Yesterday I was on the Lake Michigan beach twice with my 10-year-old.
The first time, we were swimming together, skipping rocks, laughing and playing. Active engagement.
The second time, I didn’t go in the water – we sketched some in the sand with a stick and then I sat and watched him run up and down the beach, wage war on the waves, and generally exult in the moment. Passive engagement.
I loved them both. I love being actively engaged with what my kids are doing, but I also love being nearby, facilitating their fun but not exactly participating.
It seems to me that choir directors operate almost completely in the Active Engagement circle. We put ourselves at the center of the music making of our singers, and actively facilitate/participate all of the music-making that happens.
That’s a recipe for exhaustion. Part of the reason I was more passive in the second beach trip was that I was tired. It had been a long day and was close to a late summer sunset.
If you had more ways to passively engage your singers, wouldn’t you be able to conserve your precious energy, and use it more judiciously when it could do the most good?
Empower your singers to keep playing with the music, keep growing, learning, and developing, even without you at the center of the circle.