Building a choral community - what choir means to me

Hey everyone!

I'm glad to be back home with family, students, and friends after a GREAT convention in L.A. I heard so many fabulous choirs from all over the country and overseas, from churches, high schools, and colleges, children's choirs, professional choirs, and community groups. It was really amazing to see how many people (thousands of directors and singers at the convention alone) are involved in choral music in the United States. Every choir was a little bit different in terms of interpretation of the music, but I came away with the sense that within each choir there was a sense of community, obvious teamwork, and aspiration toward a common goal.

Building community is, in my opinion, what choral music is all about. A group of individuals takes a piece of art and, through the process of rehearsing and polishing, becomes a cohesive ensemble musically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. The ensemble then reaches out to the larger community of listeners and invites them to join in. In a truly great choral performance, the listener isn't just a passive observer; he/she is taken along on a musical journey with the performers.

As you all know, I'm not always the most demonstrative person in the world. Music (both performing and composing) has been an outlet for me to express thoughts and feelings I might not otherwise let out. Through music I feel more connected to other people, and so become more in touch with myself and with the greater whole that is God. Music-making can transform you! I know most (if not all) of you have experienced this...that's why you continue to sing.

Some of you have heard this story already, but the most magical musical moment (sorry for the alliteration!) in my life was one concert with the Santa Fe Desert Chorale in summer 2002. We'd had a rough season (one soprano being a particular problem) and were feeling very depressed about our choir and our sound. Something happened that evening in Albuquerque...all of a sudden it was like a light switch being thrown on! All of us could feel the electricity of the music and felt completely connected to each other and our audience. I was never surer in my life that there is something greater than ourselves that binds us all together...and music was the language through which that Greater Whole spoke. It was one of those rare moments that made all the work and strife beforehand all worthwhile.

That's why I push you...why I'm thrilled when we succeed and disappointed/frustrated (like I was with the Monteverdi test in Lambuth Singers today) when we individually and collectively miss the mark. If we as a group can achieve even ONE of those moments in your time at Lambuth, it makes all the hard practice worth it. We owe that to ourselves and our audiences.

I want us to continue to work on building a sense of community and togetherness in the Concert Choir and Lambuth Singers. I want each of you to feel that you have a voice (both musical and non-musical) that's heard and valued, that you are cared about as an individual, that we share a common desire for excellence as a group, and are all determined to work together to reach that goal.

That's why this blog is here. It's a good forum for us to communicate with each other. I'd love to hear your thoughts and comments about what "community" means to you and how we can enhance the choral community at LU. Feel free to post comments/thoughts/suggestions on the blog whenever you like. I only ask that you be polite and show respect for everyone in our choral community.

Glad to be back home making music with you all!
Cheers,
Dr. B