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“Christmas is a season not only of rejoicing but of reflection.” Winston Churchill

I’m rerunning some Choral Ethics blogs from years past with a few modifications where needed. Two of my MOST REQUESTED December Blogs will also be making their yearly appearances.

In a few days, it will be Christmas Eve. Your plans have been made for months if you’re anything like me. But this is the Christmas of 2025, so you probably have a “Plan B” if you’re smart and I know you are. Here in the Midwest, there could be a blizzard predicted, so that always adds another layer of planning. Just when we think things are back to “normal,” something happens to mess it all up!

Advent and Christmas, more than Lent and Easter, are much more stressful for our profession. I’m not sure why, but perhaps it’s the gift giving and baking and traveling to see family and friends and all the concerts and services we must prepare or attend. Or maybe it’s just the time of year, who knows? We have many things to accomplish, usually in the dark, and we rarely get all accomplished. I do know for a fact we’re all stressed.

I am here today to remind you to try to be as relaxed as you are able to be, in this super busy season for Choral Folk. Take a breath and when you are thrown for a loop, take another breath. And be kind. Be kind to those around you, whether they be your family, your choir or those you work with. Make kindness “your thing” this Christmas, no matter what happens. Be kind, my dear friends, and reap the benefits later.

Stress cancels out the beauty of the season and there is plenty of beauty so take a breath, do your Alexander Technique breathing or yoga breathing, and take a moment to relax and enjoy. You deserve the beauty; you deserve the goodness you’ve been creating for everyone else this holiday season. You deserve to have some cookies and eggnog and punch, so have some. And you deserve to have some Fa-La-Las directed by someone else for a change!

Know you’ve made a difference in someone’s life this holiday season and you may never know it. Be okay with not knowing because that will be your gift to the world. Your choir singing “Es ist ein Ros entsprungen” may have comforted a child who lost a parent this year or someone newly widowed. Singing “Silent Night” may be the only time a rough and tough teenager uses their voice and finds they like singing. Something you do, something you have planned, something you are not aware of will make a difference. You may find out, you may not, but know you have made a difference.

Much love to you all, ChoralNet, as we ’round the corner to Christmas.

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Nick Page & Slam Poet Premiere @ CHORUS AMERICA

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Nick Page (Niska Banja) has collaborated with poet Regie Gibson to create a work for youth chorus, jazz pianist, and slam poet.   Jane Money’s Boston City Singers, conducted by Nick, will premiere WE DREAM at the national CHORUS AMERICA conference on June 17th in Boston.   from Nick Page: “Regie Gibson is a brilliant poet who combines classical […]

Henry Leck becomes KI’s first Distinguished Music Advisor

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Dear friends With great pleasure, KIconcerts announces that Henry Leck has become our first Distinguished Music Advisor. This appointment complements a distinguished career of teaching at Butler University, building the Indianapolis Children’s Choir, leading festivals around the globe, adjudicating, mentoring and simply bringing wisdom, talent and joy to every choral setting of which he is […]

POP MUSIC Choral Arrangements for FREE

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  Free PDF download of this arrangement and others – www.billheigen.com The idea here is to share good vibes using a combination of: – Pop songs excerpts – Positive messages – Choral arrangements with a classical approach – Multitrack a cappella videos   Put your headphones on, press play, and be surprised by hearing some […]

ATTENTION ALSCCC COMPETITION DEADLINE HAS BEEN EXTENDED TO JUNE 1st 2015

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ATTENTION The DEADLINE for the competition has been EXTENDED TO JUNE 1st 2015.   For The “Little Singers Of Armenia” Choir Dear Friends, The Armenian Little Singers International Association is organizing the third international competition of choral compositions (ACCC) dedicated to the Centenary of the Armenian Genocide. The conditions for participating in the competition are: Participation is open to […]

Change My Heart – Wonderful New Church Anthem

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Change My Heart is a wonderful new church anthem by Glenn Wonacott. The beautiful lilting theme is complemented by the heartfelt bridge.  This inspiring piece is one that your choir will learn quickly and enjoy for years to come. Please visit http://kokopellipress.com/sacred.php to hear this sacred SATB piece.    Kokopelli Press – Portland, OR    503.336.3137   

Contemporary Composition in America call for Papers deadline

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The North Dakota State University Challey School of Music, the American Choral Directors Association, and the American Composers Forum proudly announce the “NDSU Choral Symposium: Contemporary Composition in America.”  The call for papers deadline is June 1, 2015.  Please go to this link for more information: http://www.ndsu.edu/performingarts/choralsymposium/Contemporary_Composition/call_for_papers.html Noted composer, conductor, and lecturer Eric Whitacre will […]

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