I understand where you are coming from (another Ohio teacher
in a small school where everyone who wants to be a part of the
group is a part of the group). I guess my question would be
whether or not he is aware of the problem? If he is, I would
still continue to work with him but emphasize singing softly.
If he is as conscientious as he sounds, he's aware that he's
off & doesn't want the other students upset with him.

The best way to "hide" him is probably to try & find parts
where others can outsing him. I would stay away from a
cappella pieces if at all possible (if you're small and are
going Class C, I have never seen anyone penalized by taking 3
contrasting accompanied numbers). I would also try to stay
away from anything with extreme ranges. If you do have areas
where he would easily stand out, I would use a sports analogy.
If you have the basketball but you don't have the shot, you
pass it off to someone who does. If you can go through with
all of your men and find spots where they struggle, emphasize
singing much softer and "passing it off" to someone who can
easily hit those notes. It might be upper or lower notes for
different guys (the tenor who hasn't fully dropped during a
unison men's section; the bass who struggles over his break,
etc.) That way you're not singling him out but working on the
problem. I would position him around strong singers who won't
easily be as thrown off, even positioning him at the fringe of
his part & strong singers from another part.

We've managed to make it to state more than once with choir
members who cannot match pitch well (I have 4 or 5 of them
this year; some are changing voices or newer voices that are
still learning; one is a senior girl who is never going to
find it but contributes so much in other ways), so it can be
done. You may have to get a bit creative and your students
will really need to take a teamwork approach, but you can do
it

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