Choral Ethics: Honest to a Fault

“The secret of life is honesty and fair dealing. If you can fake that, you’ve got it made.” Groucho Marx

 This is a Choral Ethics Blog post repeat from 2017-2018. I need to slow down during the summer as much as all of you. I try to be here, one way or another, every week because I know many of you look forward to this blog and I don’t want to disappoint you. Hope you’ll enjoy one of our Oldies but Goodies! You can always reach me for help with your Choral Ethics Dilemmas during the summer by email: . Please note, this is my new email. Have a great summer! MLGA

We all have people in our lives who claim to be honest. They crow about it, especially if they have said something unkind in the name of honesty. They tell us, if being honest makes it seem they are unkind, they can’t help others not being able to handle it. I think if being “totally honest” makes you appear to be a jerk, you are a jerk.

Rob* contacted me recently with a dilemma. He decided last year to be totally honest in every aspect of his life and now his church choir is rebelling. He wants to know how to get them to accept his honesty in the spirit it is being given. And what’s that, I asked him. He’s honest, he replied.

Right here and now, I want to state my opinion on honesty in the choral rehearsal; I think we, as directors/conductors, should always be honest. But I also believe, as directors/conductors, we have a duty not only to be honest but to be constructive with our honesty. What do I mean?

After some back and forth I think I understand what Rob means by “being honest” with his church choir. He wants his choir to be realistic about their capabilities and accept criticism, as I understand. When he tells them they’ve made a mistake or that they don’t sound good vocally, he wants them to own up to it and correct it. And how should they correct it? Rob says they just should figure it out. I asked Rob how his choir should correct themselves if he doesn’t tell/show them how; he was confused by my question.

As an example, Rob tells me his soprano section seemed offended recently when he told them they were too shrill in a certain part of one of their well-known and liked anthems. They’ve sung this anthem for many years and for some reason, this part has always been a sticking point. He wasn’t honest with them before and now that he is being honest, they can’t handle it. I asked him how he handled it before, and he tells me he didn’t. He didn’t correct them in the past, since the high-lying pitches of this particular part were essentially right but the vocal sound was strained and shrill. Now he wants to be honest, and they seem upset. Sheesh.

I suggested, instead of telling them at this late date they are shrill (and always have been) on this part, how about showing them how to correct their shrillness? Or not pointing out they’ve always been shrill? Simply say something like, “let’s try it this time with a loose jaw or tongue forward or more breath or relax your neck/throat.” It might make the soprano section less on the defense and get what he wants from them.

I think many conductors want folks to know they KNOW there was a mistake, as if that makes people think they are better musicians and leaders. Declaring you are being “totally honest” seems the perfect way to show it. But simply correcting a note, a rhythm, a vocal production issue and not being blatantly blunt and “honest” with an unhelpful comment might solve the problem and not cause another. It’s not as glamorous or clever but it reduces stress and earns respect.

*Name Withheld