“It’s easy to play any musical instrument: all you have to do is touch the right key at the right time and the instrument will play itself.” J.S. Bach Lady C*contacted me a few years ago as I began to collect stories for my Choral Ethics project. She conducts a semi-professional chamber choir, much like […]
Choral Potpourri
Choral Potpourri: Choral Ethics; Our Choral Culture
“Habits change into character.” Ovid Many of us, especially in community-based programs, complain we don’t have enough singers to do the repertoire we really want to do. If we are a mixed group, we long for more tenors or baritones or basses but don’t seem to retain them when we get them. After years of […]
Choral Potpourri: Choral Ethics; Judging Our Colleagues
“If you haven’t got anything nice to say about anybody, come sit next to me.” Alice Roosevelt Longworth It does no good to gossip about our colleagues and their ensembles. It doesn’t help the arts community in general or the choral community specifically to “bad mouth” others. We are all in this together and the […]
Choral Potpourri: Choral Ethics; Catching Up
“Theater people are always pining and agonizing because they’re afraid that they’ll be forgotten. And in America they’re quite right. They will be.” Agnes de Mille Today we revisit two Choral Ethics stories. One is a follow-up with a happier ending. And the other is not totally a happy ending. Do you remember Jackie*? Her […]
Choral Potpourri: Take a Chance
“Necessity is the mother of taking chances.” Mark Twain July is winding down; August is almost here and summer is a bit more than half over. During the month of July, here at Choral Potpourri Blog we’ve tried to get you thinking of ways to hit the ground running this fall. Today, the last Thursday […]
Choral Potpourri: Choral Ethics; Changing OUR Behavior
“Nothing so needs reforming as other people’s habits.” Mark Twain During the first two weeks of July, Choral Potpourri Blog focused on what you need and what you do. Today we’ll be thinking about our behavior inside of rehearsal. It’s easier to be objective when not actively in the midst of rehearsals or the academic […]