What is the ethos of your choral institution?
Merriam Webster defines ethos:
The distinguishing character, sentiment, moral nature, or guiding beliefs of a person, group, or institution.
Maybe there was a time when the ethos of a choral ensemble or institution needed no more specificity than “make music together as well as we can.” That time is past. It might be “a grassroots movement to engage in the empathetic, collaborative, and collective power of singing together to create change” or it might be “a vivacious, borderline rowdy, gathering of fellow drinking singers ready to lift their voices (and glasses) in song” or it might be “a professional vocal ensemble highlighting artistry within Black and Latinx communities … [that] celebrates the power of community and expression through choral music.“
It is essential to have an ethos, to have a deeper purpose for gathering and singing than just gathering and singing. What is your ethos? How do you communicate it with your singers?