Choral Ethics: Ignore the Dependable at Your Peril

“Professionalism in art has this difficulty: To be professional is to be dependable, to be dependable is to be predictable, and predictability is esthetically boring – an anti-virtue in a field where we hope to be astonished and startled and at some deep level refreshed.” John Updike

 Maude* began last fall’s concert cycle the way she always did. That means she had to beg for her music, beginning in July, until just before the first rehearsal in late August. She is an accompanist for a community chorus, likes to be prepared, and cultivates the reputation of being dependable. She has begged and cajoled and demanded music in years past, so she has adequate time to practice before rehearsals begin, but somehow the chorus’ director thinks she does it all by magic. But no more.

She did the usual begging last fall but this spring NOPE! And when she still hadn’t received her music three days before rehearsals began in January, instead of stressing about it, she took a nap and relaxed. As you can imagine, she was not prepared for the first rehearsal and her director made snarky comments in front of the chorus about her lack of preparation throughout their two-and-a-half-hour rehearsal. But Maude WAS prepared for the snarky comments she knew were coming. And she made a few of her own right back.

Is Maude proud to have sunk to snark level? No, but she does feel better. The director and singers look at her differently and that’s not necessarily a bad thing. She was always dependable, always, and the one time she wasn’t she was chastised in front of the chorus. That’s another reason she’ll be leaving after the last concert in June.

Debra* is a choral assistant in a well-to-do public high school district in the Midwest. Unlike other choral assistants, she doesn’t accompany the choral program but does all the busy work; she would have been called the department secretary in years past. The two choral teachers are nice enough people but far from organized. It’s lucky for them that Debra is VERY organized. She files music, copies handouts, handles the computer and other equipment and is in charge of making the choral department run smoothly. She configures concert programs, taking them to the in-school printshop in plenty of time for each concert. She is the one to take the choir robes and uniforms to the dry cleaner, after the students check them in with her. She organizes the Choral Parents, setting up the meetings, and makes sure the choral teachers know in plenty of time so they may attend. She takes notes when there is a departmental meeting, even just between the two teachers. There are probably a few tasks I am missing but you get the idea.

Debra, like Maude, is leaving her position at the end of the school year. She always enjoyed her job because she loves choral music. She sings in her church choir and occasionally the local community chorus. She knows what she does is important to the choral program but doubts the Choral Parents or the choral teachers do. After the winter holiday concert, again no mention of thanks, in public or private, and tired of being ignored and taken for granted, she has decided she has had enough. Debra will continue to give her all until the end of the school year but is looking for a new job. She thinks her community chorus would be delighted to welcome her and her skill set as would other school districts. She doubts her current school district will be able to find anyone to replace her adequately.

We as a profession need to think about how we treat those who help make our programs run. If we overlook them, we need to do better. A simple “thank you” could make a world of difference.

*Name Withheld