You have a heart...

Heartfelt greetings, my dear students!

I just arrived home from several lovely days at the American Choral Directors' Association national convention in Chicago. Not only did I get to hear some fantastic choirs, I had the chance to reconnect with lots of my friends now living afar, and even have time for a little attitude adjustment.

That's right, an attitude adjustment. You see, I think we musician types tend to get all jammed up (to borrow a term from my beloved older brother) over many, many things, and we become extremely critical of both others and ourselves, and we forget why we're in this business. We forget it's not just a craft (or a business, for that matter), but a soul-baring art, and that the whole point is to be able to say something and to say it from the deepest and truest part of us. Yes, this sounds extraordinarily touchy-feely, maybe even more than usual, so let me explain.

Many of you will recognize the name Alice Parker, probably from the cover of countless choral octavos, many of which were co-arranged with the late Robert Shaw. Ms. Parker has been doing what she does for a very long time, and I don't think anyone would argue with the idea that she is a person who truly deserves to be thought of as the top of our field. As such, she could work with whomever she wants, and probably be able to present on any topic of her choosing at any ACDA convention ever. I know it was her name that brought me to the Chicago Hilton yesterday morning, but I was greeted by something I never expected. Joyful Noise Chorus and their conductor, Allison Fromm were Alice Parker's co-presenters, and they blew me away. Joyful Noise Chorus is a group comprised of singers with physical and intellectual disabilities, and they were co-founded by Allison Fromm and her sister, Beth. This group of singers performed with the beauty, honesty, and openness I've seen from my own sister (who, as some of you know, has autism and intellectual disabilities....and who is the person who forced me to learn to play by ear because she wanted to hear me play "Peter and the Wolf" and wasn't going to take "I don't have the score" for an answer!), and....well, let's just say the tears flowed freely throughout the session. No pretense, no judgy-wudgy nonsense from the floor, just honest music-making in collaboration with several giants in the choral field, people I never would have expected to see on stage with a choir of people with special needs.

I believe this is more than a photo op or a moment to grab a kleenex. This is the real story, and it's at least two-fold:

First, the singers in Joyful Noise obviously know a lot of things for sure that we don't feel sure about at all. They have no qualms about saying what's on their minds, or about singing straight from their hearts. This kind of openness and vulnerability is the antidote to the passivity and apathy so endemic in our culture. As the words of one of Joyful Noise's songs go: "You have a heart....so use it!"

Second, the interaction between Joyful Noise and the folks I affectionately refer to as ACDA royalty was incredibly beautiful. Why? Because nobody was copping an attitude. Nobody was carrying themselves as if they'd taken a step down. It was people being with people. And, if we believe in Kodaly's philosophy that music belongs to everyone, I think it has to belong equally to every human creature.

Does all this mean we shouldn't study to be technically proficient? No, not at all, but it does mean we have to remember where the music comes from. We all have a heart.

If you'd like, you can always go back and catch up on a week of Ottmans you missed, but this week's unapologetically touchy-feely assignment is:

All Levels:

You have a heart. So, use it!

Let your light shine!