Choral Ethics

“No art is less spontaneous than mine. What I do is the result of reflection and the study of the great masters.” Edgar Degas

 “That was lovely! So effortless and fun.”

“What beautiful singing. They just opened their mouths and out it came!”

“Your choir sings so well. Do they ever practice together?”

How many times have you and your choirs received a compliment but it didn’t seem like a compliment? People mean well, but many “civilians” do not understand singing well together takes practice. It doesn’t just fall out of our mouths when we call it to. I suppose, that is what we are all striving for; beautiful music happening with seemingly no effort. Our audiences only see the finished product, so that’s what they believe music to be; all perfection and ease. If they only knew!

Many think (some of our choral brethren) it should fall out of our mouths whenever we call it to and can’t possibly take time and talent and hard work to make happen. Some get frustrated when it doesn’t happen that way. We then have choral ethics issues to deal with. The truth is performing music takes hard work and practice in addition to talent and training. And if anyone tells you something different, don’t believe them!

I hate to practice. And I love to practice. In fact, you could say practicing and I have a love/hate relationship. Always have. When I was a child, I always wondered what my younger or non-musical siblings (non-musical is all relative here; everyone at least sang and several of the six of us also studied instruments other than piano or voice) were doing while I was practicing. I was jealous they didn’t have to practice. Turns out, they were jealous I got to perform in front of a “non-related-to-us” audience!

Practicing isn’t exciting, really. It can be, when we first begin to learn a piece but then it becomes routine. We do something over and over, and OVER again to perfect a passage or keep that perfection in our fingers and voices. And we keep doing it. My late mother was a coloratura soprano and worked on the runs from the arias of one of her signature roles, the Queen of the Night, almost every day since the day she learned the role. She would sing them while doing the dishes or folding laundry.  She told me she was afraid if she did NOT practice those runs every day, she would lose her high F. And into her late 60s, she still had that note because she practiced. Every day. Whether she wanted to or not. And there were days I’m sure she did not want to.

That “practice work ethic” has been passed down to me and I, in turn, have passed it down to my keyboard (piano, organ and harpsichord) playing son. We practice as a matter of fact. We practice as part of our everyday lives. We practice because we need to do so to maintain a certain level of musicianship and technique. We practice because we don’t know any differently. We practice and it looks, and sounds, easy but it is not.

As choral conductors (directors), I would also include score study under the practicing category. I practice the motions of conducting but I also study why I make those particular motions. When I have to sight read something in front of a choir (for whatever reason), it terrifies me because I don’t feel prepared. I can go through the motions of conducting, but if I don’t feel like I know why I am making those motions, I feel I am giving less than my best to a choir. Fortunately, most of my score study happens before I ever step into my rehearsal space so it is rare I don’t feel prepared.

As we begin this new academic and choir year, I wish for you wonderful rehearsals, great choristers, with an effortless concert at the end. And enough time to practice to make it happen!

“Unless a tree has borne blossoms in spring, you will vainly look for fruit on it in autumn.” Walter Scott

We in academia (or those following a choral year) plant our seeds in the fall, watch our ensembles begin to blossom in winter and early spring and harvest our fruit (concerts or the end of the church choir season) in late spring. If we are not careful with our choral planting and nurturing, we don’t get blossoms and we don’t get fruit. Or the blossoms are sickly and the fruit is straggly. We must prepare our soil before we plant. We must diligently water and fertilize, both making sure there is enough warmth and not allowing our young plants to get too cold. We know what to do, when, either from experience or training. If we don’t do these things, our choirs will not bear the fruit we would like them to. And will have no one but ourselves to blame.

Our reputations are much like our choirs; we have the ability to have the reputation we want and deserve. We just have to plan and work for it. It’s easy enough, or should be, to be that choir director. How? Gemma* can tell us how to get from a no-name director with no reputation to a great-name director with a great reputation. First, you have to fail.

Gemma has been at her present position for ten years as the full time music director of a medium sized congregation in the Pacific Northwest and loves her job. She came from the Northeast with her spouse when he was called to serve a congregation as a pastor. When they first moved to the area, Gemma wanted to focus on their two young children. After four years, the kids were both in elementary school, she was bored and applied for the position she has now. And didn’t get the job.

Gemma practiced the organ at least three or four times a week (there are advantages being the spouse of a minister!) and knew her skills hadn’t slipped because she occasionally filled in for her husband’s congregation’s organist. There was no animosity between her and the music staff since they were grateful she would be able to sub for them if they needed her. And she sang with a local community chorus as well as the church choir. Her CV was stellar, if not current, and her organ audition was flawless. So why didn’t she get the job the first time? No one had heard of her and told her so!

Somehow, that bugged Gemma more than anything; “no one” had heard of her. After she complained to her husband, he suggested talking to his congregation’s director of music to see if he had any ideas. Jeff* suggested joining the local AGO chapter to get on their sub list. And their congregation wanted to start a concert series. Jeff didn’t have time to administer the series, so he “hired” Gemma to do it and she was paid a small stipend. She got the reputation of being a great sub organist and knowing a lot about the local classical music scene. As time went on, the community chorus director would occasionally ask her to run a rehearsal or a sectional for him, and the community chorus became one of the cornerstones of the church’s concert series as well. She was doing a little bit of everything, getting involved in the music community and not too proud to do what was asked of her if she was able. That made all the difference.

One Easter Sunday, Gemma was subbing for the congregation where she didn’t get the job. The pastor took her aside after the service and asked her if she would be interested in applying again for their position. The person they had hired was moving on to “greener pastures” and had given his notice right before Lent.

Gemma has outlasted two more pastors and is still very happy with her job. Her spouse is at a different congregation from that first one. In fact, they chose to remain in the area because of her job and the reputation she worked so hard to nurture!

*Name withheld

What we do belongs to what we are; and what we are is what becomes of us.” Henry Van Dyke

I have to confess; I finally am comfortable with who, and what, I am and my reputation. But it’s only within the last fifteen years I have been able to say that.

My speaking voice is ‘way too high for some but if I pitch my voice lower, it isn’t good for my singing voice. So I choose to keep my dependable high B flat (and her flighty sister, my high C) rather than force my voice to speak in a lower range. I’ve tried, in the past, to speak more “seriously” by pitching my speaking voice lower and it’s bothered my singing voice. I’m not willing to do it anymore just because of some societal view of how women should sound to be taken seriously. Many people think I’m a ditz when they first hear my speaking voice, but after a while, know I am not. And if they still think I’m a ditz, I don’t care. It’s their misconception women with high voices are stupid; and their mistake when it comes to me. They should watch out because I will astound them when they least expect it!

My whole Choral Ethics project is testament to a reputation of being kind to singers and respectful of other musicians working with me. Before I decided to be true to myself, I was worried I would be considered a wimp or stupid if I followed my own value system. But one day, something clicked into place and I decided it was better to live with myself and sleep at night rather than follow anyone else’s idea of what I should do, or be. Now I am thought of as being an innovative programmer, having a dependable solo voice, someone active in community arts advocacy as well as having a reputation of being fair in rehearsal. But I am not a push over and don’t put up with nonsense. There is a fine line between being a wimp and being a witch and I try to walk it.

Being comfortable with ourselves is the first step in being comfortable with our reputations. And it takes a while and a bit of soul searching to decide who you are, what you want your reputation to be and to be comfortable with it. Now is the time, before rehearsals begin, before the days (and nights) get busy with all the details of teaching and directing for you to take matters in your own hands. In order to be in control (something we directors and conductors like to be) of our reputations, we have to take control. So, do it. Do it now before the choir year gets away from you. It’s worth it!

“America’s future will be determined by the home and the school. The child becomes largely what he is taught; hence we must watch what we teach, and how we live.” Jane Addams

Are you happy with your reputation? Is this something you planned to “be” or is this something that just happened? Is your particular situation to blame, either in a good or bad way, for your reputation?

Conrad*is a music history professor at a four college and considers himself tough. He’s tough but has always tried to be fair as well, and tells me it isn’t always as easy as it sounds. He occasionally wishes he could be more of a softy. But he knows his students wouldn’t be compelled to study as much as they need to for his subject.

Conrad teaches what he believes is the most difficult music course in the department; “Music History I,” which includes chant (all kinds) and organum. There is rarely a freshman or sophomore music major who has ever heard of organum much less heard organum. To pass his course, his students must be able to recognize organum when they hear it. Conrad makes sure they hear a lot of it!

MHI is a typical lecture course, with a midterm, final and every other week listening exams. He has all sorts of listening tools for his MHI students but tries not to overwhelm them by giving them too much to listen to at a time. He gradually adds pieces every week to his website and Sound Cloud, including music which will be heard in class.

As the semester begins, most of Conrad’s MHI students don’t believe he will grade as toughly on those every other week listening exams as he says he will. He doesn’t give partial credit for anything close; it is either right or wrong. Those listening exams, in total, count as one third of a semester’s grade, so while there are many of them, they count. He does give extra-credit listening exams for those needing a boost to their grade, so there are ways to it make up if need be.

Conrad is fine with his present reputation because while he is considered to be tough, he is also considered to be fair. He can live with that.

Dorothy’s* reputation was made the first day of her job as an elementary school music teacher. Her first class that day was a fifth grade made up of some of the most challenging students in the school. Their classroom teacher offered to stay, but since Dorothy didn’t know these were difficult kids, she told her she could go. To say it was rough was an understatement, but Dorothy was unruffled. Later, she told her husband she was going on autopilot but stayed true to who she was and her philosophy of teaching.

What is her philosophy of teaching? Not to ever raise her voice and to laugh! Well, it’s more complicated than that. But on that day, she didn’t yell, told some jokes and gradually got many of the kids to focus. She tells me, thirteen years later; those were some of her favorite students ever. Several of her students from that class became music teachers and one of the “worst” boys will take over her position this year. When he told her he got “her” job, it was one of the best days of her life. He said he became a music teacher because she taught him how to respect people, even if they don’t respect you. Everyone always said she was the most respectful teacher in the school and he wanted to be like her. Pretty great reputation, right?

*Name Withheld

“No legacy is so rich as honesty.” William Shakespeare

As we begin a new choir year, I thought it might be useful to blog about reputation. So during the month of August, my blog will be a Choral Ethics series devoted to that subject.

Our reputation begins almost from the moment we step in to our classroom or rehearsal space. It follows us as the choir year progresses. Before we start this year, perhaps we should take an opportunity to think about what we would like our reputation to be.

If you have been in your position for a while, your reputation will have preceded you. Your singers, both current and former, will have said something about you to the newbies. Or perhaps, your reputation is what has drawn new singers to your choir. Even if you are brand new, whoever interviewed and auditioned you will have said something to your potential singers and students.

Do you know what your current reputation is? Are you happy with it? Are you considered to be fair or biased, tough or easy, funny or serious? Are you easily rattled or are you unflappable? Are you considered to be a good musician or a musician “good enough?” Do you know your stuff or are you seldom prepared? Do you admit when you don’t know something or do you cover for yourself so you always appear right?

The old choir year is over and this is your chance to begin anew. During the coming week, as you finish your vacation or prepare music folders, think about how you want to be thought of this coming choir year. Are there misconceptions about you and your choir? What would you like to be known for? Before you get so busy, it’s time to plant the seeds and see what comes up.

Here is something to begin to get you thinking this week as far as reputation is concerned; when I was a grad assistant, one of my undergrad music ed students told me he believed in the advice to “not crack a smile until November.” He explained students would think you are a pushover if you seemed too human before then. I disagreed because living up to what we think our reputation is can be exhausting. Always being in charge and perfect is draining. Showing a human side can be liberating and good for our students too. Plus, it’s too hard not to smile!

“The jealous are troublesome to others, but a torment to themselves.” William Penn

In preparation for writing the blog post today, I looked up the definitions of envy and jealousy. I wanted to know what the differences are so I was absolutely clear in my own mind. Simply put, envy is coveting something someone else has and jealousy is the fear of being replaced, either in a professional or a love/affection situation. There is certainly overlap of the two emotions, but jealousy can be the more destructive of the two I believe.

I have often thought envy can be healthy. If you envy something or someone, perhaps it will motivate you to achieve beyond what you have. There is usually no mean-spiritedness in this type of envy just a desire to better, or change, our circumstance. I can envy my friend’s shoe collection (and I’ve made a good start to keep up with her, let me tell you!) and not be nasty about it. My friend with young children can envy me with adult children and know someday it will be her not driving carpool twice a day. You can envy your brother-in-law’s ability to run a marathon and he can envy your non-receding hairline but there is no nastiness about his running (you would have to get up at 5 am every day) or your hair (genetics is genetics) between the two of you.

It would be nice for things to “just” happen but more times than not, those whom we envy have worked for what they have or are have some special, difficult to replicate, circumstance. In the choral and music world, if we practice, we get better and if we don’t, we don’t. Some folks don’t understand this, they think they are “owed” a solo just because they’ve been in your choir forever or think they can tell you who SHOULD get a solo because they’ve been in your choir, well, forever. And all Heck breaks lose when they realize they can’t.

Deidra*contacted me a few weeks ago to tell me about a problem she’s been having with a member of her church choir. One of her “Queen Bees” has decided she is the person who gets to decide who gets a solo and who does not. QB has been in this church choir “since Adam” and has (in the QB’s opinion) the best solo quality voice. Deidra has organized the choir year so there are soloists during the summer from the whole church, even those who don’t regularly sing in the choir (with the hopes they’ll join them or sing with the choir more often). QB thinks that’s outrageous, even though many of the Summer Singers are children of the church, home from college. QB has even gone to the Pastor who has deferred to Deidra; it’s her job, she should make the decisions.

Before the unpleasantness with QB began, Deidra thought reaching out to others in the church would be a good thing. She tries so hard to be fair with her choir but wanted to reach out to others; what’s wrong with that? She has a sign-up sheet for summer solos in the choir room beginning in mid-May so the Senior Choir would have first crack at the dates. Beginning in June, she opens it up to the rest of the church and encourages former members of her children and youth choirs to sign up. She asks those signing up to also arrange for coaching with her so they could decide, together, what they would sing and practice together.

QB worries the “quality” of the choir and music program will be compromised because of the “outsiders” being allowed to sing. It’s silly because many of the young people are products of their very fine music program. She’s so miffed, this summer QB declined to sign up for a solo and has been noticeably absent from Sunday services. Since the Pastor isn’t too concerned with QB’s whereabouts, neither is Deidra. It’s been quite peaceful!

*Name withheld