“You learn how to be a gracious winner and an outstanding loser.” Joe Namath My late mother would tell us being a gracious winner was just as important as being a gracious loser. In fact, she would scold if we were less than kind to our siblings if we won a game and were being […]
Choral Culture
Choral Potpourri/Choral Ethics: The Pause That Refreshes?
“He who can no longer pause to wonder and stand rapt in awe, is as good as dead; his eyes are closed.” Albert Einstein Well, I’m back! I hoped you enjoyed the Choral Ethics Repeats during the month of August. They were part of the first series I wrote for ChoralNet as a guest blogger […]
Choral Potpourri/Choral Ethics: “Maestra Manners” Explains All
“Fine manners are the mantle of fair minds.” Louisa May Alcott Do you ever say “please” to your singers? Or is it always a command to “turn to page 3, top score, measure 2?” If you occasionally said, “please turn to page 3…..” would the sky fall? When was the last time you said “thank-you” […]
Choral Potpourri/Choral Ethics: Reaping What We Sow
“Always do right. This will gratify some people and astonish the rest.” Mark Twain I believe in Karma. Oh, I don’t know if I would really call it that, exactly. I feel if you do something good, it usually comes back to you. If you do something bad, it can come back to you […]
Choral Potpourri/Choral Ethics: Kindness is NOT for Wimps
“What wisdom can you find that is greater than kindness?” Jean-Jacques Rousseau It is easy to forget we need to work regularly with others. Unless you are a soloist all the time, you must work with other musicians. Unless you conduct exactly the sort of ensemble you wish, with the musicians you wish, you must […]
Choral Potpourri/Choral Ethics: Amateur Versus Professional
“Every artist was first an amateur.” Ralph Waldo Emerson The word amateur is taken from Old French and means ‘lover’. Many definitions of the word speak of doing something for pleasure and most of us, I am sure, became choral conductors because we found pleasure in singing or leading singing. Is it the other definition […]