Choirleaders Workshop with Stephen Taberner

Name: Choirleaders Workshop with Stephen Taberner
Start: 2025-07-10T10:00:00+10:00
End: 2025-07-13T17:00:00+10:00
Location: Abbotsford Convent

Schedule

Thu, 10 Jul, 2025 at 10:00 am to Sun, 13 Jul, 2025 at 05:00 pm

UTC+10:00

Location

Abbotsford Convent | Melbourne, VI

We are delighted to be able to present this four day workshop, to be held in the relaxing and stimulating environs of the Abbotsford Convent in Melbourne/Naarm. The longer time span will enable a deeper investigation into ST’s thinking around all of the important bits of choir leading, and the course will be somewhat more formalised than previously, as well as coming with accompanying notes. The workshop is limited to 40 participants to enable more people to get a fair crack of the whip in terms of trying things out. The main areas of interest in this workshop will be:
1. VOCAL WARMUPS/VOICE CARE
This will be an idiot’s guide to getting people singing in a good way. I say that because I am not a vocal coach, and not able to offer well qualified feedback on these matters. But I have a half lifetime of experience of my own and other’s voices in the context of choir singing, and have a common sense and non technical approach which is well supported and well tried. This won’t be so much the major field of study, but it’ll be nice.
2. ARRANGING
I could do a whole week on this alone. We’ll get a good chance to look at the rudiments, my personal philosophy, various dos and don’ts, and some different basic formats. You’ll get the chance to do things, and we’ll get the chance to wrap our ears around many things.
3. PART TEACHING
How do you get a choir or singing group to learn songs? What ways are efficient? Permanent? Fun? If the transmission of musical data is strictly utilitarian, then we miss the chance for fun and connection. Also, oral/visual learning are different. I realise that I have a lot of thoughts about this. I’ll share them. We’ll do things.
4. BLENDING
This concerns the methodologies whereby we can pull various levers to coax beautiful sounds from mere mortals, in a choir situation. This is how you learn to ask the choir to make sounds which will delight them, and you. We’ll make sounds, and tweak them.
5. CONDUCTING
This, along with no. 2 above, is my favouritest zone. The choir/conductor relationship is extraordinary, and a playground where magic can happen, if you allow it. If there is one part of choirleading that facilitates real music, real songs, and a real sense of connection, this is it. It’s about songs, and it’s about our connections, as humans. There will be plenty of hands on tasks.
6. OTHER THINGS
In regards to other choir matters, we’ll set up a Q and A session. Matters of organisation or bureaucracy are important, but mostly not a good use of our time, so there won’t be actual formal stuff about this. Also we probably won’t get into group discussions about these matters because, again, I think there are so many other things I want to spend that time on!
There are no formal qualifications for this workshop, and you certainly don’t have to be a choirleader. I would probably suggest that a degree of confidence in more or less singing in tune, with others around you, is something we’d like to have (that doesn’t mean you have to feel always confident in holding a part solo. I hope that makes sense!)
We’ll go from 10am to 5pm each day and there may also be some evening activities, almost certainly not of a formal, pedagogic nature, probably more of a social/musical nature. I’m very excited to be running this weekend, and I’ll be devoting a good amount of time beforehand to preparing and formalising the teaching thingamibobbies. See you there, maybe!

A limited number of scholarships/special concession tickets are available. Please email Stephen at [email protected] if you are under 30, or financially disadvantaged.