The “I” in Choir: Managing Dynamics for Ease and Artistry
Millions of singers throughout the United States enjoy the benefits of making music with a group of like-minded individuals. In addition to providing regular singing opportunities, choral ensembles allow singers to hone their craft and express themselves in a supportive environment. For many singers, choirs are often the first place they fall in love with singing and these groups remain a significant part of their lives for years to come.
As a lifelong singer myself, I found my voice while singing in a choir. From singing in my mom’s choir as an elementary schooler to joining a professional ensemble after college, my many choral experiences have strengthened me as a singer and given me some of my closest friends. As a director of children’s to adult choirs, I love watching the empowerment singers find in an ensemble and the community that forms within the group.
I am always keenly aware that a choir is made up of individual singers who face their own challenges and are growing in unique ways. This blog addresses some of the common challenges singers face while singing in an ensemble while providing example exercises and advice.
Managing Dynamics for Ease and Artistry
The goal of an ensemble is to create a unified sound, yet any choir is constructed of individuals with vastly different voices and abilities.
What happens when a director asks your section to sing louder, but you are already giving everything you’ve got?
When I was in high school, a visiting choir director introduced me to the beauty box. The beauty box contains the pitches, dynamic levels, and articulations that are comfortable, consistent, and sound best in our voice. She encouraged us to always sing within our beauty box. If any direction she gave would cause us to “leave the beauty box,” we were encouraged to know our limits and sing our best voice. Since then, the beauty box mantra is always my advice to singers in my ensembles and voice lessons when addressing dynamics. Dynamics at varying pitch levels feel different for every singer, so singers should always feel empowered to sing at a level that is comfortable and beautiful for their voice.
Explore Your Beauty Box
Beginning on a comfortable pitch, sing the words “Hi, how are you today?” When you arrive on the word today, sustain the note, and decrease your dynamic level until the sound is inconsistent, uncomfortable, or too quiet to be heard. Congratulations, you’ve found the outside of your beauty box! Sing a little louder than that to find the edge of your beauty box where you can sing quietly comfortably, consistently, and beautifully. Repeat the exercise at different pitch levels and by increasing your dynamic level to find your loudest beautiful singing.
Written by Brittany Martin