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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.

Search Results for: choir

4th Sing Berlin! International Choir Festival & Competition

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In an era of rapid change, singing together remains a powerful act of connection. With the collaborating support of Chorverband Berlin and the Georg-Friedrich-Händel-Gymnasium Berlin, let us invite you to a festival which aims to celebrate community, creativity, and the evolving landscape of vocal expression: the 4th Sing Berlin! Choir Festival & Competition May 27-31, […]

20th Budapest International Choir Festival & Competition

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It all began in the capital of Hungary almost 40 years ago… And next spring, meeting music is coming to Budapest back again, joining InterQultur Hungária Kft., for the 20th anniversary celebration of Budapest International Choir Competition & Festival March 21-25, 2027 – Budapest | Hungary What we are preparing with: A wide range of […]

Music for Women’s and Treble Choirs

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  March 8 • Women’s Voices Music for Women’s and Treble Choirs Today is a beautiful opportunity to celebrate the artistry and dedication of treble ensembles. Some of my earliest and most formative experiences as a composer were writing for the Pilar Children’s Choir. Those years of exploring treble voices deeply shaped my approach, eventually […]

Lift Up Your Voice!: 40 New Descants for Your Choir

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Do you love hymns? If you do, here is something for you. I am delighted to announce the publication of my new book of descants, Lift Up Your Voice!, for SATB choirs and congregations. Lift Up Your Voice! is a carefully curated collection of 40 modern hymn descants, written to deepen worship and elevate hymn […]

How an All-Volunteer Choir Can Sound All-Professional with Dana Effler

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Dana Effler, Director of Music & Arts at First United Methodist Church, Dallas, TX, explains how an all-volunteer choir can sound all-professional.  The FUMC choir does! Presented by Church Music Institute (CMI). Can’t attend on March 7?  Register and receive a link to view later! Registration closes Friday, March 6 @ noon Central time.  Sat, […]

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