Choral Ethics: Working Together

“Five guys on the court working together can achieve more than five talented individuals who come and go as individuals.” Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

I have lived in the South Suburbs of Chicago for over thirty years. We are a scrappy bunch and should not be counted out in any circumstance. Recently, our scrappiness and ability to cope with ANYTHING has been tested. In the space of about six weeks, three tornadoes have swept through our community as well as our neighbors to the East in Indiana.

July 3 tested us, but we didn’t understand the worst was yet to come. Our house lost power for a few hours. Only a few streets over, they lost power for DAYS. July 27 was bad, lots of trees were down and we lost power for over a day but we, again, were lucky. There were downed branches and streets flooded and some things “blowing in the wind,” but not terrible. But it was August 11 that was truly devastating on so many levels. I won’t get into too many details here, but we lost power for days and we were the lucky ones. Our family is fine, our house is mostly fine, and we know we were blessed. It is the aftermath that is difficult to wrap our minds around.

It is sobering to see beautiful, mature trees in piles along the curbs where they once ruled in their leafy splendor, as well as heartbreaking. The huge trucks with “disaster relief” written on their sides cause me to choke up as I drive around them, giving them plenty of room to do what they need to do. During the power outages, we often would go out into the street to check with our neighbors, asking how they were faring. We have a pleasant street of neighbors, but we’re not especially close; this disaster has brought us closer together.

As I write this, it has been two weeks since the latest tornado has been through, and the clean-up is still a work-in-progress. But the most wonderful news; here in the South Suburbs we have our neighbors and more to thank for help with the clean-up. The Red Cross was here with food and clothes and advice for filing insurance claims. Trucks and cherry-pickers and other equipment, as well as workers, have been sent from the surrounding areas and even out of state. It has been touching to see help arrive from places outside of our area; they are here for us, and we’ll be there for them if they ever need it.

It is that sense of community that has me writing today’s blog; communities working together for the same goal. That’s what choruses are, aren’t they? Different people, working together for the same result. We grow close to our fellow singers because, despite any difference between us, we have the music in common. And I feel so lucky that I have felt that sense of community, working together, many times in my professional life. I love the Choral Community! As we begin another academic and concert cycle year, I wish you a sense of community and working together in all that you do.

If YOU have a Choral Ethics dilemma or an idea for a Choral Ethics blog, please contact me at my new email address: and we can figure it out together!