Some want to sit. Some want to stand. Now what?

When I ran community choirs, I used to insist that singers stood during rehearsals. But some complained that their legs ached by the end of the evening. Now I usually get people to sit for singing sessions. But recently some singers have complained because they prefer to stand! Is there a middle way to keep everybody happy. I’ve always believed that standing to sing is best (see Standing up for your choir — or do you use chairs and sit down?). But what about when learning a song? I used to insist that people stood for the whole session. But in recent years, as my singers have aged, I’ve usually allowed people to sit whilst learning. I always make the point at the beginning of any singing session that people can sit down as much as they like if they need or want to. I also say that if people want to stand all the time, that’s also fine. However, if we begin with everyone seated, peer pressure can make it hard for a singer to stand when nobody else is — especially if they’re in the…