“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 the question of purpose in our gatherings.
Personally, I struggle with auditions – I see the innate value in each person who sings for me, and I want to find a place for them if at all possible. However, when I begin to think about the purpose of my gathering (of my ensemble), I am more able to commit to these words: “far too often in the name of inclusion and generosity […] we fail to draw boundaries around who belongs and why.” (p.38)
Mindfully draw the boundaries – perhaps around musical audition success, perhaps around behavioral, intellectual, or other factors. Whatever it is, draw them and the make the exclusion kind but intentional. As Parker says,
People who aren’t fulfilling the purpose of you gathering are detracting from it, even if they do nothing to detract from it. This is because once they are actually in your presence, you (and other considerate guests) will want to welcome and include them, which takes time and attention away from what (and who) you’re actually there for. (p.43)
A friend and respected colleague wanted to continue being a part of the Michigan Choral Commission Consortium after he left to teach at a college several states away. I wanted to say yes, but I ended up saying no for just this reason. The purpose of MC3 goes beyond commissioning; it is about the Michigan choral community. As such, including him would detract from that organizational gathering.
It’s why I like keeping my ensembles right-sized, too. As Parker says, “over-including can keep connections shallow because there are so many different lines through which people could possibly connect that it can be hard to meaningfully activate any of them.” I’m keeping my ensembles at the right amount of inclusion so that members can connect deeply, either with the entire ensemble or with a section or core component.
From pages 50-53, Parker describes her magic numbers for size of gatherings: 6, 12-15, 30, and 150. The descriptions are very compelling, and I don’t think it’s a coincidence that most choral ensembles I can think of have numbers that fall close to one of her magic numbers. My own ensembles tend to land around 12, and I love how she describes groups of this size. “Twelve is small enough to build trust and intimacy, and small enough for a single moderator…to handle.” (51) On the other hand, “12 is large enough to offer a diversity of opinion and large enough that it allows for a certain quotient of mystery and intrigue, of constructive unfamiliarity.” (51) Those opposite pulls – small enough, large enough, are part of what draws me to ensembles of this size.
The second half of this chapter focuses on the space you gather in. Let’s talk about choir rooms and concert spaces.
“Venues come with scripts. We tend to follow rigid if unwritten scripts that we associate with specific locations.” (54)
Your choir concert is going to feel very different if you choose to hold it in a local church with great acoustics than if you hold it in the middle school gymnatorium. I’ve noticed that our concert hall atmosphere can be a little relaxed, perhaps because parents and students have been attending performances there since kindergarten, when a more chaotic script got written.
Parker quotes Jerry Seinfeld saying, “the context of the room does eighty percent of the work, in terms of giving you a position of advantage over the audience.” (54) One of the things I’ve loved about taking my choirs to the World Choir Games is the chance to let them sing in the very best spaces, and with sufficient time sound checking to learn how to use the space. With that, and with audiences primed for choral music, the chance to make magic happen in performance is heightened.
What about rehearsal space? “Embodying a purpose doesn’t necessarily require going anywhere special. Sometimes just reconfiguring a room is enough.” (55) Parker argues that a venue can and should “displace people,” which she says is “simply about breaking people out of their habits.” (62) Especially in the context of a school day, I think it’s vital to create a rehearsal space that creates an alternate world where the rat race and demands of middle and high school stop existing. I’ve had directors say, “leave your problems at the rehearsal door,” but I think it’s more like, “the rehearsal space will hold your problems for you while you’re here.” If you do it right, at least. Doing it right requires, according to Parker, intentional thought about perimeter, area, and density.
Perimeter: “A space for gathering works best when contained.” (65) That’s because “A contained space for a gathering allows people to relax, and it helps create the alternative world that a gathering can, at its best, achieve.” (65) Close the doors. Make a circle around the piano. Anything to put the ensemble in a contained space.
Area: “The size of a gathering’s space should serve your purpose. (67) Well, that’s tricky, because you can’t magically resize your room when your 90-voice y’all come choir leaves at the bell and in walks a 24-voice chamber choir. Or can you? You can create a seating chart to make sure those extra seats don’t exist, as far at the second choir is concerned. You can design a new layout and have your singers responsible for building it at the top of the hour. As Parker points out, “we also tend to accept the default setup we’re given.” (68) I think there is a lot of room for creative reinvention of your rehearsal space’s area that can be executed quickly at the beginning of rehearsal. I also think that use of area can figure into performance – where we almost assuredly “accept the default setup” of choral risers and piano placement. The more we can create a distinct gathering space for singing in, the more compelling the results will be.
Density: “Event planners and space designers actually have rules of thumb for event density.” (68) This rangers, in Parker’s grid, from 20 sq ft. per guest for a sophisticated dinner party to just 5 sq. ft. for a hot dance party. At first, I didn’t think density would play much role, but I have been thinking about how different choirs space themselves differently on the risers. It’s often couched in talk of “space to breathe and sing out” (or COVID) but I think that this sort of placement can have a palpable effect on the energy of performance. When I wanted a somber, tranquil performance with the Aces, I spaced them out wide and deep across the stage, feet away from each other. When I want a particularly lively sound, I’ll often position them quite closely together. I know I’ve seen Chanticleer work hard to adjust their density in performance, and I can’t help but wonder whether their density affects the energy of the performance.
Thoughtful inclusion and exclusion. Shaping the rehearsal and performance space. These are powerful tools for building the ensemble and creating memorable performances and gatherings.