaide Chamber Singers at the 10th Annual
Convention of the Association of British Choral Directors in 1996, at the Norwich and
Norfolk Festival in 1999, at the inaugural Asia South Pacific Symposium on Choral
Music in Singapore in 2001, at the 6th World Symposium on Choral Music in
Minneapolis in 2002; and at the Tokyo International Arts Festival in 2004. He also took the National Youth Choir of Australia to New Zealand in 1999 for their first international tour, and has toured Britain, Germany and Poland with the Brighton
School Choir and Voiceworks Adelaide.
Crossin has taught and conducted at a wide variety of summer schools, festivals and conferences throughout Australia and Britain and, as a guest conductor or clinician,
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has worked with a wide variety of choirs in all six Australian states. He has guest conducted the Melbourne Chorale and Sydney Philharmonia Motet Choir and was
Choral Director for Youth Music Australia’s National Music Camps in 1999 and 2000.
Crossin’s work with singers has not been limited to the choral field: he conducted critically acclaimed performances of Monteverdi’s opera ‘Orfeo’ and
Mozart’s ‘Le Nozze di Figaro’ for the Elder School of Music in 2002 and 2003 respectively. Crossin has also recently returned to composition. His extended choral work Caritas was featured by ACS at the World Symposium on Choral Music in the
USA in 2002, and his ‘Dance for the Daughters of Eve’ features on the recently released debut CD by the vocal trio eve.
Faye Dumont
Faye Dumont has the pleasure of regularly conducting
the Melbourne Chamber Choir and the Melbourne
Women’s Choir. She also conducts the occasional
Melbourne Mastersingers and the professional
ensemble Chorelation. She has been a
conductor/lecturer at Melbourne University, the Royal
Melbourne Institute of Technology, Latrobe University and the Australian Catholic University and currently conducts the choirs in the School of Music Conservatorium at Monash University.
Dumont was the founding president of the ACA and, since the amalgamation of the choral organisations into ANCA, has served one term as its National President. She is convenor of the Australian Choral Conductors Education and Training summer and winter schools in Melbourne. She founded the Choral@Montsalvat, Voices of Women
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and Sing Christmas choral events in Melbourne, and has been artistic director of the
Melbourne International Choral Festival.
Dumont’s work as guest conductor, workshop leader and voice specialist is well known throughout Australia and New Zealand and she is a contributor to choral and educational publications. She has written the popular choral handbook ‘You Can Do
It—Starting a Choir’ and has followed it with ‘You Can Do It—Conducting a Choir’.
Dumont’s enthusiasm for the choral arts was greatly stimulated by her studies at the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, where she worked with Rodney
Eichenberger, and it is encouraged by the increasing quality of choral performances in
Australian choirs.
Stephen Leek
Stephen Leek’s distinctive music is immediately
recognisable, capturing the enigmas, drama,
rhythms, colours and ethos of Australia. He has
been credited with having made a significant
impact on, and a major contribution to, the
development of Australian choral composition and performance and how that has been promoted and discussed throughout the world over the past 25 years.
Born in Sydney in 1959, Stephen is an extensively commissioned freelance composer, conductor, educator and publisher. Having taught sessional composition and improvisation at the Queensland Conservatorium, Griffith University until 2009,
Stephen resigned from this position in order to further develop his already hectic freelance schedule of commissions, workshops and guest appearances and to take up a
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non-remunerative position on the Board of the International Federation of Choral
Music—a project of UNESCO. He is currently a Vice President of the IFCM. A pioneer in developing composer residencies, Stephen’s involvement with numerous choral and music groups at every level of accomplishment has had vital influence on recent
Australian music.
In Australia he has been Composer in Residence to numerous leading organisations such as the Sydney Children’s Choir, the Gondwana Choirs, The St
Peter’s Chorale, the National Music Camps Association of Australia (Australian Youth
Orchestra), and the Eltham East Primary School Choir, which have defined new directions and pathways for Australian music. He has also been widely commissioned here and abroad, with some of the most recent commissions including The Australian
Voices, The Glen Ellen Children’s Choir (USA), The Adelaide Chorale, Eltham East
Primary School Choir, SongBridge 2000 (Netherlands), Gondwana Choirs, the San
Francisco Girls Chorus (USA), Taipei Male Choir (Taiwan), Sydney Male Choir, World
Sun Songs Project (Latvia) and the Singapore Chamber Choir, to name but a few.
Having worked extensively at all levels of Australian and international music-making,
Stephen has devoted much of his time to generating workshops and repertoire that stimulates, excites and challenges the very youngest performers through to seasoned professionals, putting performance practices and skills in place to enable all ages and skills levels to interpret, understand and appreciate the unique qualities of his music and other Australian composers.
In 1993 he was joint founder, and from 1997 until 2009 Artistic Director and
Conductor, of The Australian Voices, an elite ensemble of young adult singers who, through their motivated commitment to the work of Australian composers, have
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significantly challenged and changed the landscape of choral music in Australia and taken Australian music to the most prestigious festivals and events around the globe.
Among his array of personal accolades is the award in 2003 of the prestigious
Robert Edler International Prize for Choral Music. Cited by an international jury for his
‘decisive influence’ on both the Australian music scene and the international choral community as a composer and conductor, Stephen has been admitted into the pantheon of leading choral composers and conductors worldwide alongside conductors Freider
Bernius, Karmina Selic, Maria Guinaund and institutions such as the World Youth
Choir. He has won numerous other national and international awards for his music including several Sounds Australian Awards, and in 2004, his work ‘die dunkle Erde’ was selected by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation to represent Australia at the
UNESCO International Rostrum of Composers in Paris.
In recent years Stephen’s activities have expanded more on the international scene, where he has been Composer in Residence at the Marktoberdorf Musik
Akademy, Germany; Guest Conductor with the acclaimed Formosa Singers, Taiwan;
The Crystal Choir, USA; Composer NOT in Residence with Choral Artists of San
Francisco, Guest Conductor with the Singapore Ministry of Education, The Taiwan
National Youth Choir, Guest Composer at the Sun Music Festival in Riga, Latvia, a juror at the World Choir Games in Austria, and a presenter at numerous music, education and choral conferences around the world. His list of national and international commissions now reads like a list of ‘Who’s Who’. With his work regularly being performed by choirs and primarily amateur organisations around the world, Leek is arguably one of the most performed Australian composers, yet he is largely ignored by the establishment in his own country.
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Graeme Morton AM
Graeme Morton is one of Australia’s eclectic
choral musicians, with a wealth of experience as a
conductor, teacher, composer and broadcaster of choral
music, and as an organist. He is currently Choral
Conducting Fellow at the University of Queensland
School of Music. Prior to this appointment Graeme had
been Director of Music at St Peters Lutheran College for 28 years, where he was founder and conductor of the St Peter’s Chorale.
He is also Director of Music at St John’s Cathedral, and Director of the Brisbane
Chamber Choir, which maintains a vigorous performance schedule of traditional and new choral works. Graeme holds a Master of Music (Organ) from the University of
Queensland, and was formerly Sub-Organist at St John’s Anglican Cathedral. As a composer, Graeme is published by Augsburg Fortress, Kjos Music, and Morton Music.
Graeme is particularly keen to find interesting new choral works to bring to his singers and audiences. To this end he has commissioned many of the pieces that have become Australian choral classics, including ‘Past Life Melodies’ and ‘Ngana’, from composers such as Paul-Antoni Bonetti, Ross Edwards, Iain Grandage, Sarah Hopkins,
Michael Knopf, Stephen Leek, Matthew Orlovich, Vincent Plush Paul Stanhope and
Joseph Twist. He has also conducted several Australian premieres, including Morten
Lauridsen’s ‘Lux Aeterna’, Benjamin Britten’s ‘The Company of Heaven’ and ‘The
World of the Spirit’, Andrew Carter’s ‘Benedicite’ and ‘Missa Sancti Pauli’, Javia
Busto’s ‘Requiem’ and Dominic Argento’s ‘A Toccata of Galuppi’.
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With the release of the CD ‘Until I Saw’ in 1990 (winner of the National Critics
Award for the best performance of an Australian Choral Composition, performing a work that Graeme had commissioned from Stephen Leek) this country received what was probably the first recording devoted entirely to Australian choral music. Since then
Graeme’s support of an Australian choral voice has remained unabated. As co-founder and the first director of The Australian Voices, Graeme helped further establish a new awareness of Australian choral music. Graeme also hosts a weekly radio programme of choral music entitled ‘The Choir Room’ on Radio 4MBS at 10 pm on Tuesday evenings and 12.30pm on Sundays.
Graeme has toured overseas on numerous occasions, including visits to Finland,
Russia, Sweden, Denmark, Germany, Austria, the UK, Japan, North America and New
Zealand. He has lectured in the Summer Programme at Westminster Choir College,
Princeton, New Jersey, and in 1996 was Visiting Professor of Choral Music at the famed St Olaf College in Minnesota. Each year he teaches composition in a week-long school in Singapore.
The Brisbane Chamber Choir is one of Australia’s exciting choral ensembles.
The Choir is also the resident Cathedral Chamber Choir of St John’s Anglican
Cathedral, Brisbane, and sings about six services each year, including a devotion on
Good Friday and the first Evensong of Easter.
The Brisbane Chamber Choir was founded by Graeme in 1997 and is committed to performing repertoire that challenges the musicians and surprises the public. Since the choir’s establishment it has performed widely recognised choral music greats from all periods and styles, as well as commissioned new works from the likes of Ross
Edwards, Paul-Antoni Bonetti and Joesph Twist.
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In addition the choir has performed innovative music such as the Busto Requiem for choir and clarinet, Lauridsen’s ‘Lux Aeterna’, Goodall’s ‘In Memoriam Anne
Frank’, Britten’s ‘The World of the Spirit’, Carter’s ‘Missa Sancti Pauli’ and Argento’s
‘A Toccata of Galuppi’, all Australian premiere performances. The choir regularly collaborates with leading instrumentalists and ensembles. These include organists
Rupert Jeffcoat, Christopher Cook, Eduarda van Klinken and Ralph Morton, cellist
Gwyn Roberts, pianists Colin and Alastair Noble, and ensembles such as the Badinerie
Players, the Camerata of St John’s and The Queensland Orchestra String Quartet.
Graeme is a Churchill Fellow, the recipient of a Prime Minister’s Medal, and in
2011 was the recipient of the Lord Mayor’s Australia Day Cultural Award. In 2012
Graeme was a finalist in two categories for the Australasian Performing Right
Association/Amcos Australian Art Music Awards. His Awards were for Excellence by an Organisation or Individual for Services to Australian Music,
‘Through his lifetime of work of over 30 years, Graeme has made an incredible
contribution to Australian music, influencing generations of choristers and
composers. His efforts have changed the way people listen to choral work by
Australian composers. One of Australia's most versatile musicians: composer,
conductor, organist, educator and publisher, Morton is a passionate advocate for
Australian music’ (www.apra/amcos.org.au/artmusicawards).
His second Award category was for Excellence in Music Education for Contribution to
Music Education through St Peter’s Chorale,
‘In his year of retirement from St Peter’s, it seems fitting to recognise the
enormous contribution made by Graeme Morton through his own music
education program, sustained and undertaken with such integrity. Over the
years, Graeme has produced so many students who have gone on to achieve and
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work successfully in the industry. He has developed a curriculum model that is
strikingly effective and has a strong methodology and aesthetic. Through his
programs he has been responsible for creating a voluminous body of new choral
works and countless of his commissions have gone on to have a life of their own
and become part of the choral repertoire. He is to be commended for sustained
excellence in music education’ (www.apra/amcos.org.au/artmusicawards).
Mark O’Leary
Mark O’Leary is one of Australia’s most active
children’s choir conductors, widely respected for his
work with Young Voices of Melbourne which he
founded in 1990. With Young Voices Mark has
produced nine CD recordings, toured all states and
territories of Australia and made seven international tours to Europe, South Africa, North America, Asia and Samoa. Mark is also Principal
Guest Conductor of Gondwana Voices, Australia’s national children’s choir with which he has been closely associated since its first season in 1997. Mark has special interests in Kodaly teaching techniques, the development of excellence in children's choirs and
Australian choral music. He presents many workshops each year on choral music education throughout Australia, and is actively involved in the Kodaly Music Education
Institute of Australia providing courses, workshops and events for Australian music teachers. Mark publishes Australian choral music for young choirs in the Young Voices of Melbourne Choral Series and his arrangements are performed all around the world.
Mark O’Leary graduated top of his year from the University of Melbourne with a Bachelor of Music degree in1983. In 1985 he was awarded a Commonwealth
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Postgraduate Research Award, and since then has completed a Master of Music degree, passed with honours, and a Bachelor of Music Education degree. He has also studied conducting with Robert Rosen as a private student and was the recipient of a Churchill
Fellowship in 1989. This fellowship took him to England, Hungary, Finland, Canada and the USA to study outstanding children’s choirs.
Lyn Williams, OAM
Lyn Williams is Australia’s leading director of
choirs for young people, having founded two
internationally renowned choirs: the Sydney
Children’s Choir in 1989 and the national
children’s choir, Gondwana Voices, in 1997. She
has recently added a number of other choirs to the
Gondwana Choirs program, including the
Gondwana National Indigenous Children’s Choir, the Gondwana Chorale, the
Gondwana Singers and Junior Gondwana. Her exceptional skill in working with young people is recognised internationally for its high artistic quality and ground-breaking innovation. In addition to her work with young people, Lyn has been Music Director and Conductor for a number of major events, including the Opening Ceremony of the
Melbourne 2006 Commonwealth Games, the Rugby World Cup in 2003, and the NSW
Centennial Ceremony in 2001. Lyn has conducted many major professional choirs and orchestras in Australia, including the Sydney, Adelaide and Melbourne Symphony
Orchestras, the Australian Chamber Orchestra, the Australian Youth Orchestra, and the
Sydney Philharmonia Choirs. In 2001 she co-directed Leunig’s ‘Parables, Lullabies and
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Secrets’ with Gondwana Voices, the Australian Chamber Orchestra, Neil Finn and
Michael Leunig.
Lyn has toured extensively with her choirs including tours to Europe, Asia,
North and Central America. In 2007 she led Gondwana Voices on a 10th Anniversary international tour to Canada, France and to the BBC Proms in London, where they were the first Australian children’s choir to perform at this prestigious event. In 2004 she performed with Gondwana Voices at America Cantat in Mexico City and at Polyfollia in Normandy, France. In April 2005 she travelled with the Sydney Children’s Choir to the World Expo in Nagoya, Japan for the official Australia Day Expo Ceremony.
In January 2004, Lyn was awarded Medal of the Order of Australia in recognition of her services to the Arts as Founder and Director of Gondwana Choirs.
She also received the NSW State Award at the 2006 Classical Music Awards for her long term contribution to the advancement of Australian music. Lyn is a Churchill
Fellow and also a composer. In 2009 she won the Australasian Performing Right
Association-Australian Music Centre Vocal/Choral Work of the Year for her work ‘The
Dominion of Dreams’.
Websites used for biographies of case studies http://www.adelaidechambersingers.com http://www.bodymap.org http://www.brisbanechamberchoir.org http://www.cappellafede.com http://www.gondwanavoices.com.au http://www.songcompany.com.au
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http://www.theaustralianvoices.com.au http://www.yvm.com.au
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Appendix 4 Further information on American Choral Conductors
The following biographies are of the American choral conductors who are mentioned in Chapter 3. The biographies listed are of different length sourced from the national choral directors association, the conductors own website and their place of employment and other various websites. They are in alphabetical order.
Rodney Eichenberger.
Rodney Eichenberger, Florida State University Professor Emeritus, continues to maintain a busy professional schedule elsewhere. He has conducted 80 USA All State
Choirs and guest conducted or lectured at more than 85 USA, Australian and New
Zealand universities. His international appearances include guest conducting the Korean
National Chorus in Seoul, the Pusan Korea City Choir, International High School
Honour Choirs in Tokyo and Berlin, and leading conducting workshops in Argentina,
Brazil, France, Norway, Sweden, Scotland, Austria, Korea, Australia and New Zealand.
His instructional videos on choral conducting, ‘What They See Is What You Get’, published by Hinshaw Music and ‘Enhancing Musicality Through Movement’ published by Santa Barbara Press, are widely used in collegiate conducting classes. A graduate of St. Olaf College with advanced study at the Universities of Denver,
Washington and Iowa, he taught at the University of Washington and the University of
Southern California prior to his appointment at Florida State University.
He has spent much of his career exploring the effect of gesture and movement on choral sound. He has taught countless novice and experienced conductors that what their choir members see directly and profoundly affects the sounds they create. He
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guides students in the discovery of the effects their postures, facial expressions, and hand movements have on the sounds their choir members produce. His understanding of the ‘motion’ of a phrase and the gestural language that evokes the desired approach to singing has been a significant contribution to the art of choral conducting. Eichenberger has also been effective at teaching singers musical concepts through movement, and he has created a wide array of movements one might use with choir members to improve such things as tone, phrasing, articulation, and pitch. His methods have provided a wonderful addition to the use of verbal descriptions and vocal models as teaching techniques. Eichenberger’s standard for use of efficient gesture and movement in rehearsal has changed the way conductors think about gesture; he has convinced a large population of the profession that ‘what they (the choir members) see is what you (the conductor) get’ so much so that Eichenberger’s Instructions video is entitled ‘ What they see, is what you get’.
Weston Noble.
Noble’s career has been a display of service and respect for the spirit of the individual and for the art of music. His approach to music is almost reverent when he discusses the historical context, the emotional meaning, and the relevance of every piece of music with his choir members. He displays a unique passion for helping singers explore the spirit within music and themselves, and is able to find the worth in each piece he conducts. Noble’s choirs display a sound that demonstrates the axiom of ‘no entity calling attention to itself’, and the refinement and consistency of their performances is as clean and precise as Noble’s conducting gesture.
In a quiet and gentle way, Noble models for his singers the importance of service: teaching singers to serve their communities, their art and their faith. He displays
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the ability to listen intently to the choir as a whole, but also to the members of the choir as they speak. As he listens he displays a respect for students that is powerful and inspiring. Noble’s standard for enlivening the individual spirit through music and his ability to inspire refined and expressive performances has given future generations a benchmark toward which they can work.
Now the Johnson Professor Emeritus of Music, Weston Noble had a 57-year tenure as a conductor and teacher at Luther College in Decorah, Iowa. He received wide acclaim as conductor of the Nordic choir from 1948–2005, the Concert Band from
1948–1973, and as a guest conductor for over 900 music festivals across four continents. Weston Noble holds five honorary doctorate degrees, Augustana College
(South Dakota), 1971; St. Olaf College, 1996; Westminster Choir College, 2005;
Carthage College, 2008 and Wartburg College, 2009, and is also a recipient of the
American Choral Directors Association Robert Shaw Award. His other awards include a Distinguished Service Award, received in 2006 from The Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-Day Saints— the only non-Mormon to be so honoured—the St. Olav's Medal, received in 1999 from King Harald V of Norway for his contributions to Norwegian-
American relations. In 1998 he received the inaugural Weston H. Noble Award for
Lifetime Achievement in the Choral Art, which was presented to him by Robert Shaw on behalf of the American Choral Directors Association. He has also been awarded the
Outstanding Music Educator of the United States in 1989, an award presented by the
National Federation of State High School Associations. In the autumn of 2011 he will be Resident Director at Augustana College in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
He has expressed the emotion one experiences as a conductor as follows:
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There came a moment in the middle of the song when he/she suddenly felt every
heartbeat in the room & after that he/she never forgot he/she was part of
something much bigger. (Weston Noble).
One of the best descriptions of the expertise of Weston Noble was given in a very succinct manner by another expert, Robert Shaw, when Weston Noble received the
Robert Shaw Award.
Now, what traits, I ask myself, have empowered this very special person
(Weston Noble) to reach the level of accomplishment for which we now give
him thanks? What gifts and earnings does he possess which allow him to bring
so many of us with him? I think of three things. First, he had the wisdom and the
modesty to build upon a heritage and a tradition. So far as I can tell from his
product and his method, Weston Noble has accepted with loving thanks the
musical gifts and accomplishments of those who preceded him in his social,
ethnic, artistic, and religious environment. Shortly before his own life was
ended, Martin Luther King, Jr., said, ‘Longevity has its merits.’ Weston Noble
not only has given us a full fifty years, but has passed on to conductors and
singers alike the decades and, in terms of repertoire, even the centuries which
preceded his full fifty.
In the second place, he has done this within an art and with artists which and
who have been substantially volunteer and amateur—students and teachers of
students, or voluntary associations of adults in a recreational or religious
community. ‘Amateur’—from amo, amare: to love. It is not a dirty word. But
neither—necessarily—is ‘professional’. All of us are acquainted with
professionals who never have lost their love of music.
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The third thing which strikes me about Weston Noble’s career is that in spite of
his own far-ranging travels and services, and the worldwide tours of his
performing groups, he has chosen to maintain and build an institution and a
body of work in a place relatively remote from places that are held to be the
cultural capitals or nations and populations. Generation after generation after
generation. And brick by brick by brick. To each of us is given only an inch or
two of time, but with it the chance to mould, bake, and place a specific and
personal brick. And it is indeed fitting that we should occasionally pause to
recognise one such as Weston Noble, who over two generations has given to our
Cathedral of Music an entire corner pediment of bricks, a sense of the whither
we should be tending, and a deeper understanding—though still a mystery—of
the why. Thank you, Weston Noble.’ (Shaw 1998).
Noble has expressed his thoughts on teaching as follows:
We experience shades of emotions never felt before. Who we are deepens. Our
palate of enrichment enlarges. Life becomes forever richer! And wonder of
wonders we are no longer just recipients, but we are also TEACHERS. Just as
our brain patterns have been changed through our years, now we are an
ingredient catalyst of for CHANGING LIVES of students through MUSIC on a
daily basis!’ (Noble, 2005).
Noble discusses and analyses disparate parts: mind, body, and spirit. He maintains that profound musical experience occurs when ‘everything is in line’ in the correct hierarchical order. He writes, ‘the spirit is number one; it thus functions to inspire the soul. Its role is to animate the mind, the will, and our emotion—those times when life has its greatest meaning. The soul, in turn, functions to rule the body.’ Noble stresses the importance of providing instruction for different learning styles within your
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choir and offers a brief discussion on at least three of the different manners in which a musical selection may be taught within a rehearsal. Noble labels these teaching styles as cognitive, affective, and kinesthetic teaching. Cognitive learners assimilate factual, concrete information to gain intellectual understanding while an affective learning style uses imagination, association, and metaphor. Kinesthetic teaching, which uses physical movement in conjunction with a musical concept, is also an effective teaching tool.
Noble stressed that using all three of these approaches within the rehearsal will ensure the full inclusion of all members in the choir. Based upon elements of psychological theory, Noble has focused his artistic and educational objectives on the concept of the exploration of the subjective side of the musical art. This approach enabled him to achieve unparalleled success in his ability to relate to a vast number of singers in choral ensembles throughout the world. It has also allowed him to elicit tremendous emotional reactions to music from singers and, by extension, the listening audience. It is this focus on the emotional elements of music-making that has become the overriding educational objective in all of Noble’s work and the primary factor in his success as a conductor. To the question: ‘What is the chief characteristic of an outstanding choir director?’ he responded, ‘Somewhat flustered, I poked here and there, but without a definitive answer. The interviewer smiled and said: ‘Weston, are you trying to say
VULNERABILITY?’ I felt a tingle go from my head to my feet; I knew he was right even though I was not certain why.’ (Noble, 2005)
Robert Shaw.
Choir members are not here because they are being paid to be here. They are
here because they love it. So I tell myself: don't destroy that love. And that’s not
always easy to remember. (Robert Shaw).
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When it comes to the landscape of American choral conducting after Shaw, all the unanimity that greets mention of his name evaporates. Indirectly, at least, Shaw wielded an influence on virtually everyone in the field today, and he had a direct impact on most, through the quality and impact of his performances if not through actual contact (Oestreich, 1999).
Stevenson (2012) wrote Shaw’s biography for ‘All Music’, the source for the information presented here. Over his long career Robert Lawson Shaw became perhaps classical music’s best-known choral conductor and an important orchestral conductor as well. Born in 1916, Shaw was the son of a clergyman, and his mother sang in church choirs. As a young man he filled in as a choir leader on occasion, but did not plan a musical career, studying philosophy and comparative religion at Pomona College in suburban Los Angeles. During his freshman year, the leader of the college glee club fell ill, and he was asked by other members to substitute. Shaw founded his own pop group, the Collegiate Chorale, but soon began adding classical music to its repertoire. Boston
Symphony Orchestra conductor Serge Koussevitzky heard Shaw and, despite Shaw’s relative inexperience, hired him to prepare his choirs. Then the great Arturo Toscanini invited Shaw and the Collegiate Chorale to join his NBC Symphony Orchestra in a performance of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9. The results made Shaw’s reputation.
Shaw then founded the 42-voice Robert Shaw Chorale, perhaps the first full-time professional choir in the USA not connected with a religious institution. For 18 years the Chorale toured incessantly and made many successful recordings, including some well-loved arrangements of Christmas favourites.
In 1953 he accepted a position conducting mainly light music with the San
Diego Symphony. In 1956 George Szell invited Shaw to build a chorus to match the standards of his Cleveland Orchestra, rapidly on the rise, and Shaw accepted the post. In
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1966 the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra invited Shaw to become its next music director.
During his 20 years at its helm he built its quality and reputation to high international levels. When he took over in 1967, Atlanta was still essentially a segregated city. In his first year, Shaw established a week-long residency for the orchestra at Spelman College, one of Atlanta’s historically black colleges. He also frequently conducted in the city’s churches, black and white. In 1972 he gave the world premiere of Scott Joplin’s opera,
‘Treemonisha’.
When Shaw’s first five-year contract was up, the orchestra board voted not to renew his appointment because of the large quantity of twentieth century music he played, citing poor ticket sales. Within two weeks, however, 3,500 new subscribers sent in season ticket cheques, all bearing the notation that they were contingent on Shaw remaining the conductor. He retired from the Atlanta podium in 1988 and was proclaimed Conductor Laureate, continuing to conduct regularly. He also made numerous guest appearances as a conductor, appearing in his signature midnight blue rather than black tails. Shaw spent four months a year in the village of Dordogne,
France, where he conducted the Robert Shaw Institute and festival, sponsored by The
Ohio State University. During his career he was made a member of the National
Council of the Arts in 1979. He was awarded Kennedy Center Honours in 1991 and the
National Medal of Arts in 1992 and named ‘Officier des Arts et des Lettres’ by the
French Government in 1997.
His conducting won 14 Grammy Awards, and his last recording, of music by
Barber, Bartok and Vaughan Williams, won Best Classical Choral Performance a month after his death in 1999. In his final performance, he conducted Bach’s Mass in B minor at Carnegie Hall.
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Shaw’s rehearsal techniques, isolating rhythm, pitch or enunciation, were calculated for Maximum effect and efficiency, and could seem mechanistic at times. He carried a similar pragmatism into his treatment of scores. He might reseat singers, mixing voices to achieve a homogeneous overall sound, or shift voices to another line if it suited his concept of the desired sonority or the way that sonority was best projected.
To be an amateur artist means, I suppose, to be unwilling or unable to set a price
upon the effort and love which attends the creation of beauty. When you get
right down to it, to be an artist is to be an amateur. One can no more think of
being a professional musician than he can of being a professional person. To be
an artist is to arrive at some sort of resolution of the mind and matter struggle.
It’s a yea to the proposition that there are ideal human values lasting beyond
one’s own mortal limits, and that it is a necessary part of being human to seek,
enjoy and transmit these values. To be an artist is not the privilege of a few but
the necessity of us all (Shaw, letter to the Collegiate Chorale, November 5,
1953).
Shaw believed in living composers as well as acknowledged masters, and more than once his programming of difficult contemporary works landed him in hot water.
‘We have a right to expect and demand of ourselves not flawless performance but humanly great performance. Music has finally to issue in sound; and the sound has no meaning unless it is the voice of the spirit. The only crescendo of importance is the crescendo of the human heart.’ (Shaw, letter to the Collegiate Chorale, February 12,
1953).
More than any single figure in American music, Shaw turned around the expectations of what a choir should be, and what it should be able to do. For 75 years, choruses in big American cities had been congenial community sing-along
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organisations such as the Handel and Haydn Society in Boston, the Mendelssohn Club in Philadelphia and the May Festival Chorus in Cincinnati. Shaw led conductors, who in turn led their audiences, to expect professional ensembles that could perform, individually and collectively, on as high a plane as their symphony counterparts. He turned those choruses from social organisations of European immigrants into American institutions of musical craftsmanship. Another Shaw hallmark was his deep belief in musical responsibility. Even those who cannot forget the tongue-lashings he gave his singers recognise that his temper, his demands and his driven rehearsal manner all stemmed from his love for the music he led and for the composer who had created it.
Shaw’s commitment to the individual singer was obvious and never out of his mind:
A capable and insightful choral conductor can deal with wonderful voices and
amalgamate them in a marvellous, unified effort in which everyone is still his
own master. This is what Shaw does. He never stultifies the individual. Within
the framework of his ensemble, everybody is singing well as an individual. He’s
not putting an anchor on that person’s ability to express himself with his overall
drive toward a choral unification. So, I don’t believe that singers feel that they’re
parrots mimicking what the master has to say. They feel that it’s welling up
within them in a particularly genuine and singular fashion. That’s why choral
music at its best can be an unparalleled experience (Freer, 2007).
Shaw also spoke about contributions to the choral art: ‘There’s no doubt in my mind that the amateur motivation of music (‘amateur’ derives linguistically from the
Latin ‘amo, amare’, to love) is extraordinarily precious, even to professionals.’ One of the sadnesses of a professional career in music in Shaw’s mind was that it puts great strains on one’s amateur commitment. He felt that this meant one therefore lacked the
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freedom of self-expression that great art always should entail. The choral art’s unique advantage, however, is that it allows participants to begin at an extraordinarily high level of creativity. Shaw believed that the great choral repertoire for some three to four hundred years has been justly acclaimed as ‘one of the flowers of man’s artistic and creative life’, and to be able to participate in the expression of those creative masterworks is a great and ennobling experience for anyone. Certainly the art needs both professionals and amateurs: amateurs need professionals to learn professional technical accomplishment, and professionals need to remember their early amateur commitment.
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Appendix 5 Ethics Approval
GRIFFITH UNIVERSITY HUMAN RESEARCH ETHICS COMMITTEE
04-Jun-2007
Dear Miss Wyvill I write further to the additional information provided in relation to the provisional approval granted to your application for ethical clearance for your project ‘Australian Choral Conductors and their role in choosing, presenting and promoting Australian Music nationally and internationally.’ (GU Ref No: QCM/28/06/HREC).
The additional information was considered by Office for Research. This is to confirm that this response has addressed the comments and concerns of the HREC.
Consequently, you are authorised to immediately commence this research on this basis.
The standard conditions of approval about this protocol continue to apply.
Regards Gary Allen Manager, Research Ethics Office for Research Bray Centre, Nathan Campus Griffith University ph: 3875 5585 fax: 3875 7994 email: [email protected] web:
Cc:
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Appendix 6 ANCA Sing Out Article 29/1
A snapshot of the ANCA membership 10 years later Janet Wyvill
As part of research for my doctorate Australian Choral Conductors and Current Choral Practice. A Longitudinal Study of Australian Choral Experts, a survey of the ANCA members was conducted in 2008. The full results and analysis of this survey is available in my PhD dissertation, which by the time of this publication will hopefully have been submitted for examination.
1998 AND 2008 CHORAL CONDUCTORS S URVEYS As many of the members of ANCA will be fully aware the 2008 survey was conducted to create a cross section in time comparison with the 1998 survey conducted by the Australian National Choral Association (ANCA) as a joint project with the Music Council of Australia (MCA), and the Sydney A Cappella Association (SAA) where ANCA surveyed its membership and in 1998 had a total of 351 responses.
The main purpose of the 1998 ANCA survey was to ‘gain data on the career structure for professional choral conductors’ (www.mca.org.au). The results of this survey can be found on the Music Council’s website
The 1998 ANCA survey results lead to some diverse findings. Conductors were asked about repertoire with just over 37% of those surveyed including Australian repertoire. When asked about work status, less than 2% of respondents stated they were full time conductors. The 1998 ANCA survey revealed: that choral conducting was not a rational career choice in Australia in 1998; that there were very few opportunities; and that the financial rewards had not reached a professional level.
This 1998 survey was the launching pad for a national survey to be sent to all current registered ANCA members as part of the 2008 research. Areas of interest have be compared and analysed in my full dissertation and included a comparison of the number of choirs registered as members, the choice of repertoire, training, the location and size of the choir, rehearsal and performance schedules, conductors’ work status, as well as establishing whether choirs tour either nationally or internationally. The results from this research project’s survey have been analysed in direct comparison with the 1998 ANCA survey.
The 2008 research survey was an online survey with an option to complete a paper survey if desired. The invitation to complete the survey was sent to all ANCA members in 2008. This went to over 800 different choirs and conductors. The paper survey was also distributed at music conferences and delegates were invited to complete the paper survey and return it to a designated place during the conference. The survey was completely anonymous and neither the online nor the paper surveys can be allocated to any one individual. This survey relied on self-report data, that is, it depended on participants to truthfully and accurately report on their attitudes and characteristics. There was no way of checking if the person answering the survey was even a choral conductor.
2008 RESEARCH SURVEY RESULTS
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The online survey invitation was distributed to over 800 ANCA members and the paper survey offered to more than 350 conference delegates. 606 surveys were returned either online or in paper form. 85% of the returned surveys completed more than 97% of the questions. The 606 respondents to the survey conduct a combined total of 1291 choirs with 36% of conductors conducting 3 or more choirs, see figure 1.1.
Number of Choirs conducted by one conductor 1 6% 4% 1% 1% 24% 43% 2
21%
Figure 1.1 The 1291 choirs can be shown in categories of age, gender and in some cases genre (figure 1.2). School choirs represent the largest proportion of the choirs listed with over 50%. The smallest representation was tertiary choirs with 1%.
Primary Total Types of Choirs 33% Church 8% Secondary 19% Adult Tertiary Female 1% 6% Adult Male Childrens Adult Youth 1% Community Mixed Community 7% 21% 4%
Figure 1.2
Focus Choirs The conductors were then requested to choose one of their choirs, if they conducted more than one, to be the focus choir for the rest of the survey. This saw a drop in the school choirs down to 41% and Adult mixed choirs increased from 21% to 32%. (figure 1.3)
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Focus choirs for survey results
Church 6% Primary 26%
Secondary 15% Adult mix 32%
Tertiary 1% Children's Community Youth 9% Community Adult Male Adult Female 4% 1% 6%
Figure 1.3
Singers in the Choirs The next question was to determine approximately how many singers were represented within the survey (figure 1.4). With 606 choirs (not quite 50% of total choirs from Question 1), and using the mean point of each category there are approximately 18, 672 total singers involved in the choirs surveyed.
Number of singers in group
250 39% 200
150 21% 16% 100 11% 12% 50 1% 0 8 or 9 to 20 21 to 36 to 51 to 66 or less 35 50 65 more
Figure 1.4
Repertoire When it came to questions regarding repertoire the majority of choirs allowed their conductor to choose the repertoire with 80% chosen by conductor alone. 7% was chosen by the Artistic director of the association and a minority were chosen by committee or with suggestions from the choir. One choir stated that the accompanist chose the repertoire. Respondents were asked to then state what their repertoire was made up of by choosing ‘Mostly’, ‘Frequently’, ‘Occasionally’ or ‘Never’ for each genre; Classical / Traditional, Jazz, Gospel, Opera, Barbershop, Ethnic, Popular / Modern, Musical, Australian and Other. When defining other the following were listed; Church Music, Sacred, African, Welsh hymns, accapella, World music, foreign language, secular songs, cannons, Medieval, Gilbert and Sullivan, Hymns, Christmas Carols, folk renaissance, feminist lyrics, contemporary, religious, original compositions and commissions (figure 1.5)
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Repertoire performed Never and n/a Occasionally Frequently Mostly 500
450
400
350
300
250
200
150
100
50
0
Figure 1.5
Rehearsals and Performances The next section of the survey then looked at rehearsals and performances. Conductors were asked how often they rehearsed and how many performances they complete each year. Conductors were asked to identify if their rehearsals and performances were part of the requirements or expectations of a larger organisation such as a church, university or school. Over 85% of the surveys conductors stated they rehearsed once per week. In the question ‘Are rehearsals / performances set as part of a larger organization?’ the percentage were almost equal. 47% No and 53% yes. Conductors were then requested to limit responses to performances outside those required by the larger organisation. This showed that 75% of choirs were performing less than 5 times per year, with most choirs performing less than 3 times per year.
Touring A new category of questions were added to this survey that did not appear in the 1998 ANCA survey, and that was in regards to touring nationally and internationally. This was included to discover if choirs were, 1: Touring and 2: What repertoire they were touring with. Only 17 choirs stated yes to the question of ‘Did you tour in 2006/2007?’ Eight choirs toured interstate or nationally and seven choirs stated that they toured internationally.
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When asked if the choir intended to tour in 2008/2009, while there was still 16 choirs touring only one was interstate or national, and this choir was also going to tour locally and internationally. Another 14 choirs were unsure at the time of the survey.
Occupation Conductors were asked to state their occupations and were given the following options for either full time, part time or NA; Choral conductor, Church musician, School teacher, Tertiary lecturer, Musician / performer, Retired, Other. When asked to define ‘other’ the following responses were given, Doctor, students, Admin, secretary, Composer, Accountant, builder, home educator, fashion designer, private tutor, band director.
Of 606 respondents only four are full time choral conductors, and while 305 state they are part time choral conductors all 606 assumedly conduct a choir? ( see figure 1.6)
Occupations 320 300 4 280 21 260 240 220 200 166 180 160 305 140 273 54 120 100 1 80 60 128 4 113 40 100 55 20 4 0 13 Choral Church School Tertiary Musician / Retired Other Conductor Musician Teacher Lecturer Performer Part Time Full Time
Figure 1.6
Conductor Training The next section of the survey was looking at the training that the conductor had received so far. As the paper survey was offered to delegates at music conferences, many of which were offering Professional Development in choral conducting this may have increased the number of respondents stating PD as their training (figure 1.7). The question did not ask the amount or when the training took place.
Conductor Training
PD 22% No formal 36%
On-the-Job Part of Uni 20% Degree Some 18% formal 4%
Figure 1.7
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Of those that responded with having some formal training or professional development they were asked to then identify if the following areas were included within the training; Gesture, Repertoire selection, Vocal training, Other (figure 1.8). Respondents listed the following as ‘Other’; ABC Adelaide, AMusA, Bachelor, Dealing with children Informal, life, Masters, Musicology, Music degree, rehearsal technique, Sing and Plays, teaching children, and very limited. It appears that almost half of the formal training and professional development courses have been limited to gesture.
Formal Training Other 3%
Vocal Training Gesture 32% 44%
Repertoire 21%
Figure 1.8
Payment and Position The final section of the survey asked respondents if their choral conducting was paid or not. Of these 51% stated they received some sort of payment, 24% stated they were unpaid, 5% stated other which included Honorarium, voluntary with donation, choristers make annual donation, paid % of ticket sales and 20% did not answer.
Of the 51% who stated they were paid 155 conductors were paid as an independent position, 138 stated it was included in salary, 10 were paid as a separate activity with salary and 5 were paid for performances only. Respondents were then asked ‘What is the amount you are paid for choral conducting? (that is not part of salaried position)’. No scale or suggestions were given, this was an open ended question to be answered in any form the respondent pleased.
The follow responses have been categorized into similar responses for ease of reporting (please note some respondents answered in 2 categories, per rehearsal and per annum); Amount Number respondents Less than $35 per rehearsal / week 365 $35 – $50 per rehearsal / week 34 $51 – $85 per rehearsal / week 19 $90 - $140 per rehearsal / week / concert 55 $150 – $240 per rehearsal / week / concert 24 $1500 – $2000 per annum 7 $2400 – $2800 per annum 5 $3000 – $3500 per annum 4 $4000 – $5500 per annum 7 $6000 - $7500 per annum 5 $8700 per annum 1 $22, 500 per annum 1 $23, 000 per annum 1 $25, 000 per annum 2 $40, 000 – $50, 000 2 Unwilling to provide information 141
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The final question was ‘Do you consider yourself a professional choral conductor?’ Only 15% responded ‘yes’, 67% responded ‘no’ and 18% did not respond.
Thank you to all the members who responded to the survey as part of this research, your information have greatly assisted in creating a snapshot of the choral community in 2008. Maybe one of the members will be interested in completely the 2018 survey for the next 10 year snapshot. If you would like any more information regarding this survey or my PhD dissertation please contact me. [email protected]