I’m beginning a series on the brilliant book The Art of Gathering by Priya Parker, looking at the ideas from each chapter and how they might specifically apply to choral gatherings. As we go, I’m going to write about specific choral gatherings that I encounter in a normal school/concert year, and how I might reimagine them with Parker’s ideas. Here are some of the gatherings I’ll be thinking about.
Aces Retreat. This is a weekend-long retreat held off-campus in a retreat center. There is a mix of musical and non-musical events held from Friday evening through Sunday noon, with an emphasis on building potential within the group.
Weekly/Daily Rehearsal. All of the groups I conduct are on a weekly/biweekly schedule; Aces rehearses for two hours on Thursday evenings and one hour on Monday afternoons, while Shades of Blue rehearses for two hours on Tuesday afternoons. What I’m thinking about is the “typical” rehearsal – whether a daily classroom rehearsal or a weekly church or community choir rehearsal.
High School Concert. A “typical” high school concert consists of each choir singing three or four selections, in series, every 6 or 8 weeks.
Jazz Night. Each semester, Shades of Blue collaborates with the instrumental Jazz Ensemble at GRCC to present an evening of jazz; each ensemble presents 5-7 pieces, including perhaps one collaboration.
Booster Meetings. What does it look like to hold an efficient, effective booster organization meeting that not only accomplishes the business at hand but builds community, buy-in, and support for each other and the organization?
Choral Conference. I’m no longer on the MSVMA Summer Conference planning committee or the ACDA Michigan Board, though I was on both for years. Despite having left before I first read this book, I can’t help but think about their conferences, and what using Parker’s ideas would mean for the design of the conference.