The digital demands of life in the 21st century make it difficult (if not impossible) to be a serious artist. iGadgets and other such intrusive devices demand undivided attention from their captive users, with far too many weak-minded lemmings utterly unable to disconnect themselves from their electronic leash.
The serious artist (or serious thinker in any field of endeavor) needs TIME to ruminate, to dream about the possibilities for improving the creation at hand, whether it be a piece of choral music, a poem, or a column such as this. You, dear choral conductor, are just such an artist. Moreover, you are an educator who must find a way to communicate your vision, your inspiration, and your passion to the singers in your care. The muse does not function on an assembly line.
We in the arts must discipline ourselves to slow down. Boundaries of time, space, and energy need to be established and carefully nurtured. Otherwise, we run the risk of sacrificing beauty for expediency.
That said, listen to the following performance from a recent ACDA conference. Do you believe our conducting colleague just “slungin’ it out” or is this performance the result of a slow, devoted process that shaped the unmolded clay of a young choir into a thing of beauty?
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