It was with some trepidation that I approached Director's College IV on January 9th:

• Would I be out of my depth, a teacher amongst so many experienced chorus directors?
• Will they talk to me?
• Surely we would not be subjected to trial by video?
• Would I be able to get off the Coventry ring-road?

As head of music at Swavesey Village College in Cambridgeshire, I have been teaching for over 10 years. During this time, I have always had a boys barbershop group amongst a number of choral and instrumental groups - a challenge, both in maintaining numbers and pitch! They currently number between 40 and 50: a lively bunch and one of the most identifiable images of the college.

Therefore it was something of a priority for me to learn more about the art of barbershop conducting and to explore ways in which to develop this current group of boys.

From the outset I was impressed by the organisation of DC IV: everything was planned with military precision and not a single minute was wasted. The "comfort/panic" zone presented by Chris Davidson on the Saturday morning left me puzzled initially, but by the afternoon it was evident - we were there to be challenged as individuals. There was nowhere to hide, no backseat to take; any fears would have to be conquered in our quest to improve as chorus directors.

And I loved every minute! From conducting "just with your face, no hands!", singing tags from scratch, listening to Steve Armstrong's inspirational keynote speech and even being videoed conducting Coventry Chorus. I learned more about directing in that one weekend than I have learned in the last 5 years. Thanks to the entire faculty and the many delegates I had the good fortune to work alongside!

(Incidentally, I tried some of Steve Armstrong's distraction techniques with my boys and had a lot of fun. Next stop, competing at the Cambridge Music Festival and doing some bonding as a group. The boys favour Laserquest, but I think the baritones would be in danger if guns were involved. We may resort to making those gingerbread men instead).

Audrey Caldwell
Head of Music, Swavesey Village College.