Leggo My Ego

"The main ingredient of stardom is the rest of the team."
                                                                  -John Wooden

We live in a culture of musical celebrity. At the top of the pop heap are "artists"- photoshopped, auto-tuned individuals whose hits are usually penned by professional songwriters (whose names remain buried in the credits somewhere). Our overarching cultural paradigm of a singer is one who stands front and center and blows the audience away with the sheer bravura of his or her presence. While this particular model has some historical precedent, there was a time when the culture of celebrity was less dominant.

The advent of the recording industry in the early twentieth century influenced the change of our perception from music as a participatory art to one of entertainment. Prior to the wide dissemination of recorded performances, most individuals heard music primarily through their own participation in it- whether in a church choir, a singing society, a community band or an amateur orchestra. There is still a generation alive today who remembers a time when every respectable household had a piano. Bestselling music anthologies included piano reductions of popular classics, sentimental ditties and patriotic songs- and sheet music publishers couldn't crank this stuff out fast enough. Of course, people always went to concerts to hear the "stars" perform, but often the audiences were going to hear professionals perform what they themselves had been working on at home or in their musical club.

With the dominance of the recording industry came a fundamental change in the way that we as a society think about music. "Canned" music is now literally everywhere; you can't walk into a business establishment (or even fill up at the gas station) without being aurally assaulted by a tinny performance of the latest Top 40 hit. Music has shifted from a predominantly participatory activity to one in which a "professional" stands and performs for an audience, whose job it is to remain mute and passive. Certainly, the atmosphere at classical music concert enforces this- and many of us see this same dynamic in our churches, where the choir and cantors are actually performers, and the congregation is afraid to join in, lest they "mess up the performance".

Although choral music remains a thriving art, with more Americans than ever participating in some kind of choral organization, we've found that this paradigm of the "star singer" is still a stumbling block for many potential choristers. Every choral conductor has had the experience of approaching a potential recruit, only to be told, "Oh, you don't want me- I can't sing!". In recruiting for church and school choirs, we've found that many people are astonished when told that they don't need to have a beautiful or trained voice to participate. They hear our choir singing beautifully and assume that everyone participating has a beautiful instrument. Many individuals of varying abilities coming together to create something of transcendental beauty- this is the fundamental choral paradigm, but sadly, it's one seldom promoted by our contemporary culture.

Those of us who work with young singers (Pre-K through 12th grade) must battle the "star singer" mentality on a daily basis. Younger and younger, singers (and parents) are choosing to take private voice lessons, instead of participating in school or community youth choirs. We've had students as young as eight years old, with their parents' approval, elect to take private voice lessons rather than work with a choir of several students their age. Thanks to four-year-old jazz singers starring on Ellen and eleven-year-old winners of America's Got Talent, our society continues to reinforce children's voices mimicking those of adults, while being in the spotlight before an adoring audience.

Yet, if a seven- or eight-year-old told their parents that they would rather play soccer alone and get a private coach, rather than play on a team with other kids their age, they would be scoffed at. In almost every other activity, students are required to learn on a team or in a class filled with other kids their age (learning extremely important social skills and teamwork along the way). Later, in middle or high school, they're encouraged to focus on a particular activity. Perhaps, at that point, they decide to get private coaching to hone their skills individually, while still participating with a group. Students may need to learn how to hit the ball or shoot a basket individually, but it still represents and supports a team effort to win the game and perform well.

In the same way, choirs teach young singers basic vocal technique skills, while also teaching them the ability to work together to create a beautiful sound. Sacrificing this for the "star mentality" and encouraging our young vocalists to prioritize individual coaching over group singing only impedes their ability to work together with other musicians in the future.

As choral conductors, a key component of our job is to be evangelists for choral singing, encouraging everyone to participate, regardless of training or ability. We must also cultivate the patience and skill set to work with amateur singers, and those who may be developmentally challenged. Producing a beautiful choral sound with individuals of widely disparate abilities is no mean feat, but success in this area is one of the most satisfying experiences a conductor can have.