Next to my parents, no one had more influence on me than Jerry Jordan, the former Director of Choral Activities at the University of Mississippi. I am always thinking about the lessons he taught me and I am thankful to have had such a wise person in my life. Without him, I can’t imagine who I would be or what I would be doing.
There are many things that he taught me when it comes to choir:
- The power of an interpretive idea and how it can shape an entire work.
- That nuance is the element that separates good choirs from great choirs.
- How meter informs every beat of every measure.
Most choral conductors work diligently to get all of the notes, interpretive markings, and dynamics just right for a performance. For Dr. Jordan, excellent execution of the musical elements was just the point of departure. His sense of phrasing was unique and his interpretations were eloquent commentary. I remember Kodaly’s “A Song For Ever” and Barber’s “The Coolin’.” I remember the complexities of Bach’s “Singet” and Brahms’ “Warum ist.” I remember Luboff’s “Deep River” and Liebau’s “Wonderful World.”
The non-musical things stick with me even more. He modeled courage and conviction as he challenged young minds to embrace new ideas. He encouraged us to act ourselves into new ways of thinking and embrace all forms of beauty in the world.
Will you one day be someone’s most meaningful mentor? Plant the seeds today for tomorrow’s choral world. ACDA Mentoring (mentoring.acda.org).
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