Do you yearn for your choir to sing with greater inspiration and do you want to be the kind of choral teacher who inspires your singers to achieve that goal? The single greatest educational tool I've found (thanks primarily to Rodney Eichenberger and Carmen MacRae) to take any choir instantly to a higher level of expression lies in giving yourself permission to have a point of view about the lyrics your choir will be singing. How to proceed?

1. Whenever possible, choose songs with great lyrics. A couple of my favorites? The Music of the Night and If Ever I Would Leave You ... yum!
2. As you read through the lyrics, circle the expressive words and know why they're expressive. Some of my favorites are: music (don't forget the y before the u), pillow, sing, moon, soft (the letter f determines how thick the pillow is ... the letter t is when your head reaches the bottom), touch (sing it short and it can suggest insecurity, a little longer and it lingers), and sweet (you'd better smile!).
3. In front of a mirror in the privacy or your own home, read lyrics aloud as though you wrote them from your own experience ... get dramatic, including facial animation. Your students will love you for it!
4. Near the beginning of the first choral rehearsal, have several students individually read aloud with feeling the best phrase you can find. Over a period of time, try to include each person in the class. Bottom lines ... no one gets away with just "reading" the words, and during this exercise every student shows respect and admiration for every "risk-taker" in the class, knowing all too well that s/he may be called upon next! Be ready, dear teacher, to demonstrate yourself!

Will this process increase everyone's sense of vulnerability? Is it scary? Is it worth it? Will it instantly motivate each student to start thinking about the meaning of the text? Will each student reveal their innate individuality and thereby bless the entire classroom? Will it increase the possiblities as to how the lyrics might be expressed? The answer to all these questions, dear teacher, is a resounding yes!

Sir Laurence Olivier was quoted as saying, "Be bold, and mighty forces will come to your aid!" Let me reiterate: It is most important to give yourelf permission to have a point of view, take a risk, be dramatic! Your choir is only as good as you are. Let your humanity show, and they will follow.