Simple Tips for Singers to Prepare for Choir

Many choirs take a hiatus over the summer, which means your singing voice has likely taken an extended break as well. Thus, it is that time of year when choir rehearsals resume. We want to help you shake the dust off your instrument and explore how you can get prepared for the new choir season at home.

Here are some simple tips you can incorporate in the days leading up to your first choir* rehearsal as there is no level of music proficiency needed to incorporate these exercises.

*most of the below tips are applicable to music theater rehearsals as well.

Engage in Full-Body Reset

Breath

Remind your lower abdominal muscles and jaw to release upon intake of breath. This exercise can be practiced throughout the day, especially while carrying on a conversation.

Posture

With your hands at your sides, point your thumbs up with your elbow at a 90 degree angle. Rotate your thumbs in an east/west direction and point away from your body, as demonstrated here.  When your arms can no longer stretch back, drop your arms to a neutral position while maintaining the posture.  As your health allows, this exercise can be done several times a day.

Stamina

Singing is an athletic endeavor. Finding ways to increase your cardio workouts will improve your stamina throughout a choir rehearsal.  If walking/running is a challenge due to time or physical constraints, performing seated knee raises will not only increase your cardio but also engage your core used for breath management while singing.  This exercise could even be accomplished as you read the remainder of these tips.

Rest

Get ample sleep. This directive is easy to accomplish if you do not have young children, teenagers, young adults, or are young enough for college parties or in your golden age years. Therefore, do your best to rest.

Perform a Vocal Tune-Up

Hydrate

For your vocal folds to be hydrated, you need to start drinking fluids at least a full day before the first note is sung.  When water is swallowed, it does not touch your vocal folds—the hydration needs to be systemic (or from breathing in steam from a shower or special device.)  Thus, starting hydrating early because the water bottle during rehearsal is only good for calming a throat tickle or for emotional support.

SOVT Exercises

SOVT stands for semi-occluded vocal tract and is a helpful way to remind your vocal folds the act of closure to vibrate and coordinate your muscles to make beautiful sound for that choir rehearsal.  A popular SOVT exercise you could practice is straw phonation.  There are many tutorials available online, but I would highly recommend that you start with this one with Ingo Titze, the science-informed vocologist who is credited for establishing this method.

Be Cinderella

Speak in a sing-songy manner while you are doing housework or mundane tasks to remind your body of the coordination of breath, onset of sound, muscle engagement, etc. required for singing healthfully.

Pack Your Choir Toolkit

Register for choir

Ensure that you are properly signed up to sing with the ensemble of your choice.

Performing Materials

If you use physical sheet music, check that your choir folder or binder is in good condition with a pencil or two included. For tablet users, make sure that you downloaded your music scores to your device in advance (if applicable), charged your device, and have a stylus in your choir bag.

Non-metal Water Bottle

For the sake of all our ears, nerves, and creative sensibilities, please refrain from bringing metal water bottles into the rehearsal room.  While they keep drinks cold, the benefits of choral singing on our cardiac health is cancelled out every time a metal water bottle is knocked down in the middle of rehearsal.

Lastly, make sure you breathe intentionally through all of the above activities. The best preparation you can do before choir rehearsals resume is to take care of yourself. You are the instrument and choir cannot make beautiful music without you. Best wishes for a healthy choir season!

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Written by Sarah Kaufold, Artisitc Director of Consonare Choral Community, which resumes choral rehearsal in northeastern Connecticut on Sunday, September 13, 2026. Learn about our adult and youth choirs open to the community with no audition required here.