Choral Ethics: MayDay

“The only thing that could spoil a day was people. People were always the limiters of happiness except for the very few that were as good as spring itself.” Ernest Hemingway

One of my favorite seasonal celebrations is May Day. Today IS May Day and I hope it is lovely where you are.

The history of May Day is long and complicated, beginning in Pagan times as a springtime festival, morphing into a day associated with the Virgin Mary in some Christian traditions, later becoming part of the labor movement and representing international workers solidarity. Mayday is also universally understood as a distress signal and began in the 1920s in the context of air traffic between England and France.

This short history lesson is my roundabout way of explaining today I will address some Choral Ethics Mayday distress signals I’ve recently received.

Jacqueline* is tired of picking up after—literally–her fellow music instructors. She shares a large music classroom, with lovely large storage areas for each of the three teachers using it. She is the only one who files or puts away her music after she finishes using it, or returns music stands to their proper storage area when she no longer needs them. After one of her students tripped (he’s fine but embarrassed) on a music stand someone else left out, she has had enough. She recalled I’ve written about a similar situation before and wanted my advice.

I told Jacqueline she should SAY something to the other teachers if she hasn’t before—they don’t know it’s a problem unless she TELLS them it’s a problem–and her student tripping is a good enough reason. If she has already said something, she should say something again, this time mentioning her student. She should mention this incident to the department chair in addition to the other teachers and probably needs to. And finally, if she gets no acknowledgement or resolution about their messes, I would start gathering their unfiled music, left out music stands and whatever sundry into a big pile making no attempt to sort out who is whose. They can figure it out. Petty, I know, but sometimes petty is the only way to resolve silly things.

This year, Marnie* had her name left off every concert program for her community chorus. The music director apologizes, tells her he thought he had proofread it but, so sorry, must not have. And he gives other excuses such as he used a template, and her name must not be in the template. She wouldn’t be so ticked off if it wasn’t THIS YEAR, she and her husband had donated money for the concert programs!

I can see why Marnie is especially ticked off about her name being left off. And I wonder what her music director is thinking to leave the name of a DONOR off their program! In Community Arts Organizations 101 (a little joke, here), we are taught to always treat our donors well so they will donate again. Not well done of him. So, what to do? Remind him to check for her name before the last concert of the season’s programs go to the printer. If they have already gone to the printer, ask him to double check for her name. If her name is (again) NOT on the program, I would ask him to announce her name from the stage. If he refuses or “forgets,” I would not donate again and tell the chorus’s board of directors why.

Some of the most outrageous Choral Ethics situations I am contacted about are from accompanists. I wish I could say this next Mayday distress call from Dylan* was unusual but it’s not.

Dylan accompanies a highly auditioned community chorus; they are almost on a professional level. The artistic director is not a nice person, complains, tantrums and holds to a level of perfection that is not realistic for his singers, Dylan or himself. He expects everyone else to be perfect but believes he can behave anyway he likes in his quest for all to be perfect. Last week, he was so upset and frustrated with his singers, he threw his score at Dylan, missing him by inches. Dylan knows he wasn’t aiming at him and his frustrations had nothing to do with Dylan, but the score still whizzed by Dylan’s head.

I have heard similar situations to Dylan’s almost from the beginning of this blog. I give the same advice, more or less, and here it is: quit. If the concert is under two weeks away, stick it out until the concert is over, then quit. If the concert is more than two weeks away, quit now. And whenever you quit, explain to the chorus’s board of directors or the person who hired you or those supervising your employment why you are quitting. Sitting at a piano, no one should be expected to dodge flying objects!

And any ChoralNetter who would like to chime in with more advice on any of these Maydays, please comment below.

*Name Withheld