Changing the quality of the beat can go a long way to helping choirs switch genres.
Transitioning between traditional choral and more contemporary pop genres can stymie choirs, and one of the challenges is a difference in the quality of rhythm. I tend to think of rhythm in even the most rhythmically active traditional choral pieces as more fluid than in a typical pop piece – and particularly more contemporary pop pieces, which get their rhythmic precision from click tracks and driving rhythm grooves.
I don’t generally use a metronome when working on traditional choral music; I find that the ensemble’s performance loses a natural quality and gets too robotic. But on the other hand, metronomes don’t lie, and they can be a powerful tool for ensuring accurate rhythmic precision in music from pop, rock, and beyond.
Much can be said about the adjustments to tone quality, vocal placement, vowel and consonant shape, physicality, and performance style, but the adjustment of quality of beat is a powerful tool for getting the choral ensemble closer to a truly idiomatic performance.