Are you looking for a new director for your chorus? Get ready for quite an adventure!

There are a two places you can start your search for information to guide you. The first place to go would be the Sweet Adelines’ International website. Click this link:

www.sweetadelinesintl.org/pdf/directorguidelines.pdf

This five-page article has lots of information for not just the Search Committee but the Board or Management Team which would benefit by working their way through the questions, too. If the two groups work together with the same goals, everyone wins in the end. The Search Committee together with the Board or Team should also set up a budget for expenses that will arise during the Search. Can the chorus afford to pay someone to come for an interview and to conduct a rehearsal? Costs should be addressed before an invitation is extended to someone who has to fly in for an interview.

The “Guidelines for Conducting a Director Search” ask you to honestly identify short-term and long-term goals of the chorus and to look at what the chorus can offer a director. Is there a music team and an assistant director (or assistant directors). Are there active quartets? Is there a plan for bringing in new members? Do you get outside coaching? Bring the entire chorus to together to discuss goals and direction beforehand so the Search Committee is tasked with looking for a suitable candidate.

Next, identify the kinds of financial support the chorus can offer a director. This can include salary, dues, contest expenses, costumes and educational expenses. At the least, the Treasurer should be involved here. The entire Board or Team should agree on the initial offer being made.

What does the chorus expect from a director? This needs to be spelled out to avoid assumptions on either side down the road. A chorus should expect a director who is prepared for each rehearsal. The Director should work with the Music Team not just in selecting music but in working out a plan to educate the chorus members. The Director should work together with the Board or Management Team to achieve chorus goals. The Director should be a good musician AND a good teacher and should want to learn more about this craft. If the prospective Director does not have a barbershop background, would they be willing to enroll in the Director’s Certification Program?

The rest of these “Guidelines” explore how and where to search for an appropriate Director. Everything that is written here is to be used as a starting point for YOUR chorus and should be adapted to your own particular needs. Is there someone within your chorus who might be a good Director? Is there a past Director or Assistant Director in the area who might be a good candidate? Does a local college have a vocal music department? What about your local schools – maybe some who is teaching already would be willing and available to direct a barbershop chorus. Church choir directors are another great source for experienced directors although their style might be different at first.

Publicizing the search is another topic that should be discussed between the Search Committee and the Board or Team. Advertising in the Pitch Pipe might reach a large audience of people familiar with barbershop-style singing. Are you willing to wait the several months for the ad to be printed? The SING list is another venue choruses place advertisements for director searches. Using local regional publications is another good source for getting the word out initially. The more people are aware of the search, the more people might spread the word!

The Barbershop Harmony Society has an almost identical article at this link:

http://www.barbershop.org/education/director-education/looking-for-a-director.html

The outline of the article is identical to the one on the Sweet Adelines’ website; however, the tone of it is lighter and there are enough different questions and ideas that it is well worth looking over.

Section I of the Chapter Guide has several pages that describe the Chorus Director. There is a chronological order listed for the various tasks that go along with searching for a Director. Setting up the Search Committee is included along with information about candidates resumes, interviews and auditions. There is even information about tax responsibilities which might be worth reading through just for every chorus members’ own information!

In addition, there is an informative article on Director Education on the Barbershop Harmony Society website. The link to that article is:

www.barbershop.org/director-education-html

There are “Sample Director Contracts” in a file on the SING list. Print them out and compare the various agreements. Decide what your particular chorus wants and what they can afford. Discuss whether a trial period would be appropriate. Write down what will happen if the Director doesn’t get certified within the specified time. Would you be willing to give the Director a bonus of some kind if specified goals are met or exceeded? Expectations that are spelled out at the beginning will make everyone much happier.