I am writing this post one year to the day since my last in-person, (unmasked) full choir rehearsal. I am not quite sure how I feel. Sort of unsettled and wondering why, I guess. We are receiving vaccines, seeing more re-openings, and taking steps toward the resumption of “normal” life. I so look forward to seeing my (also […]
Leadership
The Conductor as Yogi: Bank Accounts
In my last post, we talked about the importance of Buffer Time—those moments of space in our day that help us transition from one event to the next so we can have a clear mind and energized presence. Today’s post is related to Buffer Time: what we can think of as Bank Accounts. We are all […]
The Conductor as Yogi: It’s Buffer Time
Ramona M. Wis A few years ago, I became aware of how energy-draining it was to move directly from one rehearsal to the next, with the short in-between time filled with “quick” questions from students (they never are), “emergencies” of colleagues (they never are), and singers filing in as I am re-arranging chairs and figuring […]
The Conductor as Yogi: Healing
Ramona M. Wis I have become even more aware of the power of words, including the words of the pieces we study and prepare with our choirs. This past fall, we chose pieces that helped us to process the issues and challenges of our current world. The words of Kyle Pederson’s powerful work, “Can We Sing the […]
The Conductor as Yogi: An End and A Beginning
We are wrapping up this year—and what a year. It is typical now to look back and to look forward, considering the past and planning for the future. In our current world, the past is revealing on so many levels and the future is still (always) a question mark. When I began this blog in late June, […]
The Conductor as Yogi: Restock the “Well”
Ramona M. Wis I remember when our daughter would come home from college at the end of each school year and seemingly slept for 2 weeks. There was this huge release from an “always-on” pace, countless activities and responsibilities, heavy intellectual, artistic, and emotional challenges, and the pressures of proving oneself in an academic and professional […]