“I never considered a difference of opinion in politics, in religion, in philosophy, as cause for withdrawing from a friend.” Thomas Jefferson In the last two weeks, I have had five people contact me about politics. I don’t mean friends or family or acquaintances sharing Facebook stuff but CHORAL DIRECTORS wanting advice about how to […]
Choral Potpourri: Choral Ethics; Kindness Versus Honesty?
“Always be sincere, even if you don’t mean it.” Harry S. Truman Have you ever been in a situation where, if you are completely honest, you could offend someone? But if you are not honest, that person will think whatever he or she is doing is fine, even if clearly it is not. We are […]
Choral Potpourri: Is It Spring Yet?
“If Winter comes, can Spring be far behind?” Percy Bysshe Shelley Happy Ground Hog Day! This morning, I hope your own local rodent has brought good, spring-timey news to you and your community. In case you don’t remember the folklore, here’s how it works; if it’s cloudy when the Ground Hog comes out from its […]
Choral Potpourri: Choral Ethics; Not Being Revengeful
“The best revenge is massive success.” Frank Sinatra During the month of January, I’ve blogged about being Ready, being Reliable and being Respectful. Today it’s all about not being Revengeful with follow-ups from two community chorus directors featured in past Choral Ethics blogs. Both Jackie* and Josie* could have been revengeful in the situations they […]
Choral Potpourri: Choral Ethics; Being Respectful
“If you have ten thousand regulations you destroy all respect for the law.” Winston Churchill When I first conceived this “R” Choral Ethics series for January, I thought I would use various people’s problems and situations to illustrate. For three of my Blogs this month, it has been easy to pick examples. In fact, […]
Choral Potpourri: Choral Ethics; Being Reliable
“A coach’s greatest asset is his sense of responsibility – the reliance placed on him by his players.” Knute Rockne Holly* is the kind of singer we all wish we had in our choirs. She’s dependable and takes the initiative. She practices the hard bits outside of rehearsal. She helps with non-musical things without being […]