“Power is like being a lady… if you have to tell people you are, you aren’t.” Margaret Thatcher When I was a child, I was often reminded by Mom to behave like a lady. As a 7- or 8-year-old, I was never sure exactly what that meant. I thought it might mean wearing fancy clothes, […]
Choral Potpourri/Choral Ethics: Language!
“Good authors, too, who once knew better words now only use four-letter words writing prose… anything goes.” Cole Porter Our lives will soon be more normal than they’ve been for a while. Each day brings news of relaxing of some restrictions, opening up of venues, stores and the ability to go about our lives without […]
Choral Potpourri/Choral Ethics: Why I’m a ChoralNet Blogger
“The woods are lovely, dark and deep. But I have promises to keep, and miles to go before I sleep.” Robert Frost I became a regular ChoralNet Blogger in the fall of 2015. The year before, I had been asked to contribute an occasional guest blog for ChoralNet, the first time a week after my […]
Choral Potpourri/Choral Ethics: The Pandemic Perfectionists
“Perfection itself is imperfection.” Vladimir Horowitz Last spring, as we were all hunkering down for our Pandemic lockdown, I wrote one or two blogs about those who were doing well. Or who SAID they were doing well. I’ll quote a bit from one of those blogs here: “I’ve been getting emails concerning something I’ll call […]
Choral Potpourri/Choral Ethics: My Quirky Choir Members
“Tact is the ability to describe others as they see themselves.” Abraham Lincoln The last few days, I’ve been thinking about a few of my more memorable students and choir members, starting with one of my first jobs, and continuing on to the group I conduct now. Some of them were funny and some were […]
Choral Potpourri/Choral Ethics: Mother’s Day–Songs My Mother Taught Me
“Mother is the name for God in the lips and hearts of little children.” William Makepeace Thackeray This Sunday is Mother’s Day in the United States. I am a mother but am also a daughter, missing her mother especially this year. I think back seven years ago, Mom’s last Mother’s Day, and wish I had […]