“The way to gain a good reputation is to endeavor to be what you desire to appear.” Socrates Finn* had heard about Dr. Marcus* for years. He taught at the local community college, had the best (and biggest) church position in town and conducted the premier community chorus in the region. Finn taught elementary school […]
Choral Culture
Choral Potpourri/Choral Ethics: Autumn Beginnings
“There is a harmony in autumn, and a luster in its sky, which through the summer is not heard or seen, as if it could not be, as if it had not been!” Percy Bysshe Shelley I love autumn. The golden slant of the sunshine, the rich, beautiful colors of the trees, the crisp and […]
Choral Potpourri/Choral Ethics: In ‘Perfect Harmony’
“The hidden harmony is better than the obvious.” Heraclitus I learned about the new NBC situation comedy, “Perfect Harmony,” during the summer. I was flabbergasted. Someone thought a sit-com about a choir, a church choir, would be entertaining? Impossible! I hoped it wouldn’t denigrate what we do. I went about my usual summer activities of […]
Choral Potpourri/Choral Ethics: Happy Life
“Part of the happiness of life consists not in fighting battles, but in avoiding them. A masterly retreat is in itself a victory.” Norman Vincent Peale The old chestnut of “happy wife, happy life” is true. If your spouse is happy, things are generally happy in your household. Most of us in long marriages (I […]
Choral Potpourri/Choral Ethics: Should We Be Responsible for Other People’s Happiness?
“Let us be grateful to people who make us happy, they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom.” Marcel Proust Last week, we introduced our September theme of happiness and shared two ChoralNetters stories with you. We will continue Serena’s story and her explanation of WHY she is happy. Serena’s* story was simple; […]
Choral Potpourri/Choral Ethics: Happy
“Folks are usually about as happy as they make their minds up to be.” Abraham Lincoln Are you happy? For the rest of the month of September, Choral Ethics will be exploring the idea of happiness and what it takes to BE happy in our profession. But today, let’s hear what a couple of ChoralNetters […]