Well first off, let me congratulate you on your new position. By your initial post, you seem to be very serious and passionate about this position, which is definitely a good thing.
Choir directing is no different than playing an instrument. You will not be a Ricky Dillard or a Hezekiah Walker overnight. It takes practice, work, and experience. The reason I say that is because I have seen many beginning directors try to do the Ricky Dillard moves and literally fall flat on their face. Start off simple.
Here are some notes:- While directing, make sure that you are fully knowledgeable of the song. You are the one in control of the song and must make sure that you have a lock on the song in order to lead the Levites.
- Your hands need to tell the story. The way you direct is vitally important. If the song is supposed to be quiet, your hands should show it (directing very small) and if loud, hands should be outstretched.
- Timing is key. You must have excellent communication with your band and choir. Hand movements have to be done for everyone to see. You have to learn to do a move in time for the choir and band to make adjustments, however not too early where the gun is jumped.
Now with actual directing moves, here are a list of moves that I use. Use these as suggestions….you may find a better move.
- To repeat a move/phrase – Both hands moving in a circular motion
- To move to another phrase – Hitchhiker sign going towards your back
- To go back to the top - Tap top of head
- To modulate keys – Thumbs up sign towards the band
- To invert choir parts – Point up to the ceiling1 (You should have a different sign for modulations and inversions)
- To break the music – Cross hands to make an X towards the band
- To end the song – The number one waved in a circle followed by a hand up to signify the end2
This is a video of me directing at our 10 year anniversary concert:
1 – shown at 6:24
2 – shown at 6:39
Remember the movements that I have stated are just suggestions. You need to learn what works for you. If you do a YouTube search, you will see several choirs and directors. If you like a move, use it. If you don’t, don’t.
Here is another clip of my friend Markise Hicks directing ‘The Blood’ by James Hall. This video is pretty stationary, so you can see more hand movements:
Each song will use different moves. Like I said, start simple. It takes practice along with devotion.
Will you be responsible for running rehearsals? If so, here is something that I have written in the past.
This is how I run rehearsals, and it works the best out of the different ways I've tried.
As far as learning songs:
I have 1 section leader for each section. The three are responsible for learning the songs ahead of time. We get together two days before rehearsal and go over parts to make sure that parts are successful. Once we have mastered this, we go to rehearsal.
At rehearsal when I introduce a song, I let the choir listen to the whole song in its entirety. Afterwards, there are three separate rooms where the different section leaders take their section and work on their parts; each room has a CD and a boombox. While this is going on, the musicians are in the main room fixing last minute stuff to make sure that the music flows effectively. This way all people are working at the same time. A normal song takes about 10-15 minutes to work on. After that time, we come together and put it all together.
A director with a good ear can definitely make a call whether the song is ready after just one rehearsal or not.
Also, depending on what your choir is, you may be able to get the songs to the choir ahead of time so they can listen and become familiar with them. Since I direct a college gospel choir at a technological school, I am able to post the songs for the choir members to retrieve before rehearsal. This gives them a leg up on how the song goes.
Also, here is something else that I have written:
Running an effective choir rehearsal
A choir rehearsal is extremely important to the choir’s function. A rehearsal can make the choir better or ultimately weaken the choir. Here are some things you may want to consider when it comes to rehearsal.
Before Rehearsal
A rehearsal is something not to be taken lightly. When working with a choir, it is easy to lose focus if there is no control in the rehearsal. There must be a clear cut plan of what will be executed in the rehearsal so things will run smoothly. Here are some things you want to do before your scheduled choir rehearsal:
- The choir director should meet with the head musician at least 24 hours before rehearsal to discuss the flow of rehearsal, including which songs will be rehearsed.
- Lyrics should be emailed at least 24 hours before rehearsal or printed off and brought to rehearsal.
- If possible, bring a copy of the songs to rehearsal.
At Rehearsal
This is where your preparation gets executed. If you have prepared well, rehearsal should go very smoothly. Be confident in your administration. Here is how a typical practice should start:
- Make sure all the leaders are ON TIME! If possible, have a small leadership prayer before the choir gets there. If you show up late, the choir will feel that it’s not required for them to show up on time.
- START ON TIME! Whether there are three people or 30, make sure that you get the ball rolling on time to show members that you will not wait for anyone.
- Start with breathing exercises to get the members prepared for the rehearsal.
Make sure that you change the format of rehearsals weekly to make things different. If people know that you are going to have a 10 minute Bible study at the beginning of each rehearsal, people won’t come on time because they feel like they won’t miss anything.
Execute the plan that you have come up with in an orderly, but fun manner. One thing you must remember is that being in the choir is extracurricular and if people don’t feel their time is being used effectively, they will not feel a need to come to rehearsal. Make rehearsal important.
Executing the Plan
The plan that you come up with in rehearsal is important to a successful and productive rehearsal. Here is a sample of a plan that I have used in my choir rehearsal:
Thursday’s Rehearsal (Seitz 313)
Set Up @ 5:30 p.m.
Prayer @ 6:00 p.m.
Word: ______________________
Warm-ups: ________________________________
Ice breaker: _______________________________
Song 1: __________________________________
Song 2: __________________________________
Water Break
Announcements/Upcoming Engagements
Song 3: __________________________________
Closing Prayer
In this particular rehearsal…
- We had the Word given at the beginning of rehearsal.
- We had an icebreaker because it was an interest meeting. Try to limit these to 5 minutes to keep rehearsal fun, but not lose track of why we’re here.
- Song #1 was ‘All Hail King Jesus (Sing the Praises to the King)’, a song that most people, even if it were their first rehearsal, are able to sing with ease.
With this plan, you have a clear idea of what songs will be done and how much time you should spend on each thing.
A different way to run rehearsal
If you are looking for a different way to run rehearsal, here is something that I have done and works well. This may or may not work based on the resources that your choir obtains:
As far as learning songs:
I have 1 section leader for each section. The three are responsible for learning the songs ahead of time. We get together two days before rehearsal and go over parts to make sure that parts are successful. Once we have mastered this, we go to rehearsal.
At rehearsal when I introduce a song, I let the choir listen to the whole song in its entirety. Afterwards, there are three separate rooms where the different section leaders take their section and work on their parts; each room has a CD and a boombox. While this is going on, the musicians are in the main room fixing last minute stuff to make sure that the music flows effectively. This way all people are working at the same time. A normal song takes about 10-15 minutes to work on. After that time, we come together and put it all together.
Summarized Points
Here are the points summarized:
- Prepare for rehearsals in advanced, giving songs to the musicians and writing out a plan.
- Show up to rehearsals on time and start rehearsals on time.
- Make rehearsal fun. When the choir feels a family atmosphere, they will feel more welcomed to showing up and being faithful.
- Change the layout of rehearsals to keep people intrigued.
Hope this helps. 
