Over time, you can find people and organizations whose taste you trust no matter what. For me, they include my wife, On Being, Michael Chabon, The New Yorker, and a number of other people and organizations. There are authors, hosts, magazines, news organizations, and individuals on my list.
When you discover one, it’s easy to still treat them with the apprehension you use for less trusted sources. “I’ll read it if it sounds interesting.” “I’ll skim it and decide.” “Who blurbed the back?” “I’ll wait to see if next week’s episode sounds more up my alley.”
But a better response is, “I trust your taste.” If you trust someone, trust that they will meet your trust and provide value to you. (Right now I’m listening to an On Being episode that I didn’t at first think I’d enjoy – but of course I am finding value. There’s a reason I trust On Being‘s taste.)
In other words, find things to trust, and then actually trust them.
On the flip side, we as conductors have the opportunity to actually be that trusted individual for our singers, our students. It’s worth being mindful that that kind of trust is deeply personal and special, and that we should do everything we can to live up to it. And it’s worth reminding our singers, when they might not leap with gusto at a new piece or experience, that we have earned their trust and will do everything we can not to lose it.