You can mix them around anyway you want, but this is a tale of two choirs, the bane of every choir director under the sun. There is the choir that rehearses during the week and the choir that shows up on Sunday. And sometimes they have not a single singer in common!
You know how it goes: “Sorry, I can’t be at rehearsal . . . But don’t worry, I’ll be there on Sunday.” Yeah, that’s just what I want: A group of people singing an anthem on Sunday who had not attended the last rehearsal. The member is well-intentioned, no doubt, and wishes to assuage their own choir guilt by assuring the director that they will be there when needed. What they fail to remember is that they are needed more for rehearsal than for Sunday. As one who directs a choir I can tell you, I would almost rather have the choir at rehearsal than on Sunday at all. The reason: If I have to lead the congregation alone on Sunday the community will be none the wiser. But if I have an unrehearsed choir attempt to sing, then it will be most noticeable.
“Hey, we’re volunteers. You have to accept whenever we can be here and whenever we can’t.” Umm . . . no, I don’t. Let any soccer coach try that on their town recreation director and see what happens. And speaking of town recreation activities vis-a-vis church/music ministry activities: What would happen if a children’s choir director tried to tell a parent that their child, who had attended only 60% of rehearsals, could not sing on Sunday because they hadn’t thoroughly learned the music with the group? Isn’t it true that children who don’t attend their sports practices oftentimes cannot play because they hadn’t practiced enough with the team? I know these are gross generalizations and that this scenario happens in some places and not in others, but I think you get the point.
This is not about punishing someone who does not rehearse. Every member is valued. The whole, however, truly is greater than the sum of its parts. Sometimes people don’t realize that their contribution to the sound of the group is greater than they know, and the director is as interested in creating a certain ensemble sound as he/she is in having the choir sing the right notes. In the end, however, the most important reason for the group is to minister to the community and help them to a more profound experience of God’s love and presence.
Back to volunteerism. It is true that directors of ministry must be constantly diligent in the care and feeding of volunteers. Especially in music, most of these people are, in the true sense of the word, amateurs; i.e., they do this for the love of it, and not for money. (Amateur does not mean unskilled.) The director must constantly recognize and acknowledge the contribution (the gift) of time, talent and even treasure that comes from these individuals, all done from love. The director must also bear in mind that these people come to the ministry, indeed to the Church, from all different walks of life, for all different reasons. Some folks are spiritually and physically healthy, some are not. Some wear their hearts on their sleeve, some will never divulge even the most serious illness or trouble. For many, they come to the Church for stability in their lives, for God is ever-the-same throughout the ages. Having said all that, there are expectations on both sides: For the choir, they have the expectations that the director will be consistent, responsible and prepared, will provide them with the materials and the help they need, and be available to help them when needed. These expectations are the same whether they are paid or volunteer. For the director, he/she has the expectations that the choristers will be faithful to their choir commitments, be forthcoming with schedule conflicts, learn their music well, and act professionally. These are the same expectations whether the group is volunteer or paid. The only difference here is the lack of a paycheck.
Music is truly a gift from God. The most beautiful music made on earth is noise compared to the music that is made in heaven, yet the beauty of music here is given to us as a glimpse of the promise that awaits us. The choirs we assemble here are a foretaste of the heavenly angelic choirs, whose beautiful music we cannot imagine in this life. Let us continue to make music, a taste of the Holy Trinity, for the love of God.
Back to volunteerism. It is true that directors of ministry must be constantly diligent in the care and feeding of volunteers. Especially in music, most of these people are, in the true sense of the word, amateurs; i.e., they do this for the love of it, and not for money. (Amateur does not mean unskilled.) The director must constantly recognize and acknowledge the contribution (the gift) of time, talent and even treasure that comes from these individuals, all done from love. The director must also bear in mind that these people come to the ministry, indeed to the Church, from all different walks of life, for all different reasons. Some folks are spiritually and physically healthy, some are not. Some wear their hearts on their sleeve, some will never divulge even the most serious illness or trouble. For many, they come to the Church for stability in their lives, for God is ever-the-same throughout the ages. Having said all that, there are expectations on both sides: For the choir, they have the expectations that the director will be consistent, responsible and prepared, will provide them with the materials and the help they need, and be available to help them when needed. These expectations are the same whether they are paid or volunteer. For the director, he/she has the expectations that the choristers will be faithful to their choir commitments, be forthcoming with schedule conflicts, learn their music well, and act professionally. These are the same expectations whether the group is volunteer or paid. The only difference here is the lack of a paycheck.
Music is truly a gift from God. The most beautiful music made on earth is noise compared to the music that is made in heaven, yet the beauty of music here is given to us as a glimpse of the promise that awaits us. The choirs we assemble here are a foretaste of the heavenly angelic choirs, whose beautiful music we cannot imagine in this life. Let us continue to make music, a taste of the Holy Trinity, for the love of God.
No comments:
Post a Comment