Marie Grass Amenta

Choral Potpourri: Why I De-Brief My Choir

June 16, 2016 by Marie Grass Amenta Leave a Comment

“Comedy is not funny. Comedy is hard work and timing and lots and lots of rehearsals.” Larry Hagman

It’s now been over a week since our spring concert. It was a lovely performance, for the most part, but some things happened during this concert cycle no one could have predicted. After losing a bass and his mezzo spouse to a job transfer as rehearsals began, we were able to *borrow* a bass and his mezzo spouse from another choral organization for the rehearsal cycle. Our tenor soloist for Brahms’s Zigeunerlieder, op. 103 had vocal issues the day of the concert. We all pitched in, covering as best we could by singing along with him (even me!) to give the line strength. We had a little better than average audience turn-out and all enjoyed the post-concert reception. After 18 months of preparation, it’s over and auditions begin again this week.

We all understand numbers; how much money was taken in and audience numbers—behinds in seats–or what concert revenue means. Black and white, there is no arguing with numbers. But what makes a difference, as far as many of my choir members are concerned, is how the unexpected was handled and how much—or little—their opinions matter to the organization as a whole.

I began *de-briefing* my chamber choir soon after our first concert ten years ago. After that first concert cycle, I wanted to know how this new (to our community) sort of ensemble worked for the singers involved. I wanted their honest opinions and decided to interview them, one-on-one, or asked them to respond to an emailed questionnaire. During that first post-concert de-briefing time all but one married couple, who were kinda pains, responded to my request for feedback and my de-briefing questionnaire. And that married couple decided not to continue singing with us, which was just fine by me. Many of the responses I did get from my first group of singers have formed the groundwork for what our ensemble has evolved into today.

I have learned a lot from my choir members during the past ten years. I have gotten great suggestions for repertoire (I plan about two years in advance so am not always able to jump immediately on their ideas) as well as recruiting ideas and venue help, plus pats on the back and support through some difficult situations. I respect them and they respect me—it’s a mutual admiration society!

My singers know if they don’t understand a situation while it’s happening during rehearsals (and I don’t offer an explanation at the time), they can ask what happened during their de-briefing. This is especially true when I have had to ask someone to leave mid-rehearsal cycle, though most know why I’ve done what I’ve done. They are free to complain about something (too much German this concert!) or *tattle* (Gerald just didn’t practice enough until the end—we’ve would have been better sooner if he had) but most of my singers don’t. Letting them air their grievances (one-on-one and privately to me) during the de-briefings have cut down on that sort of thing during rehearsals. It is well worth the time it takes to do the de-briefings for that reason alone!

I am perfectly aware my de-briefing strategy won’t work for large choral organizations or for church choirs or in academic settings. We usually have between eight and 15 singers during any one rehearsal/concert cycle, so one-on-one debriefings work for us. It makes a difference in retention of our best people, a hugely important issue with a small ensemble such as ours. I want my singers to feel invested in our chamber choir. And I listen to them, and not just their singing.

Choral Potpourri: Pausing and Taking a Breath

June 9, 2016 by Marie Grass Amenta Leave a Comment

“Be like the bird who, pausing in her flight awhile on boughs too slight, feels them give way beneath her, and yet sings, knowing she hath wings.” Victor Hugo

I am taking the week off (and wrote this several weeks ahead of the actual Blog posting). My concert was last Sunday, and I have gotten into the habit of taking a bit of a breather, if I can, from all things choral right after a concert. This means I don’t listen to choral music or do any score study or plan any concert or program. In fact, I try to NOT listen to any music at all if I can help it. I have found, “cleansing my palate” from music for a short time, right after a concert, actually helps me focus better later and I feel refreshed.

During my time off, I will probably clean out a few kitchen drawers. And sip one or two sparkling beverages on my patio, while paging through a magazine. I’ll probably watch the Food Network in preparation for a cooking marathon later in the week. There is a lunch or coffee planned with a non-musician friend I almost never have time to see once I’m in a concert cycle. And I will stare into space and not feel guilty about it, worrying I should be doing something productive.

Once my week off is over, summer auditions start, then our choir retreat in July, with a break-out gig five days later, and auditions starting up again a few days after that. I will be doing research for our fall 2017 concert cycle during the summer too; it never ends. Auditions continue until rehearsals in Augusts begin, with a few days off in there someplace out of town with my spouse.

I hope you have time for a real break this summer. You deserve some sort of short pause, a rest, and a down period so you are able to truly re-group and refresh for the fall. We all need that bit of a break so we are able to come back to the profession we love so much with renewed energy and a fresh ear so we may sing our song.

Choral Potpourri: Thanking the People We Should

June 2, 2016 by Marie Grass Amenta Leave a Comment

“Sometimes our light goes out but is blown into flame by another human being. Each of us owes deepest thanks to those who have rekindled this light.” Albert Schweitzer

The choral year is winding down with the academic calendar closing, the concert year finishing and church choir year ending with Pentecost or Trinity Sunday. My chamber choir’s concert is this Sunday. I will be thanking a number of people connected with my choir, people you may not think to thank in your situation, but you should. It has been my experience, thanking those people who “make it happen” only has positive results.

So, have you thanked the people you work with for their hard work for you and your program? I do not mean your accompanist or organist, though I hope you thank them ALL THE TIME. And I don’t mean your singers because you should be thanking them regularly. I mean the people who do things for you, your program, your organization or institution who make things run.

When I was in grad school, I was grad assistant to the Director of Choral Activities as well as the Music Ed department chair, the late Dr. Charles Groeling. My darling Dr. G. had a way of getting to the point and breaking it down to the practical so there could be no mistaking what he meant. One of the things he always said was to treat the custodians and bus drivers well because they ran the school. And we know, as choral conductors and music educators, he was right. It is those sorts of people in your life I hope you have an opportunity to thank before everyone leaves on summer vacation. It is the bus drivers, the custodians, the sextons, the secretaries and the volunteers who collate. It is the parents who drive or raise funds. It is the boosters of you, your choir and your mission, those not in the spotlight without whom there would be no spotlight.

I will always be grateful to Dale, the custodian at the elementary school where I directed a chorus for a number of years. He helped with risers but more importantly, he was always at the ready any time a child became sick in rehearsal. In my classroom. And that happened more than you would think! I loved him and he loved me and Our Kids. He couldn’t have been nicer because I thanked him regularly, I think, and included him early on in anything he would be involved in. I didn’t take him for granted because I knew he could make or break the chorus. I got him to be invested in us and our success.

It only makes sense if there are good feelings people are more willing to do things for you and your program. Trouble happens when everyone is pulling in different directions or your *Inner Diva*snark is allowed out in public or people don’t feel appreciated. Writing a note, giving a Starbucks gift card or verbally (and publicly) thanking someone can heal and help. A line or two in a concert program or church bulletin isn’t too much to ask, is it? If you haven’t thanked those people in your life yet, there is still time to do so. Because it is never too late to thank someone!

Choral Potpourri: Being Interviewed

May 26, 2016 by Marie Grass Amenta Leave a Comment

“It is better to know some of the questions than all of the answers.” James Thurber

For every choral director/conductor there is a perfect choir and for every choir, there is a perfect director/conductor. There are times it just “feels right” and there are times it does not.

The past few weeks we’ve looked at the interview process from the position of those conducting the interviews. Let’s switch to the person being interviewed, with a Choral Ethics slant. In the first of our series, I asked choral organizations to think about their group needs and wants, both now and where they hope to be in the future. I am asking you now as a job seeker to do the same. We have to know what we want in order to get it. We don’t often think specifically what we want and need to be happy in a position.

What do you really want in a position? As you look at the classifieds, what drives you to apply to one position over another? As you participate in the interview process, what are your goals? Can you see yourself in that position for several years? Will this position be a step up for you or a step down? How close is the description to your Dream Job? There are no “right” answers to anything of these questions, just the right answer for YOU!

As the interview process progresses, do you like the people involved? Are you tolerating them or saying what you think they want you to say? You most likely will be working with a few of them if you gain the position, so be honest with your answers. It is not helpful to present yourself one way when in fact, you are someone different. How many times has someone contacted me about firing their director, saying they behaved one way in the interview and behaved totally different in the position? A LOT!

You will be asked questions in an interview and, in a good interview; you will be asked if you have any questions. If you don’t have any questions, or any potential question you might have had has already been answered, great! It is the best of situations and hopeful for the future if they are clear in their expectations. If you need several “out of the box” questions, I still have several from Lulu* for you as well as one of my own:

Once or twice a year, schedule permitting, will I be able to accept requests for the choir to sing in a charity situation?
What efforts would I be expected make to encourage diversity in the choir? In the audience?
What is the choir’s policy for gender neutral performance attire?
Will I have assistance with clerical work, such as filing of the music or formatting a program (or church bulletin) for the printer? What are the usual deadlines?

There are two interview behaviors I feel strongly about; interview attire and after interview contact.

I do believe in dressing for the position you hope to have. That does not mean wearing concert black and white but business wear! I was a member of a search committee for an organist. Our eventual pick wore a tee-shirt, shorts and sandals with bare feet to his interview. When it was time for the audition portion of the interview, he pulled out a pair of gym socks and put on his organ shoes while we watched. Eww. He played beautifully and his interview was great so we hired him. I asked him later why he wore shorts. He told me he thought he would be wearing a robe for the job so didn’t think it was a big deal. I told him to wear a shirt and tie for his next interview!

I think it’s a good idea to follow up with a thank you note, either by email or snail mail. And then, leave it alone. The organization interviewing you should tell you how long they anticipate making a decision and if they will contact you, one way or another. It’s fine to ask for that information if it is not volunteered. That way, you can move on with your life.

*Name withheld

Choral Potpourri: Interview Questions

May 19, 2016 by Marie Grass Amenta 1 Comment

“Questions are never indiscreet, answers sometimes are.” Oscar Wilde

You have the perfect Music Director Search Committee gathered. You’ve soul-searched and all members of your committee are on the same page for the future of the organization or ensemble. You’ve hired a competent interim. You have sent out audition notices (and advertised for the position here on ChoralNet) and have sorted through the résumés. You have scheduled the audition/interviews. Now what? It’s time to formulate your interview questions so you may hire the best and most Choral Ethical director for your choir.

Each member of the committee probably has one or two questions they feel are of utmost importance to ask your candidates. Those questions should be asked but limit those *musts* to one per person. Are there some questions important to the group as a whole? If your former director handled a sticky situation particularly well, you’ll want to ask your candidates what they would do in a similar situation. If your former director didn’t handle a sticky situation well, it’s fair to ask what the candidates would do in the same situation. It is important to decide on interview questions during your committee organization meetings before any interviews take place so you may be efficient and comprehensive in your questions. Allow yourself at least thirty minutes (an hour would be ideal) for the interview per candidate; faster doesn’t mean better.

If you are at a loss for some music/choral ensemble related interview questions, ChoralNetter Lulu* sent me quite a few last fall. There are sure to be several fitting for your particular organization. I feel her list of questions is quite comprehensive as far as breathe of scope for leading a performing arts organization including some ethical questions too. Thanks Lulu!

What efforts do you make to guide the members in learning the music? What is the minimal number of rehearsals you give a piece before programming it?
How far ahead do you give your accompanist the music?
What would you do if you asked the accompanist to lead a sectional, and found that s/he was criticizing your choices and changing the way you had directed your singers?
How would you handle a squabble over who gets the solo?
Without naming a name or situation, how recently can you recall criticizing a colleague?
How would you handle it when a singer did not show for concert, and called a week later to say there had been a death in the family?
What would you do if the music ordered was late and the concert imminent?
Once or twice a year, schedule permitting, will you accept requests for the choir to sing in a charity situation where you would receive no [extra] pay?
What efforts would you make to encourage diversity in the choir? In the audience?
What would you say to a member who showed up for practice and performance with a heavy fragrance – either perfume, or cigarette smoke, or something equally risky?
What would you do if you witnessed a member being harassed – verbally, physically, psychologically, or any of the above?

If you still feel the need to ask the ubiquitous “where do you see yourself in five years?” why not ask, “where do you see the Okay Chorale in five years?” You’ll probably get the same basic answer but the second will spur the candidate to think about the organization and not just themselves. It is your responsibility to hire the best director, musically and ethically, for your ensemble and the whole interview process should be about the organization and not just the committee or the candidate. And the music, it should be about the music.

Please feel free to chime in with your own question suggestions. Questions you believe need to be asked or wish you had been asked as a potential music director. Next week, we will discuss being interviewed for such a position.

*Name Withheld

Choral Potpourri: What’s a Committee to Do?

May 12, 2016 by Marie Grass Amenta 1 Comment

“They sit there in committees day after day, And they each put in a color and it comes out gray. And we all have heard the saying, which is true as well as witty, That a camel is a horse that was designed by a committee.” Allan Sherman

You are a choral singer. You sing in your worship community’s choir or a community chorus or another kind of a choral organization not in an academic setting. You sing with a great choral director. I mean a great director. Your director is SO great, you don’t know what you will do if he leaves. And then, he does. Your chorus is so happy he has been offered a better job in a community far away or he’s retiring or he’s won the lottery. But you are a little dazed since he was the best choral director you have ever worked with. What do you do?

You are a choral singer. You sing in your worship community’s choir or a community chorus or another kind of a choral organization not in an academic setting. You sing with a choral director who can best be described as a “short-tempered jackass.” I mean a jerk of a director. Your director is SO much of a jerk; you don’t know the best way to fire him without creating more of a mess. And then he does something so terrible and awful, you have to. Your chorus is so happy he is gone but you are a little dazed since he was the nastiest choral director you have ever worked with. What do you do?

Surprisingly, the answer is the same for both of the above scenarios; hire an interim. That interim should be someone who will be a calming factor for your choir, to bridge the gap between the old director and the new director. You will need the interim, you really will, so your chorus has time to choose the best director possible. You should not feel pressured to hire right away because a) you want to hire someone as awesome as your previous director OR b) you want to hire someone nothing like your previous director. First you need to put together a director search committee and the make-up of that committee is very important.

The board president or clergy usually begins the committee selection process. The board president (clergy) as well as any paid staff working directly with the director such as an accompanist (organist) and executive director (personnel chair or council member in worship communities) should be members of the search committee. Any singers with special interests such as educators or a parent of a children’s choir singer or bell choir ringers or other music staff (other music directors working in the organization) should be asked. An “at-large” community member or congregation member could be included. You do NOT want the whole committee to have the same background and viewpoint simply because only one view will be represented. A committee with varied backgrounds, varied interests and varied hopes will choose someone everyone connected with your choir will be happy with. Or, that is the theory. The search committee’s biggest challenge as you begin your search is to agree on the direction your choir and organization should go and the type of person you want leading you.

The first work the director search committee should do is to decide what your organization wants and needs AT THIS POINT IN TIME. Is it the time to expand your organization or to cut back? Is the repertoire still satisfying to the majority of your singers (and to your audience/congregation) or do you need to rethink the music? As you begin the search for a new director, it is the perfect time to do some organizational “soul-searching.”

With a Choral Ethics view, what type of person do you want for your organization? Do you want a clone of your former director or do you want someone nothing like them? Do want someone patient or someone demanding? Do you want someone gregarious or someone soft-spoken? It goes without saying you want someone moral, but perhaps it should not go without saying in this day and age.

Next week, we will discuss interview questions. Please feel free to contribute!