“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 […]
Church Choir
Choral Potpourri/Choral Ethics: Let’s Be Nice
“Be nice to people on your way up because you meet them on your way down.” Jimmy Durante We’ve been busy, email-wise, here at Choral Potpourri/Choral Ethics during the last few weeks as the choir year ends. Academic programs are finished when school ends. And community programs, with all sorts of different types of choral […]
Choral Potpourri/Choral Ethics: Preaching to the Choir
“It is no use walking anywhere to preach unless our walking is our preaching.” Francis of Assisi I receive quite a few emails with people’s thoughts about Choral Ethics. Some folks tell me they are not exactly sure what Choral Ethics is, but will know it when they see it. Some tell me what I […]
Choral Potpourri/Choral Ethics: Family Matters
“You can choose your friends but not your family.” Old Proverb There are times when I feel like Dear Abby or Ask Amy or even Miss Manners. Those ladies get all sorts of questions from folks wondering how they should react or handle a myriad of sticky situations. Many involve family and today’s Choral Ethics […]
Choral Potpourri/Choral Ethics: Director vs. Accompanist
“Being an accompanist is very selfless in many ways because you’re really just trying to elevate the singer and help them shine, ultimately.” Simon Helberg Last week, I shared stories from a few ChoralNetters about their holidays. This week, I have ChoralNetters chiming in about relationships between choral directors and their accompanists. If you noticed […]
Choral Potpourri/Choral Ethics: Story Time
“Finding good players is easy. Getting them to play as a team is another story.” Casey Stengel Happy New Year ChoralNet! I hope you all had wonderful holidays. And I also hope you spent some time recharging and refreshing before your next batch of rehearsals and classes begin. January’s Choral Potpourri/Choral Ethics Blogs will be […]