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 often do in my work: what you were supposed to do at the gathering.” (pp.2-3)
She goes on, “When we don’t examine the deeper assumptions behind why we gather, we end up skipping too quickly to replicating old, staid formats of gathering. And we forgo the possibility of creating something memorable, even transformative.” (p.3)
By Parker’s definition, “to sing choral music” is not a good purpose for a choral ensemble to gather. It’s aiming too low. And as she points out, these low-aiming purposes fail to create the transformative gatherings we all seek to have in choir. In this chapter, I’m going to think about an ensemble as a whole. What is the purpose of the ensemble? An ensemble, after all, is a group of people who repeatedly gather. A clear purpose will improve the ensemble itself as a tool for gathering.
Parker writes, “Rutiaulzied gatherings are never ritualized at the beginning. The initial idea emerges to solve a specific challenge.” (11) She goes on to say, “Over time, the form itself plays a role in shaping people’s sense of belonging to the group and their identity within that group: This is who we are. This is the way we do things around here.”
Our ritualized gatherings clearly shape the experience of the singers who participate in them. The way the ensemble interacted last year will affect the way they will interact this year. This is all the more reason to create a better purpose than, “Because you’re in tenth grade and like singing” or “Because you’re required to be part of an ensemble as a music major.”
According to Parker, there are three traits that good purposes tend to share. Here they are, along with some related questions to ask about yourself about your choral gatherings:
- Specific. Do I have a specific purpose for this rehearsal? For the year? For the ensemble?
- Unique. Is the existence of the ensemble distinct enough? Does the ensemble have unique traits that differentiate it from all other ensembles?
- Disputable. Is my purpose for this ensemble the same as the one all my colleagues might have for their ensembles?
As I considered a specific, unique, disputable purpose for The Rockford Aces, here are some various drafts I came up with that failed on one or more of Parker’s benchmarks.
The Aces exist…
… to make good music. [not specific, not unique, not disputable]
… to be an excellent HS TTBB choir [not disputable, only slightly unique]
… To make high-level genre-agnostic music with tenors and basses from Rockford HS and share it with people through performance and recording, such that (A) a kinship is born through the rehearsal process, (B) more young tenors and basses are inspired to make music in the future, and (C) ensemble members leave the year with new musical and vocal skills and knowledge.
It’s specific, it’s unique to our situation and location, and it’s disputable – I know that there are aspects of that purpose that would be at odds with the purposes of colleagues and friends. That’s good!
I also know my purpose isn’t perfect – I need to continually be revising and assessing my purpose to make it more reflective of the ensemble and make it more effective at creating ensembles and gatherings that sparkle.
One of the great things about having a great purpose is, as Parker says, that “purpose is your bouncer.” (31)
To gather is to make choice after choice: place, time, food, forks, agenda, topics, speakers. Virtually every choices will be easier to make when you know why you’re gathering, and especially when that why is particular, interesting, and even provocative.
p. 31-32
Think of all the choice you make for your ensemble. The more specific your purpose is, the more effectively you can make those decisions. For example, as I look at my purpose above, I know I will have an easier time selecting repertoire for the Aces – because I want it to be suitable for recording and to be appropriate for inspiring young tenors and basses. What about adding extra events (with extra time commitment!)? It’s easy when a gig comes up – I just ask whether that gig fits with our purpose. An elementary run-out performance definitely does; a Christmas party at the golf club might not.
Before I read The Art of Gathering, I might have argued that the purpose was implicit – I didn’t need to state it explicitly, because I understood it already in my mind. But doing the work to make the purpose clear in my mind has made a difference in how I approach every aspect of my ensemble, from organization to repertoire to performance. A clear purpose is a game-changer.