Do you feel like the instructions you are giving your singers in rehearsal are not getting the desired result? Conductor Axel Theimer, the founder and artistic director of the Twin Cities-based Kantorei, has developed new approaches that align with research on how humans learn best. Consider his strategies for putting your singers at ease and tapping into their abilities.

If you’ve been on the internet during the past month, you’ve probably seen the quirky viral video of a chorus and orchestra covering the popular, can’t-get-it-out-of-your head song “Call Me Maybe” by Carly Rae Jepsen. There are hundreds of other videos online covering the song, ranging from topics like NFL replacement referees to the United States Olympic swim team, so what makes this one so special? With more than two million hits and counting on YouTube, mentions in newspapers around the country, and even a featured performance on the Today Show, who knew choral music could go so viral?

Musical excellence attracts and retains excellent singers. If the choir never gets better, the best ones will find someplace else to sing. Here are seven strategies for maintaining and enhancing the quality of your chorus.

Early- and mid-career learning for choral conductors is hard to find and requires a public process that demands courage and stamina.

What are your inner critics saying as you sing? Are they keeping you back from being the best you can be? If so, it's time to take control and set yourself free.

Looking for an obscure piece of music? The lyrics to a song in French? Sheet music for Handel's Messiah? These online resources will help you find what you need.

Having trouble getting the words to stick in your mind? Here are several strategies for succeeding at memorization.

The anatomy of choral intonation and techniques for improving it.