Virtual choirs have become more popular than ever due to our current need to stay socially distanced from fellow musicians. The publishers Pepper works with have become increasingly creative with their offerings for virtual choirs, often creating bundles of products that include all the components a director would need to create such a project – print music, recordings, and licenses.
We asked Adam and Matt Podd, a.k.a. The Podd Brothers, to spend some time with us in a webinar to explain how to best use their Virtual Choir Kit bundles to produce a virtual choir performance – and to actually show us how it’s done, step by step. We’ve summarized the process below, but we highly recommend watching the webinar if you’re more of a visual learner.
Components needed for a virtual choir:
- Repertoire that will work for a virtual performance – the simpler, the better
- Appropriate licensing for video performance: synch, performance, and master recording rights
- Accompaniment track for the performance
- Individual guide track recordings – each part is a separate recording with the accompaniment
- Detailed instructions for singers on how to record and submit their part
- Collected videos from the individual singers
- Audio/video editing software to prepare the final video
Why start from scratch when you don’t have to?
If you use these Virtual Choir Kits, all you need to do to create your virtual performance is:
- Pick your kit – repertoire that works well is already preselected for this series. Here is a link to the kit used in this webinar
- Send your singers the instructions included in the kit and set a deadline for video submission
- Collect the singer videos
- Edit and assemble the video with audio/video editing software – watch the webinar for a walk-through
That’s it! The process is so much easier than you’d think! The Podd Brothers and other publishers have realized that this format is in demand now, and they are constantly adding new titles. Be sure to read the description on each kit to be sure you know what is included, as each is slightly different. But there is no reason to start from scratch any longer!
Browse all virtual choir bundles on jwpepper.com
We’ve listed virtual choir resources below that were either mentioned in the webinar or that we’ve learned about through our experiences this year. Hopefully, they can give you a place to start as you try your hand at creating your own virtual choir. Good luck!
Resources for Creating a Virtual Choir:
- Copyright for Virtual Concerts: What you Can and Cannot Do
- Video editing tutorial by The Podd Brothers
- Video editing software: WeVideo
- File sharing platform: Dropbox File Transfer
- Help with licensing for virtual choir videos: VirtualChoirHQ.com
Recording equipment resources for virtual choirs:
