I just finished a Virtual Game Night with the vocal jazz ensemble I direct, GRCC Shades of Blue. Seven of the nine members this semester were able to attend.
We’ve been rehearsing and recording virtually all semester, and owing to the nature of our system, they haven’t all even met each other at this point. (They each get one-on-one weekly coaching from me, and there is a weekly meetup that I record, since only some can attend.)
So we jumped almost immediately into a virtual party game (Quiplash 3, from Jackbox Games). And I remembered again part of what I love about Choir People.
It’s because they know they’re Choir People. They have similar frames of reference, similar life experiences, and they are comfortable in knowing that they all love to sing in groups. That was enough to bypass a lot of awkward small talk, going into laughter, gentle teasing, and fun and silly games. They hadn’t all met, though they’d been working on much of the same music, but they were immediately acting like an ensemble.
Almost nothing is normal about this year. But it feels normal to know that Choir People are Choir People, and they can recognize each other at once.