Working In The Creative Industries: Research Portfolio

Career choice: Community choir leader

The levels of qualification and experience needed to enter this occupation greatly vary according to the level and context of the choir. For example, a prestigious cathedral choir or a choir with a very specialist and honed style and reputation are likely to require a degree in music, or at least a considerable portfolio of experience successfully leading similar choirs in the past. A school choir would likely require a teaching qualification, though this is more likely if the choir leading position came as a facet of a classroom music teaching position, as often is the case. However, on the basis of scouring job websites such as ‘Indeed.com’, employers in this field do seem to favour experience over academia and qualifications, and many offer training as part of the process. When the choir is a community-based project and has a less performative aim, rather focusing on the mental, spiritual, physical, and social benefits of group singing/music-making, the most important factor is experience, enthusiasm, and passion, rather than a specific degree or qualification. In an advertisement for a choir leading post in Hastings, desirable background was stated as “experience as a gigging musician, music teacher, or choir leader”, and “enthusiasm for community music and making a difference” (Buskerteers Choir, 2024). However, another choir in Middlesborough, ‘Lucy’s Pop Choir’, require a bachelor’s degree in order to apply. Clearly, requirements vary based on context. From my own experience of knowing various choir leaders, this variety in background and qualification is clear – one friend of mine leads a church-based community choir after studying a music degree, whereas another friend, who leads a local ‘Climate Choir’, does not usually work in the music profession, and runs the choir on a more informal basis out of the need for enthusiasm and leadership rather than qualification requirement. Another example of qualifications and background could be of Surrey-based community choir leader Jackie Hintze, who came from a teaching background, which she says informs her inclusive approach to choir leadership (Natural Voice Network, 2022).

The main skill needed for success in the profession of a community choir leader is an ability to engage different kinds of people. Especially when the choir involves a wide range of abilities and vocal backgrounds, seamlessly bringing together a large group of people requires enthusiasm, patience, good communication skills, problem solving skills, and conflict resolution skills. Encouragement and motivation can entirely change the experience of a choir practice, and is arguably more important than any specific gauge of musical ability. A document on establishing community choirs cites approachability as being of high importance in a community choir leader, and also highlights that individuals will bring their own various life stressors and wellbeing issues to the choir, and an awareness of this supporting leadership role is important (A guide to establishing and developing a community choir, n.d.). Milton Rosenberg writes that “It’s not enough to have good music or a structured rehearsal; you need to create a sense of belonging” (Rosenberg, 2024), supporting the point that more soft skills such as approachability, communication, problem solving and motivation/encouragement are equally if not more crucial than strictly musical skills. Some other personal qualities and attributes worth mentioning are friendliness, humour, confidence, self-assurance, emotional intelligence, ability to create fun out of a mundane experience/activity, openness to criticism and an ability to listen to the needs and voices of the community, so that you are able to use their suggestions and passions and ideas to guide the direction and function of the choir. From personal experience, these are the most memorable and successful attributes in a community choir leader. As a side note, a community choir may be a small part of a larger web or initiative. This means that there may be guidelines and philosophies and practices that the choir leader would need to be able to adhere to and incorporate into their own personal methods and skills and practices of teaching. For example, if a choir was within the Natural Voice network, then the “Philosophy and Working Principles of the Natural Voice Network” would need to be studied and incorporated, such as “aim to teach songs by ear”, and “regard vocal and physical warm-ups as an essential element” (Natural Voice Network, 2022).

Many if not most community choir leaders might be self-employed, meaning a potential for much more flexibility with time, but more personal responsibility with regard to finance, organisation, and filling in the more administrative jobs that one may not have to do when in a more traditional job. Chris Rowberry describes this by writing that he is “not just a teacher of songs, but a PR guy, a publicity designer, copywriter, PA, project planner, administrator, song arranger, office manager, website designer, recording engineer, marketing officer, song researcher, committee member, musical director, music transcriber, accountant, performance & rehearsal scheduler, community musician, filing clerk, stationery purchaser, fund-raiser … amongst other things” (Rowberry, 2009). This “multi-faceted” (Hickman, 2024) demand of the profession is further outlined in Morgana Hickman’s article, who states that “the role of a choir leader is a tapestry of artistic vision, mentorship, and communal spirit that weaves together the diverse voices of a choir into a harmonious and impactful ensemble. The choir leader’s multifaceted responsibilities encompass musical direction, repertoire curation, mentorship, and the cultivation of a supportive and inclusive choir community” (Hickman, 2024). From these various accounts and drawing from my own observations, I could suggest that a typical days work could involve: starting off with emails and admin tasks, communicating some song material or rehearsal schedule updates with the choir, designing a poster to advertise the next event the choir will be a part of, answering queries and personal messages, doing some listening research to widen the repertoire, and then running a rehearsal in the evening, including some time for people to socialise and creating a comfortable and open space for people to immerse themselves in the experience.

The main legal complication that could be of concern to a community choir leader is the possibility of misunderstanding and breaching copyright law. This could happen if they were to create CDs of the choir singing copyrighted songs, or duplicate copyrighted sheet music or lyrics (Choirplayer, n.d.). This means that it would usually (though not always) be illegal to print off multiple sheets of lyrics for the choir, or to share files with them if the song was copyrighted. However, it would be legal to perform in a venue, as the copyright and PRS is the responsibility of the venue. Similarly, uploading a videoed performance to YouTube would be legal, as the site would automatically pay whoever had rights to the composition (Choirplayer, n.d.). A financial issue might be the lack of funding choirs often struggle against. There are ways to effectively budget and manage finance in order to ensure the choir can continue to function, these methods including “renting performance venues jointly with other groups or purchasing music in bulk”, “consider[ing] modest membership dues to help cover some costs”, “apply[ing] for grants from arts councils and cultural foundations”, and holding “fundraising events” (Choirs, 2023). The accessibility and feasibility of these types of options might vary with regard to what type of choir is in question – a well-established, strictly-auditioned, professional choir would likely find it much easier than a grassroots, politically-motivated community choir, such as a Climate Choir. In addition, there is a slight moral risk of becoming exclusive and inaccessible when employing the use of a membership fee, as this would automatically hinder low-income potential members’ ability to join (Choirs, 2023). This is particularly an issue with community choirs that exist to be a joining force for all facets of a community, therefore making it futile and unethical to exclude the poorest members of that community. It may then be necessary to look to other methods of financially supporting the community choir, arts grants or political initiative sponsors possibly being one of them.

As already mentioned earlier, the role of a community choir leader is likely to involve most, if not all, of the choir’s promotion and marketing tasks too. Much of the time, word-of-mouth and reputation are the most reliable and organic ways of recruiting and promoting, as Kari Olsen-Porthouse says, “All of my workplace choirs have come through connections from my community choir” (Olsen-Porthouse, n.d., in Morgan, 2022). There are strategies that can make promotion and marketing much easier and more effective. Pereira lists: “utilise social media”, “create eye-catching flyers”, “partner with local businesses”, and “send out press releases” (Pereira, 2023). Information to include in these promotional materials would be “date, time and location”, “ticket information”, “featured artists and songs”, and “special guests or collaborations” (Pereira, 2023).

One challenge that can be found when leading a community choir, particularly a larger one, is how tiring it can be (Rowberry, 2015). This is due to managing large numbers of people, wide ranges of ability, potential differing/clashing personalities, and the stressors and emotional wellbeing of many more people than just yourself. Rowberry suggests a few different ways this can be eased, including the idea of having more than just one choir leader (Rowberry, 2015), so that tasks can be delegated, energy can be regulated, and there is a shared responsibility. Rowberry has more recently written about some more personal challenges that are common in community choir leaders, including “thinking you need to be perfect”, “believing you’re indispensable”, and the fact that “sole traders have no back-up” (Rowberry, 2024). The latter refers to how self-employment can be a gift in flexibility but also a great responsibility, as Korchak writes, “all the important decisions will fall on you and there’s no one to share accountability with” (Korchak, 2014). Rowberry puts forward the idea of “virtual assistant services” (Rowberry, 2024) or hiring administration help to deal with this challenge of self-employment. He also highlights a number of ways in which the sense of indispensability can be dealt with – “create a committee to take some workload”, “use a colleague as a ‘choral therapist’”, “start a choir leader training scheme within your choir”, or “find a trusted locum” (Rowberry, 2024). From this, it seems to me that finding and cultivating balance in one’s professional life is crucial to avoiding burn-out or an unnecessarily heavy workload all on the individual’s shoulders.

After fulfilling the role of a community choir leader, individuals might choose to “pursue further education, such as a Master of Music in Choral Conducting, to refine their craft and expand their career opportunities”, such as “positions with professional choirs, vocal ensembles, or music organizations” (Music396.com, 2025). Some may go into educational roles, such as classroom teaching or individual instrumental tuition. “Individuals pursuing a career in music education often begin by studying music at a university, specializing in music education, music theory, and pedagogy. They may also gain experience working with young singers by participating in music camps, community choirs, or school programs.” (Music396.com, 2025). Alternatively, you could try to develop your leadership of the choir by bringing songwriting into your work with it. The process of arranging probably already comes into the work of choir leadership as a byproduct – changing harmonies to suit the ranges and potential of the participants – and this could be developed into different methods of songwriting, creating bespoke music to suit the particular choir in question.

Bibliography:

Indeed.com. (2024). Choir Leaders Work, jobs (with Salaries) | Indeed.com United Kingdom. [online] Available at: https://uk.indeed.com/q-choir-leaders-jobs.html?vjk=8e8ccf66fd6267f6 [Accessed 16 Dec. 2024].

A guide to establishing and developing a community choir. (n.d.). Available at: https://www.salvationarmy.org.uk/sites/default/files/resources/2019-11/Salvation%20Army_Community%20Choir%20Pack_final.pdf.

https://www.facebook.com/chrisrowbury (2025). The job of being a choir leader. [online] Chrisrowbury.com. Available at: https://blog.chrisrowbury.com/2009/08/job-of-being-choir-leader.html [Accessed 6 Jan. 2025].

Rosenberg, M. (2024). How to Form a Choir? Every Little Thing New Directors Should Know – Editions Mego. [online] Editions Mego. Available at: https://editionsmego.com/how-to-form-choir/.

‌Choirplace.com. (2025). Working with a big choir – challenges and solutions – ChoirPlace. [online] Available at: https://choirplace.com/blogs/78/888/working-with-a-big-choir-chall [Accessed 6 Jan. 2025].

‌Choirplace.com. (2025). Choir leaders: how to give yourself a break and not feel guilty – ChoirPlace. [online] Available at: https://www.choirplace.com/blogs/78/2447/choir-leaders-how-to-give-yours [Accessed 6 Jan. 2025].

‌Korchak, J. (2016). Disadvantages of a Sole Trader. [online] Inform Direct. Available at: https://www.informdirect.co.uk/business-management/disadvantages-of-a-sole-trader-business/.

‌Choir Player. (n.d.). Understanding licensing and copyright law for choirs. [online] Available at: https://www.choirplayer.com/copyright-law-licensing-choirs/.

‌Choirs, in (2023). Choir Genius. [online] Choir Genius. Available at: https://www.choirgenius.com/blog/mastering-fundraising-and-budget-management-in-choirs [Accessed 6 Jan. 2025].

‌Music396.com. (2025). Career Paths in Choir Conducting and Music Education. [online] Available at: https://en.music396.com/topic/career-paths-in-choir-conducting-and-music-education/139882 [Accessed 6 Jan. 2025].

‌Natural Voice Network. (2022). Member profile – Natural Voice Network. [online] Available at: https://www.naturalvoice.net/our-members/member-profile/?profile=170 [Accessed 8 Jan. 2025].

‌Thecreativechoirleader.com. (2025). Welcome To Zscaler Directory Authentication. [online] Available at: https://www.thecreativechoirleader.com/tips-for-marketing-your-choir/ [Accessed 8 Jan. 2025].

‌Pereira, G. (2023). The Ultimate Guide to Choir Concert Promotion. [online] Choir On. Available at: https://choiron.com/blogs/news/the-ultimate-guide-to-choir-concert-promotion [Accessed 8 Jan. 2025].

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