In rehearsal, I heard myself say, “It’s your group – I’m just here to help you achieve your potential.”
I really believe that. I call them “my students” or “my singers” but they don’t belong to me. On the other hand, “their director” is a good description – my role is to help my students achieve their dreams most effectively.
I don’t want to approach leading a rehearsal as if I am the boss. I make a lot of decisions, but I try to make them all in service of the singers, not in the service of my ego or anything else.
This year, I’m turning over more of my ensemble leadership to the students than ever before. I hope that it will help give them even more ownership of the group and help them become better leaders beyond the walls of our rehearsal space.