Clinics, festivals, and contests are held in every state and can be valuable activities in a choral department. None of these events by themselves can provide a complete choral program, but any or all of them can supplement a well-rounded program. Each of these activities can be a valuable part of a choral program if used carefully and effectively, but no one activity should become the peak of the department's goals. Rather than having one point on which the efforts of the students and the director are focused, the choral year should have several peaks of activity, all important, all enjoyed to the fullest. No one activity is more important than any other, but is a direct complement to the others, contributing to the growth of the choral department and receiving strength from the other activities. When this is the case, each student in the department will have at least one activity that he will find the most enjoyable. Since every student will not enjoy the same things, several activities will best meet the interests of all students.

The terms clinics, festivals, and contests are used interchangeably throughout the country. Each term will be defined before its discussion in another module devoted to that subject.

A clinic involves a critique of an ensemble or ensembles, as well as a rehearsal with a clinician. Clinics do not usually culminate in a performance, at least, not a public performance.

Clinics can be very advantageous to a director who knows how to use them. The best clinic is the one that you can have in your own school for your own students. This type of a clinic allows you to make maximum use of the funds spent for a clinician. Clinics can also be helpful with church or community ensembles.

There are several ways a clinic can be arranged to provide a valuable experience for your students. The most attractive schedule would be one that allows you to have the clinic on a school day and have the students released from classes, when necessary, to attend the clinic sessions. Obviously this is not possible in every school. It can only be possible through the cooperation of the administration. The expense is probably no greater than any other type of clinic but the scheduling problems are more complex. However, this can be dealt with by arranging a schedule as closely as possible to the normal school schedule. In this manner you can show an administrator that the students will actually miss a small amount of nonmusic class time.

Table 13.1 Schedule

The illustration given in the table above, is an example of a schedule that expands the normal school schedule.

The schedule does not require choral students to miss much class time. The clinic times overlap the normal rehearsal hours whenever possible. The first group would only miss the homeroom period, while the second ensemble would need to be excused from the first twenty-five minutes of the 10:50 class. The only other conflict occurs with the concert choir (the best mixed ensemble). It is best if the clinician can spend two hours with these students. Anything less than two hours with the top students will not allow the clinician to be effective. The boys' chorus that would ordinarily meet would have to be delayed one hour.

Several other scheduling possibilities exist, including a half day clinic, or a clinic on Saturday (that would not require any release of class time). An interesting possibility is a clinic that begins after classes are dismissed for the day. This clinic would involve a one and one-half hour rehearsal, an evening meal (choir members and clinician), and a one and one-half to two hour rehearsal in the evening. This type of clinic is best limited to only one or two ensembles and should be utilized for the best ensembles. Or, one might rehearse the chamber choir immediately after school, have the concert choir join for dinner, and rehearse the concert choir after dinner.

This type of clinic has the advantage of not using any school time and provides three or more hours of concentrated clinic work with one choir. It is most desirable in large schools where choral students are less likely to be involved in other after school programs. It will be more difficult to arrange in smaller schools where student participation in several activities is the norm.

A Saturday clinic could involve one choir or several choirs from the same school. A clinic on Saturday is often not as desirable because of the number of students that work on Saturdays or become involved in many nonschool

activities. A clinic held during the regular school day also has the psychological advantage of seeming more important to the students. Students tend to associate an importance with events they are released from class to attend.

The schedule on a Saturday could be as flexible as the local director would like to have it. If it involves only one choir, a full day's efforts will be a little too long. In this case, a three to four hour session with a long break is most advantageous. When more than one ensemble is included, it is best to spend at least two to two and a half hours with the best ensemble. These are the students most likely to provide the greatest response to the clinician's directions and to understand his comments about the music. More than an hour with the younger ensembles, or less talented groups, will prove to be too long. They are less able to grasp the meaning of the clinician's comments and it is more difficult for a clinician to demonstrate with these ensembles. When possible, they should definitely be involved in rehearsal with the clinician, however.

The timing of a clinic is quite important. There is no point in bringing a clinician to a school before the students know the notes. It would be ridiculous to utilize a clinician's talents for note-chasing. On the other hand, it is not good to hold the clinic too close to the date of a concert. A clinician will feel that his hands are tied, that it is too close to the concert to change phrasing or make major suggestions. Plan to bring in a clinician at a point in your rehearsal schedule when the notes are learned and the students are free to respond to his musical suggestions. This time will vary with every choir, but a point approximately two weeks before a concert will probably work well for most ensembles.

While the clinician is rehearsing the ensemble, the director should be constantly observing and taking notes of all items of interest. He should also write down any questions that he will later be able to ask the clinician. Do not ask questions of the clinician while his work is in progress. This will only slow him down and interrupt the flow of the rehearsal, a rehearsal that is limited already by the schedule. It is also beneficial to record the session.

After the clinician has rehearsed the choir, or choirs, plan to have thirty to sixty minutes during which you can discuss the performance of the works in question, ask any questions you may have jotted down, and get suggestions for continued progress with the choir. This discussion can be held over a cup of coffee, but it is important that you have the opportunity to spend some time alone with the clinician to discuss the day's events.

The selection of a clinician is crucial to the success of the clinic. He should be a person who has had some experience with high school age students. He should also be able to offer something musically that will expand the musical understanding of the choir. He has to have the ability to step in front of a new choir, analyze their performance, identify the problems, know the cause, and have several ideas on how to solve the problem. His choral philosophy should not be radically different than your own. While it is valuable to get new ideas, it is detrimental to have a clinician whose choral ideals are completely opposite to your own.

Not every choral conductor makes a good clinician. Some conductor's personalities do not lend themselves to the openness and warmth that must be present in a clinician. Other conductors are effective with their own students, whom they have in a specific rehearsal situation daily, but are not able to communicate with other choirs in a short period of time.

In the final analysis, much of the success of a clinic will depend on the local director. If he fails to plan properly for the clinic, it may be only fifty percent (or less) as effective as it otherwise would be. In the days leading up

to the clinic, the students must be prepared to respond to a new director and his suggestions. It is a good idea to obtain some information about the clinician so the students will have some idea of his background. If possible, have his picture on a bulletin board in the choral room and some information about the clinician with it. Since students will usually not know as much about the clinician as you do, it is up to the local director to heighten their enthusiasm for the clinic, and discussing the clinician with them will help to do this.

The students must be ready to accept new tempos and possible new interpretations without viewing them as strange and somehow wrong. Young students often assume the tempos or interpretations of their director are the only possible ones for a given piece of music. The director that promotes his own image with his students will find it difficult to free his students from this idolatry and help them to accept the ideas of another conductor. On the other hand, there is no reason that the local director should attempt to sterilize a piece of music and avoid trying to interpret it in order to keep it free for the clinician. Simply go ahead and teach as you would normally teach and try to achieve the best musical result you can achieve. If the clinician finds your interpretation radically different from his, he can quickly comment that he would like to try another interpretation and if the students have the proper attitude, they will probably respond very quickly for him. If the clinician finds the interpretation radically different on one selection, he may not wish to rehearse it but will wait and discuss it in detail with the director. The local director should not be too concerned about the number of things a clinician may find wrong with the choir. He will usually be surprised at the number of points the clinician will make that reinforce his own teaching. These are often as valuable as new points because they confirm his teaching and increase the students' confidence in him. It is always good for the students to hear from an "expert" some of the same things a director has said. They tend to listen more carefully to the statements made by a clinician, particularly from somebody that is new to them.

In the days that follow the clinic, the local director can pursue the points established by the clinician. After the session between the director and clinician, the director should spend several hours carefully examining all the music and the comments made by the clinician. A clinician often will demonstrate a phrase several different ways with a choir to illustrate to the choir and to the director that there are several possible and valid interpretations. When it is possible to record the clinic sessions, a director will find this study tapes quite valuable. He may then study the different interpretations a clinician may use and determine the one that seems to get the best musical sound from the choir.

In some instances it may be desirable to sponsor a choral clinic and invite neighboring schools to participate. This can stimulate more choral activity in the area and improve the quality of all the groups.

It can also be valuable to bring in a fellow choral director to listen to your choir for the purpose of evaluation. This can be done at any time or several times over the year. Obviously, it is best to have someone in after the singers are comfortable with the music and an evaluation can be substantive regarding the performance of the music. You may be able to reciprocate with that director and his choir. Sometimes a particular work may not be going well and another person might be helpful in pinpointing the problems and suggesting solutions.

It is apparent that the value from a clinic is only obtained by solid groundwork laid by the director, stimulating sessions between the students and

clinician, and careful follow-up to the clinic itself. It must also be remembered that a clinic is not a cure-all for poor teaching. Although the choir may temporarily respond to a good clinician, they will soon revert to their previous level of performance if they are not sufficiently motivated or properly led. A clinic should not be used as a device to prepare the choir for a choral contest. Most directors that attempt to do this, bring a clinician in far too late and expect him to make it possible for the ensemble to receive a superior rating. In short, a clinic should not be used except as an integral part of the complete year's activities. It is one of several means of supplementing the choral program and adding another dimension to the choral education of the students.

The term choral festival, as used here, refers to a situation in which groups of musicians meet together and rehearse for a day or two with a guest conductor. The festival usually climaxes in a public performance. Festivals are held at every level, from those that are statewide to those that bring together singers from just one county, city or area.

Choral singers can have some excellent musical experiences in festivals if they are well prepared for the day's events. The preparation must be more than simply being able to sing the right notes at the right time. In order to get the most from a festival, the students must be primed to take advantage of the opportunity to rehearse and perform under a new conductor. They need to be musically alert to a possible new interpretation of each specific piece of music. It is a wonderful time to sit beside and sing with people from other schools, communities or even countries and can be a highlight for the singers. When the singers are properly motivated by their own director, the festivals can be a stimulating and exciting experience.

There are several basic types of festivals, all of which can be valid activities of any choral department, community, church or school. Some festivals involve several entire choirs in rehearsal and performance. These are usually held at a local level, often citywide or countywide in nature. These can be good experiences for most of the students provided that:

1. The level of abilities of the participating choirs is not too varied.

2. All the choirs are well prepared.

3. Meaningful repertoire can be performed with all ensembles.

This type of festival is usually most meaningful to the more average singer in the ensembles, the singer who would not usually be chosen to participate in a select festival.

Another festival that is rewarding is the type reserved for the best singers from a number of choirs. This festival can be successful at virtually every level, from a local festival to one that is statewide. The All-State Festivals that are held in most of our states are examples of this festival. The selection for this festival varies from area to area. In some situations each local director recommends his best students, and a panel of his peers selects the festival chorus on the basis of these recommendations. Each school is usually guaranteed representation under this method. Several excellent musical festivals are successful following this method. It is obvious that much weight is given to the director's recommendations. He then must have the professional integrity to recommend only qualified students or the quality of the festival will deteriorate.

Probably the most widely used method of selection is the audition method. Singers are given the music to rehearse and on an appointed day attend area auditions at a central location. They may be auditioned as mixed quartets or on an individual basis. Auditions seem to be the best method of guaranteeing that the best singers will be chosen for the festival chorus. The students audition using the festival music for the tryout, assuring that this music will be learned before the day of the festival.

If a festival is to be successful, it is necessary that the music be learned before the festival. It is for this reason that the audition method works so well. It is possible, however, to have a successful festival of selected students without auditioning. Some directors feel that auditioning for the All-State Choirs is enough and that an area or regional level festival could be held without strenuous contest like auditioning procedures. Assuming that a number of schools are involved, a procedure like the one that follows could be, and has been, successfully used at a regional level.

Singers may be chosen in mixed quartets by the local directors. Each choir may be similarly represented, assuring that all schools will be represented. When warranted, the participating schools may agree that very large communities, churches or schools may send an extra quartet. The music is chosen by a small group of directors elected to perform that task by their peers and in conjunction with the festival conductor. One observation is necessary at this point. It is a fallacy to believe that, because only the top students will be singing, music of greater complexity than usual can be chosen. While only the top students are involved, it must be remembered that the students have never sung together and that they will have only a limited amount of rehearsal time.

The greatest problem is to see that the festival music is learned. This can be done by having rehearsals for the chosen festival singers located in adjacent areas. One director in each area can be appointed as chairman of the area. It is his responsibility to notify all participating ensembles of the rehearsal dates and locations. If at least two rehearsals are held, all festival students can be required to attend at least one prefestival rehearsal. Those schools whose students do not attend should be eliminated from participation in the festival.

Such a festival can be self-supporting and can be started on little or no budget. In areas where adequate choral interest has not been achieved, the area festival can serve as an excellent stimulus to the choral departments.

A festival of selected students offers the better musicians in each choir an opportunity to perform excellent music with other performers of similar proficiency. The selection will be an honor for the choir members and a goal toward which each can aim.

Contests refer to situations where either large choral ensembles, small vocal ensembles, or soloists compete against each other, or against a standard of excellence for a rating. Usually a written critique is given and occasionally a verbal critique as well. Most often the judges are rating the ensembles or soloists against an unwritten standard, which means that more than one ensemble may receive a superior rating. There are some contests, usually private contests, that also give an outstanding choir award, runner-up award, etc.

Music contests vary from state to state. Some states have area or district contests, then a regional contest, and finally a state contest. Some states have only regional and state contests while still others have only a state contest. One set of guidelines will not fit all the various programs in our country. The discussion that follows concerning preparation is directed at a polished performance in the final contest. This should be a director's goal whether participating in a district contest or a series of contests.

There are also large privately sponsored choral contests that attract choirs from several states. Sometimes these contests place choirs in categories by size of school and by the rating the choir received in its own state association contest. For example, choirs receiving Division I ratings in state association contests would compete against each other, and the outstanding choir of this contest would be chosen from this group. Sometimes these contests offer money as a prize to the top-rated choirs. Since some states prohibit their schools from accepting prize money, it is best to know your state governing association rules on such matters before entering. If necessary, you can exclude prize money on the application blank as you enter.