Priya Parker often says that the best gatherings have “a specific, disputable purpose.” That the purpose is disputable is essential to creating meaning, because an indisputable purpose is going to give rise to gatherings where little growth can occur among the participants. If everyone agrees, no one can grow.
I think the finest contemporary choral ensembles also have specific, disputable purposes, and that we can emulate that even at the secondary education level. The groups that are firing up audiences are the most disputable and the most specific – think The Oakwood Aeolians, or Roomful of Teeth, Stellenbosch University Choir, the Justice Choir movement, or even Beer Choir. Each has a really clear purpose for what they hope to do with group singing, and those purposes help them making bigger waves than the less specific, more generalized “we make beautiful sound” choirs that are so repeatable.
What is the purpose of your choral program? Is it specific? Is it disputable?
Here are some of the less-disputable purposes of high school choirs – if all of your goals are for things like this, I think it’s worth considering finding more personal ways to gather your singers.
- Vocal technique
- Exposure to great choral music
- In-tune singing
- Musical literacy
- Appreciation of a wide variety of musical genres
- Good ratings at Festival