How to run a community choir: admin essentials

As a singer and an artist you’re probably more interested in duets than data and more attracted to octaves than overheads.

But neglect the efficient administration of your community choir at your peril – without it you will struggle to thrive.

To take some of the pain out of the job, we’ve put together a list of basic admin essentials to help you keep your choral machine well-oiled.

1. A Register

This simple record is a fundamental tool in your arsenal of admin essentials. Aside from the obvious function of marking down the presence or absence of choir members, you are actually required by health and safety regulations to have a register in case of fire.

Make full use of this document by storing other useful data that will always be there refer to later. Include information about member’s holidays, or when they have to miss rehearsals, add a column listing members into soprano, alto, tenor or bass, and note down a record of member payments. The register is also an effective way of monitoring fluctuations in your member count over time.

2. New member forms

Create a simple printable form, which includes new member’s details such as their name, email address, phone number, the date they joined, and previous singing or performing experience. If you throw in a final question about where or how they heard about your choir, it will help you research the impact of your marketing campaigns.

3. Don’t forget the lyrics

One size does not fit all and the way you get your choir to read and learn lyrics is up to you, just make sure you come prepared.

A flip chart can be fun and encourages members to learn the lyrics by heart after a certain number of weeks. This will benefit a singer’s posture and vocal projection because it means they able to look up, and are freed from the page. Prep can be time consuming though, you need to make sure you have the words to every song clearly written out in advance each week.

Good old-fashioned lyric sheets (where permitted) allow new members to join mid-term, and all you need to do is plan your song list and print enough out each week. The Choir Player App is really useful on this front, because it provides all the song lyrics you need which is also a bonus when members misplace lyric sheet handouts.. Choir Player also means that choir members can rehearse at home, learning their parts as well as the lyrics.

4. A regular newsletter and social media updates

Keep your members in the loop with a weekly or monthly newsletter. You can cover relevant stories about events and rehearsals, include feel-good photos of concerts

It is an excellent way of sharing information with your members, helping them feel informed and included. Encourage choir members by mentioning any special achievements.

Share updates on your Facebook Page and you’ll also be promoting your choir.

If you want to create an email newsletter, this is where the data on your new member forms comes in super handy. You can create a database with your choir members’ email addresses and add this to your mailing list in Mailchimp or any other free email marketing service.

5. Lists, back-ups and archives

Make a list of all the admin essentials you need to take to rehearsal each week, such as the register, pens, lyric sheets, member forms and so on. Keep back-ups as well as archive records for your files.

Maintaining a well-organised group will help you to look and feel professional and efficient, plus you’ll be able to keep an overarching eye on your members and the growth and development of your choir.