No hard fast rules. Influencing factors:

1. Population of town (parish) +
2. Percentage of members willing to make minimum committment of weekly rehearsal/liturgy +
3. Divided by Number of ensembles
4. Divided by Number of weekly liturgies
= less or more formal musical demands in audition

When I directed a cathedral choir I expected excellent pitch recognition and musicality. As director of little town choir, not so much as getting an acceptable unison line for chant melody and not much more.

As a baritone, I know that we really don't sing tenor or bass.

@dad29, when you have them match pitch, and notice they aren't making a match, do you continue attempting to work with them vocally, perhaps one on one training, or do you direct them to perhaps another ministry for their talents?

If you do admit them to the choir, how have you gone about letting them know they didn't quite fit the expectations?

I wish I could audition, but that would raise a lot of eyebrows in my parish. Unfortunately, I have what I have and do the best I can. I use talented cantors as lead singers to compensate. But, I have to admit, I like Paix's "method".....might work for me!

I used to not audition. This failed miserably. One time my best tenor (and you know how hard THEY are to find) threatened to quit if I did not oust a newbie who could not sing tenor.

I have been in this situation too, which has provoked my curiosity to see what others are doing.

When you do audition new perspective members, do you do it privately at perhaps another allocated time away from the choir, or other members (cantors, instrumentalists), or do you hold auditions before or after rehearsals?

I was mostly kidding.

We don't have a lot of volunteer singers clamoring to join, so on the rare occasion that it happens, I go with it unless they prove to be unable to handle it. In that circumstance, I'd have to intervene and discourage them from continuing.

We just got the first new volunteer singer in a long time, and he seems to be doing well.

I have lost about 1/3 of my choir to St. Newbie by the Creek Church, Spa and Deli in the suburbs. They have Fr. Oprah who tickles their ears, a discouraging word is never heard, and where a good time is had by all. I really can't afford to turn people away, so if I need to make silk purses out of sow's ears, then silk purses I try to make.

Liam: yes.

http://musicforsunday.com/2012/the-music-i-need-more-of

I have more like 40% tenors - a very strong section - 40 % sopranos - also strong - and the remainder divided between alto and bass. Bass and alto are my weak sections.

Regarding audition parameters, I test for
- pitch matching
- short melodic phrase matching
- range testing (15' of warmups)
- tonal evaluation (strengths/ weaknesses/ bad habits I need to know)
- harmony skills (they try to sing a line independently in a two part texture)
- Choral Scholar candidates have two auditions, and must prepare 3 things for the second (simple chant, polyphonic line, hymn part)

I interview them about
- musical background, choral, instrumental, any solo training
- head/neck injuries
- allergies/asthma/ Health concerns I should be on guard about (esp for minors)
- goals for singing in a team setting

If all goes well
- I hand them a document articulating choir benefits and volunteer expectations. I go over it with them and save time for their questions.
- There is a probationary period for everyone (that's new) of several months to make sure it's a good fit on both sides.
- I strongly recommend that candidates (volunteer and especially choral scholars) audition me and the choir by attending a rehearsal and mass. I want them to be excited and know how intense (and fun!) it is beforehand. Open door policy, though I expect questions after rehearsal, and not during.

I feel I too, am in the same situation as MT56 and Charles. Though my reasons for the audition questions really comes from the idea as Canadash stated, once you get someone in, and if they are not good, you end up losing the good members, and once that happens, the choir usually appears very unattractive to potential serious or good members. In some recent studies of this subject to other friends, colleagues and choir members, I posed this very question to perspective members, and have gotten a mix of answers, but most seemed to focus on the idea that it just seems like an ad hoc group, doing nothing challenging, along with members that really can't sing or don't sing well. Often stated that no one wants to join a struggling choir.

I am hoping that by listening to what other do in regards to auditions, whether choral or instrumental, this will help with perhaps bringing about a solution. I have enjoyed following the recruitment post, and many brought up some very good ideas. One in particular that I recall was possibly MatthewJ's, if I am not mistaken, and that is being a very likeable and outgoing personality, inviting members on a specific bases. I have had other friends do this in past, and it seemed to work for them.

Thanks to all who have posted, very good advice, please keep the wisdom rolling, it is appreciated.

I must admit, I RARELY tell someone they cannot join and need to take lessons. It has happened twice over the last ten years (oh and the fellow I had to let go). I do not have the luxury of choosing my singers. Mine is a big parish, but people are not inclined to participate in it beyond attending Mass.

I strongly believe if the singer cannot match a pitch or sing a few simple intervals, he and the others in the choir will regret his joining. If someone really wants to join, taking a few lessons will not impede them. And those who are good singers will not be deterred from your choir.

What deters many people from my choir is the time at which we sing at Mass. People do not like Mass to take up their whole Sunday. This is what I have been told. They do not enjoy attending Mass at 11:30.

Don't do it Contra... be strong. Better smaller... I assure you.

I have them try karaoke of On Eagle's Wings. If they can't do it, they're in!

do you continue attempting to work with them vocally, perhaps one on one training, or do you direct them to perhaps another ministry for their talents?

No to both. I tell them to plug one ear and then match the pitch (it's a desperation move) and if that doesn't work, I tell them that perhaps they should take lessons. My task is part-time; I don't give lessons.

If you do admit them to the choir, how have you gone about letting them know they didn't quite fit the expectations?

They get the Evil Eye. I have a bunch of chilluns and lots of practice on Evil Eye Techniques. For the particularly dense, I simply tell them that their spirit is willing but their flesh is not cutting it.

I have what I call a voice check to hear all of the students at my seminary, nearly
80. It has to be limited to 10 min.
1. I do some vocalization and warm ups, I have specific ones I like.
2. I have them sing the top line of a hymn
3. I explore their range to determine what voice type they are ( often
they have no idea)
4. When I have an idea of what voice type they are, I have them sing that
part in a hymn. If they have difficulty with this, I work on their part for awhile
to see if they can learn and hold their part when the other voices are
singing something different.
For me, this last point is the most important. Tone, vowels, rhythm, reading can
all be taught. But the ability to hold relative pitch is usually a given or
not. I would be interested to see if other directors have this same
experience.

I think it depends on the choir setting. Is it an all-volunteer group, or are there a few professional singers to help out? If it's the former, some ability to match pitch should suffice. Though in some small churches, you may have no choice but to accept anyone who wants to be in the choir regardless of their vocal ability. If it's the latter, a good ability to match pitch is a must. You might ask a prospective choir member to sing a hymn to check his/her sense of pitch and rhythm. You might ask him/her to sing some warmup exercises to find out his/her vocal range. More often than not, a choir is short of volunteers. Unless a person cannot pitch at all, I would be as inclusive as possible. Someone who has minimal reading skills may catch on with the help of the professional singers.

All the previous comments, or at least most, seemed valid, but having auditioned children for a children's chorus it seems to me that if a singer can match a simple melody (and maybe 25% CAN NOT) then they are good for a choir. Auditions thus can be about one minute long. A pretty large group of humans get rhythm but do not get changes of pitch. It's possible that music lessons might help a few of these.

It's possible that music lessons might help a few of these.

Especially with children it's worth seeing if they can hold the melody when hearing it sung as well as played on the piano - sometimes they may not do so well when the melody played but are much better when they hear it sung by another treble voice.

Really? All the people on this forum with degrees in voice, and nobody has anything to say about this? I was sure this would elicit a correction or two from some of the eminent voice pedagogues here.

Agreed with melofluent's technical requirements—
But I'm equally or especially looking for singers who will buy into a philosophy whereby their role is to support the amateur singers in the choir, and who sing and model in such a way that draws my volunteers in, rather than be the 'soloistic' leader of the section. If that makes sense. So vocal quality (which doesn't require much time or effort to discern) and the 'interview' (what is your idea of your role and why exactly do you want to do this?) are for me as important as the technical qualifications—which are a given.

Two meetings:

Meeting #1: "Hey! You want to join us to sing Vespers sometime?"
Meeting #2: if they're good, "Hey! Wanna do polyphony with us sometime?"
if they're not so good, "Hey! You ever thought about becoming an altar server (if they're a dude)/teaching catechism (if they're a chick)?"

Oh, pardon moi.
Alrighty then, use Weston Noble's famous method. Assuming that you would have targeted piece in hand or using "My country 'tis..." start pairing your baritone with others with similar tessituras listening for all aspects of success, ie. blend, balance, pitch etc., as well as overall comfort. Switch positions left right and check again. Enlist other choristers' input. Add a third person, scramble the mix again and again until the "section" demonstrates ease and confidence.

If your rehearsal is on Wednesdays, legislate that they are compelled to observe "White Suit Wednesday" in perpetuity.<

https://www.ewtn.com/library/LITURGY/DIGORG.TXT