Difficult days...gentler ways...André Thomas

Dr. André Thomas, Me, Dr. Allen Hightower

In the above photo, you see two men who have served as my choir directors in my lifetime. While at FSU, I sang with André Thomas, and I sang in Allen Hightower's church choir in Waco, Texas. Both men are incredible musicians, and I was constantly inspired to be a better musician, choir member, choral singer, and yes...a better person.  It was a privilege to sing for both of these wonderful men. They both are extraordinary musicians and people.

This week, my thoughts have been on the contributions to my life by André Thomas regarding  inclusiveness, awareness of racial inequalities, and openness to dialogue. This has been a tough week for many, but most of all, for the family of George Floyd. With Floyd's death has come renewed visibility and protest of racial discrimination, along with a renewed commitment to ensure that justice and change come about soon. Thank God for cell phones and videos, as citizens are now able to document acts of violence, injustice, and racism in our society so that evidence exists. It is time for these horrible acts of injustice to end. It's easy....just STOP. These acts have never accomplished one good thing. I've noticed over my lifetime that anything that emanates from a place of hatred and bigotry works that way. It is bad in every way, so it must STOP. There is no need for hatred. There is no place for hate.

When I look at my friend André in the above photo, the timing of the photo was only a few months after my husband's death. We took photos, because in his words, "Portia needs to know that you are okay." Portia Thomas is André's wife, whom I consider a dear friend as well. André and Portia care about me and my well-being. We have been in touch with each other throughout our lives, each cheering the other on in every way possible. André and Portia know I am always "for" them, and I know the same good wishes are there for me as well.

When I look in my Bible, I find a letter André wrote me a couple of days before I had some serious skin cancer surgery several years ago....back in the 90s. Why don't I take it out of my Bible? I really don't know, but it comforts me to this day to remember the kindness of my friend. He was busily conducting Texas All-State,  but he went back to his hotel room and wrote a comforting letter to me. He is for me in every good aspect of my well-being.

In a private conversation during my doctoral years, Dr. Thomas discussed with me the fact that someone is unable to understand the effects of racism in our society, unless one has walked in the shoes of those on the receiving end of such. Isn't that interesting? As an educator, I have a need to understand. As a choral director, conducting African-American spirituals, I want to understand how one would feel to sing these songs as an African-American, but I will never know...because I am not an African-American. I will never know. It is sobering to realize that fact.

So...how have I proceeded? First, I acknowledge that fact. Then...I do whatever I am able to do to make a difference in my corner of the world. Sometimes progress begins with a conversation. This week, I have called, texted, and emailed African-American friends from Jacksonville to Los Angeles. One of the things that the situation this week has made incredibly clear to me is that silence must not be the response from the Anglo community. We don't know what to say, so we say nothing! No wonder our brothers and sisters are thinking their lives don't matter at all! We do not say anything! We just let it "play out." Really? That is not the way I was treated by Dr. Thomas.

This week has made me commit in a huge way to the fact that I will not be silent.  When injustice is present, I will not be silent. It will not happen. We are in this together with our brothers and sisters, and the truth is that my friend André Thomas has never stayed silent when I needed him. He was there. He was supportive. He listened with the most gentle tone in his voice, and he often encouraged me to think about a new way, a new day, a new beginning. Dr. Thomas has done this one person at a time, and I am certain that hundreds of choral singers in this world have unique stories to tell of his kind benevolence.

We give thanks for all of those teachers in our lives who taught us more than notes, rhythms, expressive elements, historical facts, stylistic elements. We give thanks for those teachers who cared enough about us to help us become better human beings. They teach us how to love and care, simply by demonstrating gentle kindness.

This, too, shall pass!

Don't you love the sentiment displayed in this wall decor? We all want to display this or something similar on our walls these days, because we want this isolation, restriction, and inconvenience in our lives to be over!! Not that we wanted to go any place specific, but we just can't even do the little things that we now know brought us sanity, peace, and joy (good to know, huh?). I looked at myself in the mirror before going to the grocery store. Only a space suit from NASA would have protected me more (the future?). However, we are all kind and smart enough to know the destructive path of this virus might also take us or our loved ones on a journey that would be much worse than the inconvenience of today.

The wall plaque above was a gift to my mother upon her retirement from 30 years of teaching. Some of you can relate. At a certain point, it really becomes attractive to "pass the torch." For some reason, a bit of the fun, joy, and strength just cannot be found to continue on, so we make other choices and do other things. "To everything there is a season." Mom was retired for 30+ years afterward, and she was busier than ever.

These are the days we would love to have "pass." If I heard my Mom say, "This too shall pass" once in my lifetime, she must have said it 1,000 times. It's life....there are some situations, seasons, and extended experiences that are just flat unpleasant. That's just the "long-short-fat-thin" of it! We don't know if we are doing the "right thing" for our health by....going for a walk, ordering carry-out from a restaurant, etc. My pastor said something a couple of weeks ago that meant the world to me. Dr. Steve Wells at South Main Baptist Church quoted Dan Yeary, his late father-in-law, who said: "When you don't know what to do, do what you know, until you know what to do."

That seems to be what we are all doing these days...to the point that we are actually re-inventing church, school, business, social gatherings, and any number of activities that involve other people. We don't get to actually share space with other people, but we can see them. Options for the day: We can grieve...we can whine...we can get angry...we can blame...we can respond to this inconvenience with any number of behaviors. Thankfully, I have several friends who are always looking for the "silver lining." In this experience, it might be a struggle to find it easily. However, to get through this, for the sake of sanity and health, I think we must find it.

Families are actually spending time together, looking eye-to-eye, and continuing to participate in many events together...in their living rooms. Leaders are re-inventing ways of doing things. My husband started using "Zoom" 4-5 years ago, when a seminary where he was teaching went totally online. He held class in the guest bedroom of our home via computer, and those students interacted with him just as if they were within walls together. I never dreamed that I would be "Zooming" one day, but Zoom has been the life-blood of social gatherings in these times of re-invention.

A couple of days ago, I was "Zooming" with Dr. Tom Shelton and his choir at Westminster Choir College as I discussed my 2-Part Playground Tunes with his 3rd and 4th graders in New Jersey. Sooo much fun. They were totally delightful. I was reminded that many, many aspects of who we are as choral musicians are taught by insightful, competent educators like Tom. He was teaching students how to listen, ask questions, and think about the music they are singing. They also sang it at the beginning of the session. I loved it.

So...how do we get through this season of life? Take a look at how our profession has changed already. Anyone "not so secure" with technology has turned over an unimaginable leaf that puts "technology" at the top of the list. It's true. This new direction is not only in the education community, but also in the church. The Sanctuary Choir at South Main just had a virtual choir performance of Handel's "Hallelujah" appear on NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt (Easter). I just happened to be watching NBC news by chance (I'm a David Muir fan), and was totally freaked out when I saw our church organist Yuri McCoy appear on the screen. It was a miracle! My computer and television somehow had become miraculously linked. Okay...I haven't put in the effort for such, but you can understand why I was totally confused. The point: it was a new way of doing things that was obviously unique enough to get some attention nationally. Notice, I did not say it was an easy way of doing things. It is too new at the moment. Everyone seemed to be stretched in their musical independence and technological abilities. Me? I had given away or discarded three sets of earphones a year ago before I moved to Texas. I had never needed them through THREE iPhones, so why would I ever need them?? Okay...I needed them. So...you won't see me in the virtual choir performance. It appears at the end of the Easter webcast at www.smbc.org.

One of the main things that might be of the greatest value in this isolation: we are discovering the gifts of those around us. Gifts we had no idea existed. Gifts that individuals are not hesitant to use for the "greater good." Maybe...just maybe...it develops a greater respect for those with whom we work...for those with whom we worship...and for those whom we see as leaders. In many situations, I have witnessed amazing leadership such as I have never witnessed before. It has been heartening.

What do we do going forward? We know that we can do this thing called social distancing, because most of us are doing it. We value our lives and those around us enough to sacrifice, because the unknown sounds so darn unpleasant. Until we have a little more clarity about the situation where we are in regard to COVID-19, "If you don't know what to do, do what you know, until you know what to do."

Life may never return to "normal," but in some cases, we must ask ourselves, "Would we really want that?" Outrageous demands that occurred after 9/11 have now become routine. Is it good? Of course! It has been necessary. We have felt safer because of many restrictions. So...we embrace whatever is wise to keep us and our loved ones healthy for the future. Changes in policies, restrictions, and impositions will become routine as well, I suppose.

So...we continue on until those who know more than we know make decisions based on facts from their expertise, experience, and moral regard for humanity.

Until then, we will celebrate the day when we can say:

It's Still a Happy Time...

This year it is a tiny 3-foot real tree (some sort of pine) for me. The time has come and gone when I had incredible big trees that reached to the top of a tall ceiling. Now it is a tiny, tiny tree for me, but I'm happy to have it just the same. It brings me joy. There are no lights on the tree. It was so tiny, I could see disaster on the horizon with the added weight of lights. The tiny tree with no lights is appropriate, too, as Christmas has lost a bit of the "shine" of Christmases past.  It just isn't the same. But I keep on going through the motions...because I must. It really is necessary in order to reclaim remnants of joy along the way.

I was reminded of the joy of "Christmas Changes" in my life as I decorated this tiny tree (found it at Kroger for $20, but it works). While I was decorating, I was "opened" to a profound idea for me during the holidays. I have a second cousin who was a female glass-blower about ten years ago. Bill and I purchased several of her artistic products, and I love them. They remind me of her, but they are also a unique art pursued by only a few. One of the ornaments slid out of my hand, hit the floor, and broke into millions of pieces. I was so sad, as this cousin started her family and is no longer in the glass-blowing profession. Thankfully, I have other decorations she has made. So...I went to find a broom...get the big pieces and the tiny shards of glass on a piece of cardboard...but as I looked at the broken glass, something hit me. Even in the brokenness, there was a brilliance to all of those tiny, tiny pieces. They were really beautiful. Even though I couldn't begin to put the ornament back together again, everything that had gone together to create the beauty of a Christmas ornament was still there, bringing beauty in brokenness. That was a lesson to me. The beauty I had once found in life has been transformed into "something else." My choices now are to find beauty in memories, to support all of those for whom this season is delightful, and to do my best to find joy in memories and  "things" that have brought me joy for many years.

Things like these little guys...

Music brings me joy. Writing music brings me joy. I focus on the beauty of the music within...the music I seek to bring forth every day of my life.

Music has helped in my emotional healing through listening, creating, focusing my mind, and helping me sing again. The sounds and silences were wonderful in the healing process. I don't think I ever knew how to appreciate silence around me until it was needed for recovery. The music did not beg to be written. It was a gentle all-knowing nudge that introduced itself to me when I was ready to receive it.

So...the basic idea: Find happy "things" with happy memories, (places and people who were present during the darkness) and new places and people who have become a part of your journey...walking through this holiday season as friends and loved ones who care.

Look for the beauty. Look for the joy. Look for the "shine" in the brokenness, and sing!

The Kentucky Castle

The Kentucky Castle

One of my favorite places to visit is The Kentucky Castle. It is a landmark visible to all on the infamous Versailles Road near my home. I have not met a soul in almost 20 years of Kentucky living who is unfamiliar with this unique structure. Most would not know of its storied past. Long story short: a man built the castle for his wife, and before its completion, things "did not work out." Then...the castle began a journey of owner to owner to owner, etc. You get the idea. However, The Kentucky Castle is now thriving. It is a favorite place for brunches, dinners, parties, meetings, and weekend get-aways.

The Castle is now a restaurant and hotel, filled with the unique delights of rooftop vistas, beautiful decor, a bar, and a gift shop. Oh...and did I mention an organic garden? Yes! The new owners of this landmark facility participate in organic gardening and host a community farmer's market during the summer. Kentucky is finally making wonderful use of The Castle on Versailles Road!!

  Organic Garden

 

One of the surprises of a recent visit was that two of the cutest goats were there to roam around the organic garden. Yes, the restaurant has plans for those two little cuties for the future, but I was so thrilled to see "small creatures" entertained on the castle grounds.

Castle Goats

You might think that such a place would only be a dinner spot, but no ma'am! There is a wonderful brunch every day, and the food is totally delicious. My cousin Catherine Bryant from Henry County (New Castle), Kentucky, joined me for our last get-together before my move to Texas. Sooo fun! It is a great place to take your special guests from out-of-town. Everyone is so kind, and The Kentucky Castle is "on the ball" with making sure reservations are correct and confirmed. 

Earlene and Catherine

Am I whetting your apetite for a Kentucky Castle experience? I hope so!! Please do not worry about wearing your marvelous evening attire for a visit into royalty. Leave your tiara at home (actually, you can purchase one in their gift shop, if you choose). Business casual attire is just fine, and the staff is always ready to make your experience delightful.

If you just want to rest, contemplate the universe, and walk the grounds, the gardens and lawns are extraordinary for a stroll. I hope you will choose to visit this wonderful place away from all that is "the norm." Just step back into medieval times, and take a few minutes to see the result of someone's creative image of royalty befitting a loved one. There is one thing we know for sure: This entire experience is truly "working out" for many of us who take a few moments to step back into history, and find an enjoyable experience...of royal dimensions.

The Road...The Journey

I'm probably the luckiest person in the world in terms beautiful places to live. My home before was a lake house. I loved it. My home now is a horse farm in the beautiful Kentucky Bluegrass. It is the most wonderful place you can imagine. Every morning I wake up to all sorts of "horse" events....mares teaching their little ones to run and take care of themselves, horses just "horsing around," horses that are just standing as if to say, "I know I'm gorgeous. Take a look." They eat, and eat, and eat, but they really do seem to enjoy their day and their "community." Just the other  morning, when one of the horses was returned to the pasture, they all came running to see the new guy...to ask him to join them in their community for the day. It sort of sounds like a choir, huh? A new person comes in, and we want to have our students greet them and bring them into the group. "Be one of us. We need you in this group."

The thing I like best about the place where I live is the road on the farm that leads to the exit. It is long and winding, and believe it or not...I get to think about life as I drive out "into the world." I love it. I see beauty all around me...particularly in the fall. The leaves are actually gone now, but I won't forget the beauty of fall. I won't forget that journey every day...well...at least until that big wind came along and "did its thing."

Horses are so much like students in our choirs...if they get bored, they start doing "other things" to occupy their time. It is really being "off task," but...what is the task of a thoroughbred anyway? You stand there and look beautiful, and sometimes you just live in a beautiful place all of your life. Some thoroughbreds are sold to become race horses, but the focus of this place is primarily to bring horses into the world as foals, then sell them to someone who will develop the potential. There are 60 or so new foals brought into the world annually. To see a horse foaling is a beautiful thing...and it's an education as well.

Do I ride? No. At this point in my life, I'm afraid that would be a poor choice for me (traction, body cast, etc.). My job? I feed the horses peppermints. Yes...I'm the "Peppermint Waitress." They love their peppermints. Apples and carrots are good, too, but they love peppermints. They gently eat them from my hand, and they patiently wait on "their turn." The wait is nothing compared to the sweet taste of peppermint. And...they never know if they are going to get them. Sometimes yes...sometimes no.

At times I wonder, "Do horses worry about their fate on the farm?" Do they worry that they might be separated eventually from their friends and foals? The journey of their lives is determined by trusted caregivers on the farm, and eventually, no matter the fate, everyone seems to adjust. However, there is a "journey of the unknown" for the horses, and they aren't totally sure about how it is going to turn out. I wonder if they worry...

All of this sort of sounds like life, huh? There is a road to follow, a journey of life that no one really can determine in its purest state...not even the participant. There are some "detours" that come in the form of diagnoses, change of location, loss of friends, etc. The journey gets bumpy at times. It is a path that some would argue might be "predestined." No matter the source or development, we try to follow the path "assigned" to us with grace, dignity, and with an understanding that someone out there is overseeing the process to see that we are okay. It is an awesome realization.

Sometimes the road is winding...

Sometimes it is a distant goal...

But it's always there, beckoning us to travel on...with grace.

The Warm-Up: Getting it "right" - Part IV

WHAT ABOUT "STYLE?"

One of the things that caused me distress as a choral music educator was the fact that even though my warm-up might have been marvelous and beautiful, with high B-flats ringing from sopranos, rich A's from the altos, incredible B-flats from the tenors, and a maturity beyond words came from the sounds of basses….and….students were more focused during rehearsal….and….students were listening with incredible ears….and….the warm-up would have brought a tear to any eye any time, any day….for the absolute beauty that one might have heard from my group….even though all these things might have been the case while participating in the warm-up….once the rehearsal repertoire began, my choir sounded like a totally different group….a group who did not make all the beautiful sounds of the previous 15 minutes!!  It was incredible….I had no idea what to do….and yes, I know it was my problem….not theirs….mine.  I reminded students to transfer those things experienced in the warm-up to the repertoire, and though the sound improved….it never "happened" in the repertoire the ways it "happened" in the warm-up.  Sigh…..

I am not certain as to why this might have been the case, but I think now that it might have had something to do with the style of music to be studied that day in choir.  I think the "jump" from warm-up to repertoire was a bit too much.  I needed to find some short warm-ups in the styles of every piece I was going to sing that day in choral rehearsal….I needed to include all the elements I had taught in the warm-up that day….and I needed to have them sing this style-specific example just before I began the repertoire selection.  If the piece of rehearsal repertoire were in a Baroque style….I might have written or selected a short 4-8 measure example in Baroque style.   I needed to teach them the Baroque choral style with a short phrase, perfecting it with repetition, before going to the repertoire.  If the Baroque piece were scheduled first in the repertoire section of my rehearsal, my students would need to perform the exact style appropriate for the repertoire the last thing in the warm-up….then move immediately to the Baroque repertoire.  At that point, the style is "in the ear."  And yes….I needed to find the beautiful vowels, crisp consonants, and Baroque style in those 4-8 measures, before I try to find beautiful singing in a 68 measure Baroque choral composition.  It is likely that the vowels experienced in warm-up are going to feel differently (in the voice), when singing in a different style.

In short, if we can't find what we want from a choir in a short example, why would we think we might be able to have it "appear" in a longer version?  However, even if it does come together in the study of an 8-measure example, we will likely find it is necessary to remind students "over and over and over again" to transfer….not that our students lack intelligence….it is just a new way of thinking in the choral process, and it takes….time.  It is an awesome thought:  we are actually teaching students how to think in different ways.

You might find some helpful materials in either the Cross-Curricular Warm-Ups for Choral Rehearsals or in the Rehearsal Preparation Sheets on the EROP site.  The first set has warm-ups that teach academic subject matter (we'll talk about them in a future blog), and they are intended to be sung in various styles.  You can "hear" the styles of Broadway shows, Hebrew folk songs, Native American folk songs,  Calypso folk music, Jazz, etc.

The truth is, if I had my own choir today, there might be times when I would need to write my own warm-ups in various styles.  See blog posts beginning November 29, 2014, to get some ideas as to how to begin.  There is a four-part series on creating Rehearsal Preparation Sheets you might find helpful in writing your own warm-ups.

It's that time….again.  If you are a music educator in school or church, please know that you are appreciated more than you can imagine.  Enjoy the new year!!  

Warm-Up: Getting it "right" - Part III

"Real" Words in the Warm-Up

It seems to me that the next step after the unification of vowels and the use of consonants might involve singing words that change per note.  I realize this very practice is what we generally do from morn till dusk in choral music…and we have done this very thing since we began singing as toddlers...but once the mind is engaged in vowel unification and consonant clarity in Warm-Up, it is our hope that students will think of each word in a new way.  Right?  Sing it differently…make certain the vowels are unified….engage the ears, too!  Watch out for those middle consonants!!

You might find some helpful warm-up exercises that will assist in From Concepts to Concerts.  If you have the book, take a look at pages 73-78.  You will see some examples that will assist your students in the very types of ways I think might be helpful.  Basically, it is the same step-by-step process…start slowly, giving students time to think about the voice, the ear, etc., then move to shorter note durations.

Once students have sung individual words successfully, meeting criteria…maybe then it is time to sing a short phrase…a "sentence."  Many of us have sung the "1, 3, 5, 8, 5, 3, 1" phrase "It's a fine day today"….there are a gazillion of them "out there," or we can make up our own meaningful sentence, based on whatever students are experiencing in their lives that day…current events…or…maybe something meaningful in the lives of your singers.  Maybe someone has won an award, received special recognition for an achievement, etc.  Why not a warm-up in regard to that accomplishment?  Celebrate achievement with a Warm-Up!  Celebrate with friends!  A short phrase gets it done…for those of you who have not been lyricists, you will likely enjoy this process…and your students will love it.

Length in the Warm-Up:
For each example, try to keep your tasks limited to 2-4 measures.  Yes…I have written longer examples  in From Concepts to Concerts.  In most cases, we were trying to get everything on a single page…however, please feel free to sing examples in segments.  Students can feel overwhelmed with the length of tasks.  How can I get from here to there?  Just take a segment, go for success, then add a measure (or so) at a time.

At this point, I think it is important to encourage teachers to remember to give 1) positive reinforcement for successful achievement in the Warm-Up, along with 2) all feedback regarding academic (music-related) performance.  In my opinion, the latter is the most challenging area for a teacher in the Warm-Up.  When do you give feedback in the Warm-Up? If you give feedback while students are singing, their own thought process and evaluation might be disrupted…and…if a teacher is speaking, how can they hear?….and….if a teacher is stopping to give feedback between each half-step increment in the warm-up, and if (according to research) stopping a choir functions as punishment...how can there be a flow to the Warm-Up that will achieve the purpose of the Warm-Up?  How can a Warm-Up be "pleasant" for students and teacher?

Okay…an expressive "face"…and maybe even specially designed "gestures" that mean something to students (you must tell them what they mean…else, they won't "get them")…maybe these types of silent feedback (nod, smile, eyebrows raised, finger pointing to the sky, conducting gestures for dynamics, etc.) would be the best.

Sometimes I just wish there would be an area of teaching that is "easy."  It is all difficult..every bit of it.  "Yea" for choral music educators (church, school, community)…you are the heroes of choral music in every way…you are the reasons many of us are doing the things we love…you are the reasons many of your students are now attending the choral concerts of their children…you are the reasons there are successful doctors, lawyers, accountants, social workers, performers, and all sorts of other contributors to society…attending Handel's "Messiah!"  It is a wonderful and noble thing that you do.  Hallelujah!  So sweet!  Have a great year!