What can a Rock Star teach a Choir Director?

Another of the blogs I visit frequently is lifehack.org, a site that is diverse, informative, and entertaining.

Yesterday, it featured a post entitled "Present Like a Rockstar" and there are some clear lessons for choir directors in the post. The message behind the blog post was to look at how rock stars present concerts and how those that give presentations can use some of their tools to better their presentations.

But we give concerts, don't we? Isn't there a better correlation between our work and theirs?

A couple of the points that I though of after reading the post:

1. Approach concerts with the desire to connect with the audience. Connect and communicate, don't just present what you've been working on for the last six weeks. Look for the best way to connect what you’re discussing (singing about) with the humans in the audience.

2. Break down the wall between audience and choir:
Watch any live concert performance and you know when the audience goes CRAZY. It’s when the band moves out into the audience in any manner that breaks the “fourth wall” between band and crowd.

Our audiences love processionals, recessionals, and being surrounded. It's always fascinating when a choir takes their sound into the audience.

Check out the article and see if you find an idea or two when planning your next concert. Who knows, maybe they'll be waving lighters at your next concert!