arrange • compose • conduct
School is starting on Monday for me – maybe it’s already started for you, or maybe you’re not getting started till after Labor Day – and here we are, facing a new wave of COVID-19 risks and need for mitigation strategies. I’m starting my school year observing local and national […]
We’ve talked a lot about starting – only natural as we consider this book and its many ideas at the beginning of a school and concert year. And yet, closings are important, too. I’m thinking about ends of rehearsals, about ends of concerts, and about ends of years (ends of […]
Chapters 5 & 6 had a lot to say about choral rehearsals and gatherings. Chapter 7 pivots with this statement: “Enough about warmth. Let’s talk about heat.” (225) And it has rather less to say about choral rehearsals and performances, even as it has more to say about choral conferences. […]
For this chapter, we’re going to focus on the choir retreat, and specifically about those non-musical hours spent specifically on building the group’s trust and vulnerability with each other. One of the activities I like to include in my retreats is “Special Object.” Each member is asked to bring with […]
…and never start a choir function with talking… “Your gathering begins at the moment your guests first learn of it. […] The intentional gatherer begins to host not from the formal start of the event but from that moment of discovery.” (145-146) I’m thinking a lot about first rehearsal right […]
[a day off of gathering posts] Honey comes in all sizes, flavors, consistencies – and qualities! On one side, you have the packets of “honey sauce” to dip chicken nuggets in. On the other side, you have raw, organic, unpasteurized, sustainably-harvested single-flower honey. (Full disclosure: I am pretty picky with […]
“A gathering’s blandness is a symptom of a disease….And what is the disease? That the gathering makes no effort to do what the best gatherings do: transport us to a temporary alternative world. (112) The emphasis of this chapter is about creating effective rules – “pop up rules” that might […]
“Who wants to sail on a skipperless ship?” (71) A skipperless ship is not something most choral gatherings need to worry about – indeed, conductors are very accustomed to being the skippers of their ships. That said, I know I’m often motivated to be a “chill” leader in my rehearsals […]
“The desire to keep doors open–to not offend, to maintain a future opportunity–is a thereat to gathering with purpose.” (p.35) Auditions. Auditions are at the core of how many ensemble directors deal with the question of inclusion/exclusion. Musicals, advanced ensembles, even solos – these are all opportunities to wrestle with […]
It comes down to this: “A category is not a purpose.” (p.2) So here’s the question of the day: a choir is a category – what is it purpose? Parker writes, “If I were to ask you the purpose behind [your] gatherings, I wouldn’t be surprised to hear what I […]