"I attribute my success to this - I never gave or took any excuse."
- Florence Nightingale
"I've always been a late person."
"I'm not good at returning phone calls."
"I just don't understand social media."
"I suck at websites."
How often have we heard these kinds of qualifiers? How often have we used them ourselves? While we all have personal areas of strength and weakness, in today's highly competitive market it's no longer feasible to operate successfully with glaring weaknesses in our work habits. We must constantly seek to improve our skill set- particularly in those areas where we lack natural aptitude.
**
KIRSTEN: Websites (creating them, editing them, making them work...) do not come easily to me. However, more often than not in arts organizations situations arise where a significant change needs to be made on the website, but no one knows how to make the change. I have found myself sitting in front of my laptop for hours struggling with Wordpress, googling phrases such as "why big space between lines of text wordrpress coding help." While I'm sure that I could have paid someone to do the task much more efficiently, by tackling this myself I had added to my knowledge bank. The next time a website needed to be changed, I was able to change it.
Sometimes this includes doing things the hard way. For a summer choral program I ran in San Diego, I knew that it would be easiest for parents and students to be able to register online, but I wasn't sure how to make that happen. After painful hours of research, setting up forms on Wordpress, having the forms delete themselves, and setting them up again, I was able to make online registration and payment an option for parents. This option wasn't completely necessary, as I could have had parents simply download PDF forms and send them to me via email or hard copy. The process of setting up online registration was a struggle for me, but it eased the process for the client. In the end, I received more registrations due to the easy process, which in turn generated more income for the program. Personally, this was a great learning experience. With my new organization the South Shore Children's Chorus, I was able to kick off online registration with ease. I am glad that I've now earned this knowledge and experience, even though it was a true weakness of mine a couple of years ago.
KRISHAN: When I served as organist at The Immaculata Parish, University of San Diego, I frequently dealt with engaged couples planning their wedding at our "destination" church set atop a hill. In my first few years on the job, I was absolutely overwhelmed by the sheer volume of requests I received for organ services for weddings. I set up a separate email account to handle the deluge of messages from engaged couples- but I eventually began to ignore that account when other commitments piled up. I would reply to e-mails only about once a week, which simply wasn't frequently enough to keep up with the pace. At one point, my Pastor took me aside and informed me that he had received a number of complaints from engaged couples who were frustrated at my lack of response. I replied that I wasn't particularly good at keeping up with that e-mail account, but that I was willing to hire a part-time assistant to respond to the couples who were trying to get in touch with me. My Pastor's response has always stayed with me: "Krishan, your position is not just a job, but a ministry. You're a representative of the parish, and your pastoral communication with these couples may be one of the only contacts they have with the Church." This forever changed the way I looked at my position; I was no longer just a "hired gun". I made it a priority to become not just efficient, but gracious and responsive in my communication.
**
We are not suggesting that artistic leaders need to do everything themselves; certainly, there are times when delegation is called for. Nevertheless, we strongly believe that well-rounded professionals must, at the very least, develop basic competency in some fundamental areas. And with the rapid pace of our world and its technological advances, we need to continually re-educate ourselves in order to avoid being left behind.
Sunday, January 31, 2016
Sunday, January 24, 2016
Focus Your Rehearsals Through Personal Connections
"A thousand fibers connect us with our fellow men; and among those fibers, as sympathetic threads, our actions run as causes, and they come back to us as effects."
-Herman Melville
In our efforts to be compassionate leaders, attentive to the needs and concerns of our choristers, we can run the risk of compromising the integrity of our rehearsal time. As choral leaders, we're responsible not only for the group's experience, but also, to some extent, for the individual chorister's experience. Thus, we must always seek to balance our concern for the individual singer with the general welfare of the group. The choir benefits from a focused, streamlined rehearsal, unimpeded by personal issues. However, personal issues exist, so we must find an appropriate time to address them.
People need to be acknowledged on an individual level. Each one of us craves affirmation and personal recognition. Sometimes it's relatively easy to acknowledge our singers, especially when they make prominent contributions to the ensemble as soloists, managers, etc. But in some instances, our singers may be quietly seeking personal attention that we are unable to provide during a rehearsal setting. This is when it's important to take time outside of rehearsal to provide that personal connection to our choristers.
**
KIRSTEN: My college choral professor was Dr. Keith Pedersen at Point Loma Nazarene Univeristy. Dr. Pedersen taught us the importance of addressing choristers' concerns via email. It didn't matter the hour or his level of exhaustion; when he returned home after every performance, he sat and wrote a heartfelt e-mail to all of the participants. After rehearsals, Dr. Pedersen would reflect and connect with chorus members and staff to always keep an open line of communication. I specifically remember him telling us an instance of when he felt distance from a chorister in his church choir during a few regular rehearsals. He sat and wrote an email to the chorister, and soon found out that he had unintentionally offended the chorister with a comment he had made during a prior rehearsal. Dr. Pedersen was able to set up a short one-on-one meeting with the chorister to discuss the matter, apologize, and clear the air. This matter could not have been solved during rehearsal time. The conductor taking time outside of rehearsal to check in and meet with the chorister resolved an issue that, had it not been addressed, could have resulted in negativity or even in a lost member.
**
We as musicians tend to always be busy. It can be difficult to prioritize time to be available to check in with your choir members. However, the time of social mingling before rehearsal, during break, or after rehearsal can set the tone and seriously affect the in-rehearsal environment.
Consider a chorister who has arrived to rehearsal 10 minutes early, but has come straight from work and has had a particularly frustrating or upsetting experience. The conductor being already prepared and set for rehearsal has a chance to check in with that chorister. Upon hearing from the chorister about their day, the conductor can express empathy and offer that they hope the rehearsal puts the chorister in better spirits. Now, going into rehearsal, the chorister feels that the conductor understands their current situation and hopes to improve it. The conductor now knows the reason that the singer is less expressive or extroverted than normal, and does not have to worry that something is wrong, distracting them from the music.
**
KRISHAN:As a natural introvert, this topic is one that I struggle with. But as I've grown as a conductor, I've become convinced that the choristers' personal connection with a conductor is a major step forward in the ensemble-building process. So over the years, I've made an effort to get over my own natural reticence and to make myself available to choristers outside of rehearsal. I still find pre-rehearsal small talk to be particularly challenging, because I like to use those minutes before rehearsal to get into an artistic headspace. However, this year I've made it one of my goals to engage my choristers socially during pre-rehearsal time. I've definitely begun to recognize how this seemingly small thing can drastically affect the tone of rehearsal.
**
Our choirs are made up of a wonderful array of human beings, each with a variety of concerns, frustrations, perspectives, etc. As leaders, of course we want to be able to acknowledge each of our choristers individually. Problems can arise when we fail to do this outside of rehearsal; a chorister who is feeling unacknowledged may be a disruptive force within the rehearsal context. Conversely, if that same chorister forges a personal connection with the conductor outside of rehearsal, he or she is more likely to be fully engaged during the artistic process. If you make an effort this year to engage your choristers on matters both big and small outside of rehearsal time, we feel confident in predicting that you will see a more focused and productive rehearsal environment.
-Herman Melville
In our efforts to be compassionate leaders, attentive to the needs and concerns of our choristers, we can run the risk of compromising the integrity of our rehearsal time. As choral leaders, we're responsible not only for the group's experience, but also, to some extent, for the individual chorister's experience. Thus, we must always seek to balance our concern for the individual singer with the general welfare of the group. The choir benefits from a focused, streamlined rehearsal, unimpeded by personal issues. However, personal issues exist, so we must find an appropriate time to address them.
People need to be acknowledged on an individual level. Each one of us craves affirmation and personal recognition. Sometimes it's relatively easy to acknowledge our singers, especially when they make prominent contributions to the ensemble as soloists, managers, etc. But in some instances, our singers may be quietly seeking personal attention that we are unable to provide during a rehearsal setting. This is when it's important to take time outside of rehearsal to provide that personal connection to our choristers.
**
KIRSTEN: My college choral professor was Dr. Keith Pedersen at Point Loma Nazarene Univeristy. Dr. Pedersen taught us the importance of addressing choristers' concerns via email. It didn't matter the hour or his level of exhaustion; when he returned home after every performance, he sat and wrote a heartfelt e-mail to all of the participants. After rehearsals, Dr. Pedersen would reflect and connect with chorus members and staff to always keep an open line of communication. I specifically remember him telling us an instance of when he felt distance from a chorister in his church choir during a few regular rehearsals. He sat and wrote an email to the chorister, and soon found out that he had unintentionally offended the chorister with a comment he had made during a prior rehearsal. Dr. Pedersen was able to set up a short one-on-one meeting with the chorister to discuss the matter, apologize, and clear the air. This matter could not have been solved during rehearsal time. The conductor taking time outside of rehearsal to check in and meet with the chorister resolved an issue that, had it not been addressed, could have resulted in negativity or even in a lost member.
**
We as musicians tend to always be busy. It can be difficult to prioritize time to be available to check in with your choir members. However, the time of social mingling before rehearsal, during break, or after rehearsal can set the tone and seriously affect the in-rehearsal environment.
Consider a chorister who has arrived to rehearsal 10 minutes early, but has come straight from work and has had a particularly frustrating or upsetting experience. The conductor being already prepared and set for rehearsal has a chance to check in with that chorister. Upon hearing from the chorister about their day, the conductor can express empathy and offer that they hope the rehearsal puts the chorister in better spirits. Now, going into rehearsal, the chorister feels that the conductor understands their current situation and hopes to improve it. The conductor now knows the reason that the singer is less expressive or extroverted than normal, and does not have to worry that something is wrong, distracting them from the music.
**
KRISHAN:As a natural introvert, this topic is one that I struggle with. But as I've grown as a conductor, I've become convinced that the choristers' personal connection with a conductor is a major step forward in the ensemble-building process. So over the years, I've made an effort to get over my own natural reticence and to make myself available to choristers outside of rehearsal. I still find pre-rehearsal small talk to be particularly challenging, because I like to use those minutes before rehearsal to get into an artistic headspace. However, this year I've made it one of my goals to engage my choristers socially during pre-rehearsal time. I've definitely begun to recognize how this seemingly small thing can drastically affect the tone of rehearsal.
**
Our choirs are made up of a wonderful array of human beings, each with a variety of concerns, frustrations, perspectives, etc. As leaders, of course we want to be able to acknowledge each of our choristers individually. Problems can arise when we fail to do this outside of rehearsal; a chorister who is feeling unacknowledged may be a disruptive force within the rehearsal context. Conversely, if that same chorister forges a personal connection with the conductor outside of rehearsal, he or she is more likely to be fully engaged during the artistic process. If you make an effort this year to engage your choristers on matters both big and small outside of rehearsal time, we feel confident in predicting that you will see a more focused and productive rehearsal environment.
Sunday, January 17, 2016
Bringing Others Into Your Reality
"I save all of my energies for the rehearsal. In that two-and-a-half hours, I come alive. I erase everything else from my mind, and I expect the singers to do so also. I want every minute to be filled with something of great import for them through the music."
-Robert Page
The conductor sets the "frame" for rehearsal. A social "frame" can be defined as an individual's view of the world, particularly with regard to his or her own role. This concept is important for anyone in a public or leadership position. A public speaker who prefaces his remarks with "I promise I won't speak long" is setting up a frame that communicates, "I'm a boring speaker". By way of contrast, someone who begins a speech with "I'm really excited to be able to share this with you" communicates a frame of passion, enthusiasm and dedication to the subject.
A good coach sets a frame of authority and commitment to his team. Consider a high school football team, where the coach has a regular practice. The coach calls out a play or exercise, and the team executes without question. The team has full confidence in the coach's call, or if they don't, they at least understand that the time to raise questions is not the middle of practice. Imagine even further a coach calling out a play, and a football player yelling out of turn that they should not do that play, but rather do the play that they think is best instead.
The conductor sets the "frame" for rehearsal. A social "frame" can be defined as an individual's view of the world, particularly with regard to his or her own role. This concept is important for anyone in a public or leadership position. A public speaker who prefaces his remarks with "I promise I won't speak long" is setting up a frame that communicates, "I'm a boring speaker". By way of contrast, someone who begins a speech with "I'm really excited to be able to share this with you" communicates a frame of passion, enthusiasm and dedication to the subject.
A good coach sets a frame of authority and commitment to his team. Consider a high school football team, where the coach has a regular practice. The coach calls out a play or exercise, and the team executes without question. The team has full confidence in the coach's call, or if they don't, they at least understand that the time to raise questions is not the middle of practice. Imagine even further a coach calling out a play, and a football player yelling out of turn that they should not do that play, but rather do the play that they think is best instead.
The most successful conductors set a frame of vision and purpose, communicating
through their actions that they have a plan to achieve it. Their sheer
commitment encourages the ensemble to enter the conductor's reality.
Having sung for conductors who exemplify these qualities, we can attest
to the fact that they are able to operate successfully, seemingly without
concern for fatigue, the weather, or any other mitigating circumstances. In fact, when singing for these high-level leaders, you may literally
forget that you're tired when they're on the podium.
**
KRISHAN: I had the pleasure of singing Mendelssohn's "Elijah" with Robert Page one summer during a week-long residency at the Berkshire Choral Festival. From the first rehearsal on Monday morning, it became evident to me that Page, then in his mid-seventies, was a man of unbridled energy and commitment. His whole demeanor seemed to scream, "I'm twice as old as you, and I'm working and sweating twice as hard!" He quickly brought the ensemble into his dominant frame. The week was absolutely exhausting, and also one of the most memorable and rewarding experiences I've had as a chorister.
KIRSTEN: From an educational standpoint, I've heard several teachers discuss programming pop music "because that's all the kids want to sing." Many teachers intorduce a pop piece as a "reward" for performing a classical piece well. This is a prime example of falling into the students' reality rather than establishing your own. Just as English teachers are consistently introducing works that the students may or may not enjoy immediately, it is the rsponsibility of the teacher to transmit the education value of those works. Don't get me wrong - my message is not that pop music has no educational value. On the contrary, I think that the style of singing and intricate (and sometimes difficult to notate) rhythms have great value to our young students. But it's just that - it isn't a "reward", because there is educational value, just as Haydn, Palestrina, and Lauridsen all have educational value. Invite your students into the reality that your classroom only devotes time to learn pieces that will impart value, and that after each piece the students will walk away with an enriching experience.
**
KRISHAN: I had the pleasure of singing Mendelssohn's "Elijah" with Robert Page one summer during a week-long residency at the Berkshire Choral Festival. From the first rehearsal on Monday morning, it became evident to me that Page, then in his mid-seventies, was a man of unbridled energy and commitment. His whole demeanor seemed to scream, "I'm twice as old as you, and I'm working and sweating twice as hard!" He quickly brought the ensemble into his dominant frame. The week was absolutely exhausting, and also one of the most memorable and rewarding experiences I've had as a chorister.
KIRSTEN: From an educational standpoint, I've heard several teachers discuss programming pop music "because that's all the kids want to sing." Many teachers intorduce a pop piece as a "reward" for performing a classical piece well. This is a prime example of falling into the students' reality rather than establishing your own. Just as English teachers are consistently introducing works that the students may or may not enjoy immediately, it is the rsponsibility of the teacher to transmit the education value of those works. Don't get me wrong - my message is not that pop music has no educational value. On the contrary, I think that the style of singing and intricate (and sometimes difficult to notate) rhythms have great value to our young students. But it's just that - it isn't a "reward", because there is educational value, just as Haydn, Palestrina, and Lauridsen all have educational value. Invite your students into the reality that your classroom only devotes time to learn pieces that will impart value, and that after each piece the students will walk away with an enriching experience.
Regardless of the level of singers which you lead, choose every piece as a "reward"
piece, and it will be easy to create the reality of an urgent and important rehearsal.
This does not ensure that every rehearsal will be easy, or that every
singer will support your decision on every piece. However, if you believe
wholeheartedly in every piece of repertoire, your choristers will begin to
believe in it as well. Invite your choristers into the reality that your
rehearsal only serves the
purpose of giving them exciting, important, and purposeful music to create, and
you will see the difference, regardless of whether or not they
"like" this or that specific piece.
**
Everything that you do in rehearsal communicates one frame or other; a frame of urgency and purpose, a frame of fatigue, a frame of disorder, etc. Consider the frame that you exemplify on a day-to-day basis, and whether or not it aligns with your overarching vision.
Friday, January 8, 2016
Do What You Say You're Gonna Do
"Trust is the glue of life."
-Stephen R. Covey
We can all recognize the inherent value in following through with stated plans. We can trust those who fulfill their promises, while we lose confidence in those who don't. However, sometimes the prospect of a better outcome than originally conceived, or the perceived dangers of our current trajectory, can tempt us to change horses midstream. In this type of scenario, isn't it in everyone's best interest to alter the plan, with the goal of the immediate short-term payoff?
The answer is no. When you don't follow through, even for sound reasons, you damage your own credibility.
At the beginning of your tenure with an ensemble, the choristers can base their trust on your title alone. As weeks and months go by, however, you either build that trust or erode it, depending on the extent to which your words align with your actions.
**
KRISHAN: I had an experience with my church choir one year involving Daniel Kantor's "Night of Silence / Silent Night" arrangement. It was my first semester with the ensemble, and building trust was paramount at that stage in our relationship. We had been rehearsing this arrangement for weeks, and we agreed on a very specific format for how the verses would be split between the men and the women of the choir. During our first Christmas Eve liturgy, the congregation spontaneously began singing along with "Silent Night" when we got to the point in Kantor's arrangement where the melody is prominent. After that first liturgy, a chorister asked me: "Wouldn't it make sense to reconfigure our arrangement for the next liturgy since the congregation is singing along so enthusiastically to the Silent Night melody? Perhaps we should sing all 3 verses of Silent Night, instead of just the one?" I recognized that this was indeed an excellent idea. I nevertheless rejected it.
In rehearsal, I had diligently prepared my choir to perform the arrangement in a very specific way. Regardless of the potential benefits, to change what we had rehearsed would be equivalent to not doing what I said I was going to do. In making the decision not to change the arrangement, I had to reconcile with the fact that the liturgy may very well have been more vibrant and participatory had we incorporated this simple last-minute change. Nevertheless, I felt strongly that I needed to prioritize the trust-building process over immediate artistic benefit at that point; I needed the ensemble to be able to rely on the fact that the performance would match the rehearsal.
KIRSTEN: In the second year of a high school chamber choir that I had recently founded, I programmed Jaako Mäntyjärvi's setting of Double, Double, Toil and Trouble. Excited that I now had enough tenor and bass participant to rehearse four-part men's divisi, I introduced the piece with enthusiasm to my young choir. They quickly fell in love with it, and began working diligently through the difficult, changing harmonic structure and asymmetrical meters.
After rehearsing the piece for many weeks, I began to feel discouraged and frustrated at the fact that it simply wasn't coming together. I made the decision that rehearsal time would be most effective spent elsewhere, and I ultimately ended up cutting the piece from the program entirely. Many of my students were furstrated by my decision, feeling that their hard work on a piece that they had grown to love was wasted.
I had excellent reasons for making this decision. I wanted to ensure that my choir performed at their best. Had I allowed this piece to be performed, the caliber of performance would not match the rest of the program. The rehearsal tie that I had saved by cutting Double, Double, Toil and Trouble resulted in a higher level performance overall.
However, in retrospect, I now believe that the best decision would have been to follow through with my original programming, even if it had involved a weak spot on the program. When I came to this decsision, there were still several weeks left until concert time; it's quite possible that in the span of those few weeks the piece would hav ecome together well enough for performance. Regardless of whether it did or didn't, by changing the game plan after devoting significant rehearsal time to the piece, I diminished the choir's ability to invest in my programming. My actions communicated to them that when a piece of music is too challenging, there is always the option of quitting. Although I had sound reason for making that decision, it ultimately misrepresented my core values.
**
We challenge you in this new year to take a big-picture view of the relationship that you'd like to build with your ensemble. The long-term growth of your ensemble is inextricably linked to their ability to invest in your consistency.
-Stephen R. Covey
We can all recognize the inherent value in following through with stated plans. We can trust those who fulfill their promises, while we lose confidence in those who don't. However, sometimes the prospect of a better outcome than originally conceived, or the perceived dangers of our current trajectory, can tempt us to change horses midstream. In this type of scenario, isn't it in everyone's best interest to alter the plan, with the goal of the immediate short-term payoff?
The answer is no. When you don't follow through, even for sound reasons, you damage your own credibility.
At the beginning of your tenure with an ensemble, the choristers can base their trust on your title alone. As weeks and months go by, however, you either build that trust or erode it, depending on the extent to which your words align with your actions.
**
KRISHAN: I had an experience with my church choir one year involving Daniel Kantor's "Night of Silence / Silent Night" arrangement. It was my first semester with the ensemble, and building trust was paramount at that stage in our relationship. We had been rehearsing this arrangement for weeks, and we agreed on a very specific format for how the verses would be split between the men and the women of the choir. During our first Christmas Eve liturgy, the congregation spontaneously began singing along with "Silent Night" when we got to the point in Kantor's arrangement where the melody is prominent. After that first liturgy, a chorister asked me: "Wouldn't it make sense to reconfigure our arrangement for the next liturgy since the congregation is singing along so enthusiastically to the Silent Night melody? Perhaps we should sing all 3 verses of Silent Night, instead of just the one?" I recognized that this was indeed an excellent idea. I nevertheless rejected it.
In rehearsal, I had diligently prepared my choir to perform the arrangement in a very specific way. Regardless of the potential benefits, to change what we had rehearsed would be equivalent to not doing what I said I was going to do. In making the decision not to change the arrangement, I had to reconcile with the fact that the liturgy may very well have been more vibrant and participatory had we incorporated this simple last-minute change. Nevertheless, I felt strongly that I needed to prioritize the trust-building process over immediate artistic benefit at that point; I needed the ensemble to be able to rely on the fact that the performance would match the rehearsal.
KIRSTEN: In the second year of a high school chamber choir that I had recently founded, I programmed Jaako Mäntyjärvi's setting of Double, Double, Toil and Trouble. Excited that I now had enough tenor and bass participant to rehearse four-part men's divisi, I introduced the piece with enthusiasm to my young choir. They quickly fell in love with it, and began working diligently through the difficult, changing harmonic structure and asymmetrical meters.
After rehearsing the piece for many weeks, I began to feel discouraged and frustrated at the fact that it simply wasn't coming together. I made the decision that rehearsal time would be most effective spent elsewhere, and I ultimately ended up cutting the piece from the program entirely. Many of my students were furstrated by my decision, feeling that their hard work on a piece that they had grown to love was wasted.
I had excellent reasons for making this decision. I wanted to ensure that my choir performed at their best. Had I allowed this piece to be performed, the caliber of performance would not match the rest of the program. The rehearsal tie that I had saved by cutting Double, Double, Toil and Trouble resulted in a higher level performance overall.
However, in retrospect, I now believe that the best decision would have been to follow through with my original programming, even if it had involved a weak spot on the program. When I came to this decsision, there were still several weeks left until concert time; it's quite possible that in the span of those few weeks the piece would hav ecome together well enough for performance. Regardless of whether it did or didn't, by changing the game plan after devoting significant rehearsal time to the piece, I diminished the choir's ability to invest in my programming. My actions communicated to them that when a piece of music is too challenging, there is always the option of quitting. Although I had sound reason for making that decision, it ultimately misrepresented my core values.
**
We challenge you in this new year to take a big-picture view of the relationship that you'd like to build with your ensemble. The long-term growth of your ensemble is inextricably linked to their ability to invest in your consistency.
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