“Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at twenty or eighty. Anyone who keeps learning stays young. The greatest thing in life is to keep your mind young.” Henry Ford A few weeks ago, I ran into a young friend and colleague in the grocery store. Both of us were pressed for time but wanted […]
Choral Culture
Choral Potpourri/Choral Ethics: His Reputation Precedes Him
“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 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; […]