Pop and rock choir can sound electrifying or it can sound like a classical choir wearing a pop costume. We sit down with Craig Lees, Principal Lecturer in Popular Voice at Leeds Conservatoire and a leading figure in contemporary pop choral work, to get specific about what actually makes popular music feel authentic when sung by a choir.

We dig into the nuts and bolts that choir directors and vocal leaders wrestle with every week: how to avoid the “pretty by default” trap, how to teach rhythm so syncopation stays alive, and how to shape articulation and vowels so the sound sits closer to speech and style. Craig shares practical rehearsal approaches for mix and belt in a group setting, including the use of primal sounds like calls, sighs and yells, plus how to keep singers healthy while still getting that raw, emotional edge pop music demands.

We also explore groove as a whole-body skill, why movement can instantly change ensemble feel, and how consonant placement can create punch and projection without pushing volume at the vocal folds. On the arranging and section-leading side, Craig talks about gospel-influenced voicings, mixed tenor sections (including female tenors), and what “twang” really means as a controllable change in the vocal tract that can boost clarity and carry. If you want a more modern choir sound, stronger performances, and rehearsals that translate directly to the stage, this one is packed with usable ideas.

Subscribe so you never miss an episode, leave a rating and review, and share it with a fellow choir director who wants their pop set to finally land.

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More about Craig Lees:

Website: www.livingvocally.com
Instagram: @craigantonylees
Facebook: @livingvocally

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Resources:

The Choir Director Podcast — helping you build stronger choirs, run better rehearsals, and create outstanding musical experiences.

• Website: thechoirdirectorpodcast.com
• Mailing List: Join our Newsletter

Follow Russell Scott:

• Website: russellscott.org
• Instagram: @russellscottofficial
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• X: @russellscottuk

(c) Russell Scott 2026. All rights reserved.

A youth choir doesn’t thrive because you pick the perfect repertoire. It thrives because rehearsal feels like a place young singers choose to return to, week after week, even when life gets messy and confidence wobbles. I’m joined by Berlin-based choral director Johannes David Wolff, artistic director of Vokalhelden, the children’s and youth choir programme founded on the initiative of Sir Simon Rattle and Simon Halsey, to talk about what really builds that kind of rehearsal culture.

We dig into the small rehearsal habits that create big musical results: starting with human connection before you start “fixing notes”, setting expectations that feel supportive rather than strict, and making the room accessible when backgrounds, experience and self-belief vary. Johannes shares what it took to establish a youth choir over years, how the pandemic and online rehearsals affected young singers differently, and why long term momentum depends on trust more than talent.

We also explore how to inspire young people to listen to classical music without forcing it, using points of reference from their lives and helping them practise attention in a world that encourages quick judgment and constant swiping. If you’ve ever faced resistance to a piece, struggled to keep energy high for 90 minutes, or wondered how humour can sharpen focus rather than derail it, you’ll take away strategies you can use at your very next rehearsal.

Subscribe so you never miss an episode, share it with a fellow choir director, and if it helps you, please leave a rating and review. What rehearsal habit has made the biggest difference in your choir?

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More about Johannes David Wolff:

Volkahelden Website: www.vokalhelden.de
Instagram: @johannesdavidwolff

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Resources:

The Choir Director Podcast — helping you build stronger choirs, run better rehearsals, and create outstanding musical experiences.

• Website: thechoirdirectorpodcast.com
• Mailing List: Join our Newsletter

Follow Russell Scott:

• Website: russellscott.org
• Instagram: @russellscottofficial
• Facebook: facebook.com/russellscottofficial
• X: @russellscottuk

(c) Russell Scott 2026. All rights reserved.

A choir warm-up on a whiteboard turns into a viral moment, then into a teaching philosophy. We sit down with Myles “It’s Mr Finn” Finn to talk about what actually makes singers lean in: not performative energy, but real craft, clear standards, and a teacher who shows up as themselves. If you lead a school choir, conduct a community ensemble, or juggle show choir and musical theatre, this conversation is packed with practical rehearsal thinking you can use straight away.

We get into the nuts and bolts of running school musicals at scale, where 120 plus students might be involved and the “cast” includes everyone from singers to set builders. Myles shares how he prioritises the ensemble so they do not feel like background decoration, how he thinks about ensemble versus chorus, and how staging challenges like sight lines and levels become solvable musical problems. We also talk about quality control with young people: building from musicianship, keeping rhythm honest, and obsessing over intonation because audiences notice it instantly.

Then the story shifts to a big life move: leaving the US for Zagreb, Croatia, and learning the realities of international school teaching where relationships can feel like a revolving door. Myles explains why family mattered in the decision, what changes in student culture surprised him, and why he is now building a new community choir in Zagreb to keep music-making open to more people.

Subscribe for more choir director interviews, share this with a fellow music educator, and leave a review so more conductors and vocal leaders can find the show.

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More about Myles Finn:

Website: www.itsmrfinn.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/itsmrmylesfinn/

Instagram: www.instagram.com/itsmrmylesfinn/

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Resources:

The Choir Director Podcast — helping you build stronger choirs, run better rehearsals, and create outstanding musical experiences.

• Website: thechoirdirectorpodcast.com
• Mailing List: Join our Newsletter

Follow Russell Scott:

• Website: russellscott.org
• Instagram: @russellscottofficial
• Facebook: facebook.com/russellscottofficial
• X: @russellscottuk

(c) Russell Scott 2026. All rights reserved.

The scariest moment for many choir directors is not the high note, it is the first time you ask the group to move and everyone suddenly forgets how to stand. We sit down with choir choreographer Daniel Raaflaub to get practical about choir choreography, staging, and how to build confident stage presence without turning your ensemble into a “dance troupe”.

Daniel shares how his background in performing arts and musical theatre shapes a storytelling-first approach: movement that clarifies meaning, strengthens expression, and supports clean ensemble timing. We explore what “show choir” really means, why tiny unified gestures can be more powerful than big routines, and how trust is the hidden engine of every successful rehearsal. If you work with adult singers who feel self-conscious, or youth choirs who jump in too quickly, you will hear clear ways to warm up, introduce movement step by step, and use repetition so singers can stop thinking and start performing.

We also get into real-world constraints choir leaders face: limited rehearsal time, the choice between planning and improvising, and how to scale choreography from a chamber choir to hundreds of singers using prep tools like demo videos. Daniel’s key message is freeing: perfection is optional, commitment is not, and audiences respond to believable emotion more than synchronised arms.

Subscribe for more tools for choir directors, conductors, and vocal leaders, then share the episode with a colleague and leave a quick review so more choirs can find it.

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More about Daniel Raaflaub:

Instagram: @danielraaflaub

Website: danielraaflaub.com

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Resources:

The Choir Director Podcast — helping you build stronger choirs, run better rehearsals, and create outstanding musical experiences.

• Website: thechoirdirectorpodcast.com
• Mailing List: Join our Newsletter

Follow Russell Scott:

• Website: russellscott.org
• Instagram: @russellscottofficial
• Facebook: facebook.com/russellscottofficial
• X: @russellscottuk

(c) Russell Scott 2026. All rights reserved.

Music can be the loudest thing in the room and still not be the point. On his birthday, Russell goes solo for a personal, practical reflection on what truly drives choirs, festivals, mentoring, concerts, and all the unseen choices behind great musical experiences.

We talk about why choral conducting is really people work, and break down three forces that shape every strong ensemble: connection, transformation, and standards. Connection is what turns individuals into a unit over weeks and months. Transformation is what happens when someone who “isn’t a singer” finds confidence, steps on stage, and believes it. Standards are how we refuse to lower the bar and instead create the environment and expectation that lets singers rise higher than they thought possible.

Russell also shares how travel, culture, and collaboration expand a choir’s world, and why the best bonding often happens away from the rehearsal room. Food, social time, and shared stories build trust, deepen commitment, and feed straight back into rehearsal energy and performance impact. Along the way, we get honest about the hard days too: overwhelm, responsibility, and the reality of asking people to trust a vision they cannot fully see yet.

If you lead a choir, sing in one, or build musical communities, you’ll leave with fresh language for what you do and renewed motivation to do it at your best. Subscribe, share this with a fellow choir director, and please leave a review so more leaders can find the show.

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Resources:

The Choir Director Podcast — helping you build stronger choirs, run better rehearsals, and create outstanding musical experiences.

• Website: thechoirdirectorpodcast.com
• Mailing List: Join our Newsletter

Follow Russell Scott:

• Website: russellscott.org
• Instagram: @russellscottofficial
• Facebook: facebook.com/russellscottofficial
• X: @russellscottuk

(c) Russell Scott 2026. All rights reserved.

A choir can sing the right notes and still leave an audience cold. That’s why I loved sitting down with Berlin choral musician and choir leader Simon Berg to get practical about the one thing that changes everything: how singers feel and listen while they sing. Simon’s work connects ensemble blend, tuning, and expression into one skill set, so we stop treating “technical problems” like isolated fires to put out and start building a choir that self-corrects in real time.

We talk about Simon’s journey from playing organ in church as a teenager to training as a professional singer, then stepping into high-pressure musical theatre conducting in Berlin. That mix shapes how he leads choirs such as the St Conrad Gospel Choir, where the label matters less than the spirit. We also dig into what “gospel” means in Germany, why audiences sometimes expect one sound, and how a conductor can guide an ensemble towards honest communication that works across styles like classical, jazz, pop, and musical theatre.

From there we get hands-on with choral rehearsal technique: Simon’s “never rehearse, always perform” mindset, warm-ups that use gamification and movement to wake up tired singers, and the role of language, diction, and meaning. If you lead a choir and you’re chasing better intonation, clearer vowels, stronger ensemble sound, and more confident musical storytelling, you’ll take away ideas you can try at your very next rehearsal.

Subscribe for more choir leadership conversations, share this with a fellow choir director, and please leave a review or rating so more conductors can find the show. What’s one change you want to make in your next rehearsal?

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More about Simon Berg:

Website: www.simonberg.de

Instagram: @smcmounty

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Resources:

The Choir Director Podcast — helping you build stronger choirs, run better rehearsals, and create outstanding musical experiences.

• Website: thechoirdirectorpodcast.com
• Mailing List: Join our Newsletter

Follow Russell Scott:

• Website: russellscott.org
• Instagram: @russellscottofficial
• Facebook: facebook.com/russellscottofficial
• X: @russellscottuk

(c) Russell Scott 2026. All rights reserved.

You can hear it the moment a choir stops “trying hard” and starts making sound with intent. That shift is what I chase with guest Chris Maunu, a conductor, educator, and composer based in Portland, Oregon, with nearly two decades of experience building choirs from the inside out. We talk about the real-world craft of improving choral sound in ways you can repeat tomorrow: better breath support, cleaner vowels, less tension, and more singer ownership.

Chris shares how an artistry-first mindset earns trust quickly, especially with youth choirs. Instead of opening rehearsal with the hardest passage or a wall of technical notes, he looks for an early moment where singers can make music straight away. From there, we get practical about rehearsal pacing, repertoire sequencing, and how to keep young people engaged without lowering standards. If you lead a community choir, school choir, or auditioned ensemble, the same principles apply.

We also dig into vocal technique in plain language: how to help singers feel rib expansion, how to connect airflow to phrasing, and how to address jaw and tongue habits that choke resonance and tuning. We discuss changing voices too, including developing boys’ falsetto to find mix voice, and guiding girls towards head voice without fear of the upper range. If you want clearer intonation, freer tone, and more confident singers, this one is packed with usable cues.

Subscribe and follow so you do not miss future conversations, then share this with a fellow choir director and leave a rating and review to help more conductors find the show.

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Follow Chris Maunu:

website: www.chrismaunu.com
YouTube channel: @chrismaunu1195
Instagram: @chrismaunu

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Support the show

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Resources:

The Choir Director Podcast — helping you build stronger choirs, run better rehearsals, and create outstanding musical experiences.

• Website: thechoirdirectorpodcast.com
• Mailing List: Join our Newsletter

Follow Russell Scott:

• Website: russellscott.org
• Instagram: @russellscottofficial
• Facebook: facebook.com/russellscottofficial
• X: @russellscottuk

(c) Russell Scott 2026. All rights reserved.

If you have ever watched a school choir rehearsal lose five minutes to late arrivals, missing copies, and low energy, you already know the real challenge is not musical talent. It is leadership, structure, and buy-in. I sit down with James Manwaring MBE, Director of Music at Windsor Boys’ School and a major voice in UK music education, to talk about what actually works when you are leading teenagers and the clock is against you.

We unpack practical rehearsal techniques for school choirs: how to start quickly, how to make the first moments feel meaningful, and when teaching by ear or using a screen can remove barriers. James shares a refreshingly grounded approach to voice change, confidence, and inclusion, plus why mixing beginners and experienced singers can raise standards while keeping the room welcoming. We also compare school choirs and community choirs, and why humour helps but authenticity and consistency matter more than trying to be cool.

Then we zoom out to the bigger mission: “A Choir in Every School”. James explains why singing in schools is in decline, what support teachers need, and why responsibility cannot sit only with the head of music. Choir is not just performance. It is belonging, mental health, social connection, and a powerful way to reach students who might not find their place anywhere else.

If you care about school choir rehearsals, choral conducting, teen engagement, and the future of singing in UK schools, hit subscribe, share this with a fellow teacher, and leave us a review so more choir directors can find the show.

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More on James Manwaring MBE:

Instagram @jamesmanwaring
Instagram @musicteachersassociation

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Contact the Studio

Support the show

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Resources:

The Choir Director Podcast — helping you build stronger choirs, run better rehearsals, and create outstanding musical experiences.

• Website: thechoirdirectorpodcast.com
• Mailing List: Join our Newsletter

Follow Russell Scott:

• Website: russellscott.org
• Instagram: @russellscottofficial
• Facebook: facebook.com/russellscottofficial
• X: @russellscottuk

(c) Russell Scott 2026. All rights reserved.