Sing It
Start to learn your parts and sing it as a group. There are a few really important things to remember when doing this:
1) Be patient! You can’t expect everyone to understand the piece straight away. Give them time and assistance to get it right.
2) Be creative. If people have ideas about how it could be better, listen and take them on board. Creativity is quickly killed by sarcasm, cynicism and negativity – give every idea the chance to develop into something wonderful before you chuck it in the trash!
3) Be flexible. Writers shouldn’t direct their own scripts, arrangers shouldn’t dominate discussion about an arrangement. Be open to an outside perspective.
Refine It
Make sure you keep all your files or papers along the way, so you can easily go back and make edits. Remember, you might be with a group for ten years – a song can evolve a lot in that time, but new members need to know what they’re doing. Keep a log of changes in a master score, and update it regularly if you intend to keep singing it.
So… go on and get arranging! If you still have any questions, concerns or jubilations about arranging a cappella music, feel free to get in touch.
Chris Blain
Co-Founder, Vocal Australia
Founder, Suade