How to prepare your choir for a competition
A week-by-week plan for choirmasters: reading the rules, choosing two songs, rehearsing to the marks, and running the last week before a choir competition.
On this page
In short
- Start small: four to eight committed voices and one fixed rehearsal time.
- Get your pastor’s backing and a date to sing in a service before you begin.
- Choose simple songs in unison or two parts first, then add parts as you grow.
- People stay when rehearsals start on time, end on time and lead somewhere.
Before the first rehearsal
Three things make the rest easier:
- Your pastor’s backing. Agree what the choir is for, when it will sing, and who leads it.
- A fixed time and place. The same day, the same hour, every week. People plan around what doesn’t move.
- A first date. Pick a service four to six weeks away. A choir with a date rehearses differently from one without.
Finding your first members
Ask people one at a time. An announcement from the pulpit gets nods; a direct question after the service gets answers. Look for people who already sing in the congregation, and for people who are reliable — reliability matters more than a big voice at the start.
You don’t need every part on day one. Four to eight voices can sing in unison or two parts and sound full in a small church.
The first songs
Choose songs the congregation knows, in a comfortable range, with a simple structure. Unison first, then a second part on the chorus, then full parts as the choir grows.
| Stage | What to sing |
|---|---|
| First month | Familiar songs in unison; one with a simple second part |
| Second and third months | Two-part songs; one new song a month |
| Once parts are steady | Three- or four-part arrangements |
How to run a rehearsal
Keep the shape the same every week, so people know what to expect.
- Warm up for ten minutes: breathing, humming, simple scales.
- Learn something new while voices are fresh.
- Polish what you already know: tuning, words, endings.
- Run what you will sing next, start to finish, as if it were the service.
Start on time even if only half the choir is there. End on time even if you didn’t finish. Both teach people that their time is respected.
How to grow the choir
- Sing often. Regular dates give people a reason to keep coming.
- Invite by name. Ask each member to bring one person they know can sing.
- Notice people. Thank them by name; call those who miss two weeks.
- Give small roles. A section leader, someone in charge of music copies, someone who keeps the register. People stay where they are needed.
- Set a bigger goal. A Christmas ministration or a competition gives the choir something to grow towards. Our week-by-week plan for preparing your choir shows how to get ready for one, and our Christmas carol guide has songs to start with.
When your choir is ready for a bigger stage, FSN Voices is a choir championship in Ipaja, Lagos, on 5 December 2026, with every judge’s mark published the same evening.
Questions choirmasters ask
How many people do you need to start a church choir?
Four to eight committed singers is enough to start. A small choir that turns up every week grows faster than a large one that doesn’t.
How do you recruit choir members?
Ask people one by one, after a service, rather than only announcing it. Tell them the rehearsal day and time, and the date the choir will first sing.
How long should a choir rehearsal be?
Ninety minutes is plenty for most church choirs: a warm-up, new work, polishing, and a full run of what you will sing next.
How do you keep a choir from shrinking?
Start and end on time, give the choir regular dates to sing, and notice people: thank them by name and check on those who miss rehearsals.
Last checked 8 October 2026. Spotted something out of date? Email info@futurestarnetwork.com.