“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 Choral Life
Choral Ethics: Kindness in the Choir Room
“I have learned silence from the talkative, toleration from the intolerant, and kindness from the unkind; yet, strange, I am ungrateful to those teachers.” Khalil Gibran Why Kindness? Why write about kindness in the music profession? Is it really necessary to be kind? In order to be kind in all things, we must have been […]
Choral Ethics: Monstering
“Whoever fights monsters should see to it that in the process he does not become a monster. And if you gaze long enough into an abyss, the abyss will gaze back into you.” Friedrich Nietzsche Earlier this summer, I read a review of a book I thought might be interesting to review here on Choral […]
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. […]
Choral Ethics: Our Eighth Anniversary
“Love in all eight tones and all five semitones of the word’s full octave.” Stephen Fry Happy anniversary to US! It’s hard to believe it has been eight years since Scott Dorsey asked me to become a regular ChoralNet Blogger. At first, I worried about having enough material to write a regular blog on something […]
Choral Potpourri/Choral Ethics: Practice. Again. And Again.
“No art is less spontaneous than mine. What I do is the result of reflection and the study of the great masters.” Edgar Degas This is a Choral Ethics Blog post repeat from several years ago. I need to slow down and plotting out the rest of the summer now seems like a smart idea. […]