Have you ever thought about a concert? Not preparing for one, not conducting one, but this thing called a "concert." If you think about it, a concert is a moment in time. We prepare our choir for it, and we hope that they do a great job. However, once a concert is done, it's done. We can't take it back; there is no "do-over." In other words, what you hear is what you get. If our singers do well, bravo! If not...well, we'll pull ourselves up by our boot straps and move on to the next concert. That's all we can do.
Unfortunately, we are often judged by the performance of our choirs. Granted, if we aren't doing a very good job directing our choirs, then more than likely they will give a mediocre performance. However, even if we are the greatest choir director in the world, sometimes our choirs are "off" for some reason and their performance is a mediocre one. After all, we all have good years and bad years - good years when our choirs are awesome and have fantastic singers and bad years when we struggle with inexperienced singers who are trying their hardest but just aren't up for the task.
I envy those of you who are able to have select, auditioned choirs at your school. I don't have that option. I teach at a K-12 school, and the biggest part of my day is teaching elementary music. Consequently, I have only one middle school choir and one high school choir. My middle school choir contains beginning 6th-grade singers as well as experienced (as experienced as they can be, anyway) 8th-grade singers. My high school choir includes students who have never sung in a choir along with those who have sung for many years. This mix of students makes it very difficult to predict how good my choir is going to be. In addition, because our school only has a six-period day, many students do not have time in their schedules to participate in choir every year, so my turnover rate from year to year is extremely high. This last year I had five students return from the previous year. That means that 25 of my 30 students were either new to me or had taken a hiatus from choir for at least a year.
Each year I start with great hopes and expectations. Each year I get a reality check: their "bar" is a lot lower than mine. I am left with the conundrum of what to do. How do I take this diverse group of singers and keep them all motivated while keeping them all challenged? All I can do is start where they are and begin to work with them, hoping to raise them closer to my "bar." I work them hard, and they tackle the music with gusto. As we get closer to a concert, I remind them that they are their worst enemies. They are the only ones who limit their potential. If they don't think they can do it, they won't. If they think they can...well, the sky is the limit.
We get to the concert. Do they do a good job? Yes. They don't let me down -- they usually do as well as they possibly can. Are they a great choir? No. Are there other choirs that are better? Sure. However, I couldn't be any prouder of them than if they were the greatest choir in the land. They have done all that I have asked them to do, and they have succeeded. The pride in their faces is evident. They have worked together as a team and conquered their fear of failing. They have created beautiful music together, and, after all, isn't that what singing in a choir is all about?
It's the end of the first semester and the start of the second. I am losing nine of my 30 singers due to schedule conflicts. Am I sad? You betcha. This group has been one of my best. They have worked hard, and they have had great fun while doing so. Can I change the situation? No. All I can do is hope for some new students who will step in and fill the gaps. When I last checked with the office, the class had 30 students in it for this semester. That means that I have picked up nine singers who will replace the nine who had to leave. Will these 30 students sound the same? Nope. The group is now a different one, so we'll have to start all over again and see if I can get their "bar" as high as that of the last group. Can I do it? Check back in May, and I'll let you know.
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