“The best leaders are readers of people. They have the intuitive ability to understand others by discerning how they feel and recognizing what they sense.” John C. Maxwell Since beginning this Blog in 2015, I have been contacted by numbers of ChoralNet Readers—I like to call these folks ChoralNetters–who want to share their stories about […]
Leadership
Choral Ethics: A Code of Choral Ethics and the Choral Professional
“Professionalism in art has this difficulty: To be professional is to be dependable, to be dependable is to be predictable, and predictability is esthetically boring – an anti-virtue in a field where we hope to be astonished and startled and at some deep level refreshed.” John Updike I have struggled for a long time with […]
The Conductor as Yogi: Be In It
“We are in a zone, having let go of the outer world, and now experiencing a feeling of unity.” Nicolai Bachman In the final days before last week’s opening concert of the season, I reminded singers often: “Don’t miss the concert.” No, I wasn’t talking about forgetting to show up—I was making the point that […]
Choral Ethics: A State of Grace
“The best effort of a fine person is felt after we have left their presence.” Ralph Waldo Emerson The term “choral ethics” has always confused me. Do we as choral conductors and directors have ethics? Do we need ethics? The Presbyterian Association of Musicians, as do other denominations musicians’ organizations, has a code of ethics. […]
The Conductor as Yogi: Intention
“Our intention creates our reality.” Wayne Dyer We sit or get grounded in a comfortable position. We begin to breathe. We acknowledge our busy minds, without judging or criticizing, and let the breath do its magic. Creating space for good with the inhale, letting go of what we no longer need with the exhale. A […]
The Conductor as Yogi: The Energy Drain of Judgment
It is no news flash that we live in an incredibly judgmental world. Even in the last 10 years, the opportunities to “like” or judge have increased exponentially and the impact on our time, our state of mind, and the quality of our professional work is profound. Especially because we don’t realize what is happening. […]