“There are no bad choirs, only bad directors.” I’ve heard this statement and said it myself on more than one occasion. It’s also something I’ve said to conducting students. In some ways, it rang true at the time. As I’ve gone along in my career, however, my mind has been changed about lots of things. I thought I would give this one a whirl and see if it still sticks.
I’ve heard some choirs that stirred my soul and others that made my soul want to go fetal position in a corner. I previously just attributed the latter to a “bad” director. Of course, I never said that to anyone. It was just an internal dialogue. I’ve been neglecting an important part of that scenario though – I HEARD them. What does that mean, Jeff? Well, in some way, shape, or form, I was given the opportunity to hear the choir and see the director lead in what amounts to a mere snapshot of their work. Then, I passed judgment on the “goodness” (effectiveness) or “badness” (ineffectiveness) of their director. What an asshole I’ve been. I’m sticking my neck out here, but I suspect I’m not the only one.
The thing that I (and perhaps others) have missed? The choir and their director were brave enough to walk into that performance area and sing for other people. They had been working on something and they wanted the world or at least that audience to hear. Whether it was for a choral contest, a school concert, holiday caroling or whatever…they were there to sing. Now, I’m not going to get into the semantics of what sounds good to me vs. what doesn’t here. That’s not the point. I’m also not someone who thinks my own poop doesn’t stink. I’ve directed some questionable performances before, trust me. I’ve struggled with impostor syndrome. I’ve experienced the sound of the choir not matching the sound in my mind. Other times, I thought my choir sounded great when maybe they didn’t.
Let me ask this. What choir or director really goes on stage to intentionally perform poorly? None that I’ve met.
All of these random thoughts might seem diametrically opposed to a previous blog post I composed: Iron sharpens iron. I don’t think they really are. I still think healthy competition is good for choirs. As directors, I still think we should all be striving towards a standard of excellence. The epiphany I’ve had is that these so-called “bad” directors leading “poor” performances were striving for excellence. I just wasn’t giving them benefit of the doubt. Perhaps these directors just didn’t have all the tools necessary to make it happen. Perhaps the choir was just having a bad day. Perhaps their goal wasn’t pristine performance, but the win was that everyone actually stood on the risers without picking their noses. These directors were acting in good faith, with earnest effort towards the goal of everyone singing together on stage. That’s a beautiful thing. Day in, day out, they are doing their best.
I have seen so many recent social media posts from choir directors struggling. They are struggling with their numbers, with singers that have trouble matching pitch, irate parents, poor equipment, administrators that undervalue their work, repertoire choices, and so many other issues. But…they are still leading people to sing! To them (and all on whom I have previously passed judgment), know this: YOU ARE A GOOD DIRECTOR. I think I can rework the statement now: “There are no bad choirs. There are no bad directors.” If you are acting in good faith, with earnest effort to help your singers improve, you are a good director. If I can help you in your efforts in any way with no judgment (just love and ideas), it would be my pleasure.
I’ve heard some choirs that stirred my soul and others that made my soul want to go fetal position in a corner. I previously just attributed the latter to a “bad” director. Of course, I never said that to anyone. It was just an internal dialogue. I’ve been neglecting an important part of that scenario though – I HEARD them. What does that mean, Jeff? Well, in some way, shape, or form, I was given the opportunity to hear the choir and see the director lead in what amounts to a mere snapshot of their work. Then, I passed judgment on the “goodness” (effectiveness) or “badness” (ineffectiveness) of their director. What an asshole I’ve been. I’m sticking my neck out here, but I suspect I’m not the only one.
The thing that I (and perhaps others) have missed? The choir and their director were brave enough to walk into that performance area and sing for other people. They had been working on something and they wanted the world or at least that audience to hear. Whether it was for a choral contest, a school concert, holiday caroling or whatever…they were there to sing. Now, I’m not going to get into the semantics of what sounds good to me vs. what doesn’t here. That’s not the point. I’m also not someone who thinks my own poop doesn’t stink. I’ve directed some questionable performances before, trust me. I’ve struggled with impostor syndrome. I’ve experienced the sound of the choir not matching the sound in my mind. Other times, I thought my choir sounded great when maybe they didn’t.
Let me ask this. What choir or director really goes on stage to intentionally perform poorly? None that I’ve met.
All of these random thoughts might seem diametrically opposed to a previous blog post I composed: Iron sharpens iron. I don’t think they really are. I still think healthy competition is good for choirs. As directors, I still think we should all be striving towards a standard of excellence. The epiphany I’ve had is that these so-called “bad” directors leading “poor” performances were striving for excellence. I just wasn’t giving them benefit of the doubt. Perhaps these directors just didn’t have all the tools necessary to make it happen. Perhaps the choir was just having a bad day. Perhaps their goal wasn’t pristine performance, but the win was that everyone actually stood on the risers without picking their noses. These directors were acting in good faith, with earnest effort towards the goal of everyone singing together on stage. That’s a beautiful thing. Day in, day out, they are doing their best.
I have seen so many recent social media posts from choir directors struggling. They are struggling with their numbers, with singers that have trouble matching pitch, irate parents, poor equipment, administrators that undervalue their work, repertoire choices, and so many other issues. But…they are still leading people to sing! To them (and all on whom I have previously passed judgment), know this: YOU ARE A GOOD DIRECTOR. I think I can rework the statement now: “There are no bad choirs. There are no bad directors.” If you are acting in good faith, with earnest effort to help your singers improve, you are a good director. If I can help you in your efforts in any way with no judgment (just love and ideas), it would be my pleasure.