Emily Dickinson’s famous couplet goes
Tell all the truth but tell it slant —
Success in Circuit lies
I think the same can go for building community – we can do it slant.
Sometimes we can be focused on building community through our most on-brand work. Say, “building your choir’s community through sectionals!”
And that works, to be sure. But just as effective is building your choir’s community through volunteering at Habitat for Humanity. Or through a day trip to Chicago, only a few hours of which will be attending a performance of Hamilton. Or putting on a performance in terrible circumstances, say in a gym where almost no one is paying attention to you.
Those aren’t on-brand community building. They’re community building slant.
And as Emily says, sometimes the long way – the circuitous way – is the best way to success.