Ice breakers
Icebreakers are designed to provide a 5–10 minute opportunity for choir members to interact and connect with people beyond those who usually stand to their immediate left or right.
Download the 222 Drama Games Book and read through 222 different ice breakers
Or use one of the IEC Icebreakers below.
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Explain to the choir that the space to the left represents 0, and the far right represents 10. Ask them to move to the spot that corresponds to their rating of a given topic. Encourage them to interact and discuss their choices with others. Below are some example rating prompts you can use. Feel free to create your own and customize them for your choir!
-How familiar are you with the music for today’s rehearsal?
-How well do you think you’re hitting your vocal part lately?
-How excited are you for an upcoming choir social event?
-How energized do you feel today?
-How much do you enjoy mornings?
-How adventurous are you when trying new foods?
-How much do you like meeting new people?
-How confident are you in your dancing skills?
-How much do you enjoy traveling?
-How competitive are you?
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Explain that the left side of the room represents “NO,” and the right side represents “YES.” Or that the left is one topic and the right the other. Pose a few questions that will encourage the group to spread out and interact. Below are some examples, or feel free to create your own! Keep the questions fun, lighthearted, and inclusive—avoiding political or controversial topics. Ask the members about their answers.
-Do you enjoy karaoke?
-Are you a morning person?
-Do you like pineapple on pizza?
-Do you play a musical instrument?
-Do you enjoy watching sports?
-Have you ever gone scuba diving?
-Have you ever gone camping?
-Do you like watching horror -movies?
-Books or Movies?
-Coffee or Tea?
-Cats or dogs?
-Summer or winter?
-Mountains or beach?
-Morning person or night owl?
-Books or movies?
-City life or countryside?
-Action movies or romantic comedies?
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Ask the choir to arrange themselves in order based on various fun and lighthearted topics, such as their birthdays, names, favorite foods, etc. Avoid using topics like age, physical features (e.g., height or weight), or personal appearance (e.g., fashion choices). The goal is to keep the activity inclusive, engaging, and non-intrusive. Some example topics are listed below.
-Birth month and Day (not year)
-Alphabetical by first name
-Alphabetical by last name
-Alphabetical favorite food
-Alphabetical least favorite food
-Alphabetical by hometown or city
-Number of years in your current job or career
-Number of years living in the current city/town
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Explain to the choir that the floor is now a representation of a world map. Point out the locations of a few countries to give them an outline, then ask the choir members to stand where they are from. It’s a great way for members to learn who is from their region.