One of the skills I most wish for my ensembles is the skill of being in the moment. That is, being responsive to exactly what’s happening, subtly or dramatically shifting interpretation based on the inputs you receive from the audience and your fellow singers.
I wonder whether the best music to teach this kind of responsive music making is comedy music.
Work hard on it, and you will still find unexpected moments in performance – moments and stimuli that you must react to. Things like raucous laughter (hopefully) or a toy light saber that won’t open.
Learn to respond to these moments, and then try applying them to the other, non-humorous music in your folder. How can you apply the lessons to a Renaissance motet or an Eric Whitacre piece?
I’m an avowed fan of funny music, but even with that aside, maybe it’s worth considering programming a little more funny music in an ensemble’s year, to give singers this great learning opportunity.