Just got back from church choir practice where I'm serving as a "guest" director for February while director Wil is on vacation. It was enjoyable to be back in front of a choir, and especially a good choir, although I'm enjoying the break from doing it every week "full time."
Choirs are amazing organisms. They are living, breathing, moving, creating creatures. And they're inherently about artistic leadership. The choir experience is several things for me.
Spiritual practice: Whether it's rehearsal or the worship service, singing with a church choir is a spiritual practice. The singing is in and of itself a form of worship, of naming the holy, of being consciously in God's presence, of offering prayer, of expressing the range of emotions, and building a spiritual community. Practice is not just practice; it is a way of connecting with God.
Building a community: Choral music is about the space between the notes, the rests. Breath is drawn in during the space between the notes, and in taking a breath together a community is formed that is of one breath. So the community begins with the breath and then is enhanced with the notes and melodies, the combination of sound, dynamic, texture, volume and tempo. These are the creative dimensions of community.
Building body rhythms: Singing is inherently a physical act. I am reminded of this physicality by how out of breath I was at times! But it's not just the breath. Singing recalibrates the pulse. It awakens muscles throughout the body. It requires a focused mind. It taps emotion. When we do it together it gives rhythm not only to a own bodies, but the corporate body.
Musical accomplishment: For me this is secondary to the other things I've named, but it's still important. The notes on the page come to life in a way that makes sense and is pleasing to the ear. The ideas of a composer find expression through the shared creative process with the musicians. There are correct notes to be mastered. That mastery then frees the interpretation and expression.
When we sing . . . what a privilege!
There is a communion of sorts when the choir can anticipate where the director is leading....not because the director is predictable, but because the singers read each other and read the director...
ReplyDeleteIts about full awareness beyond what note I am singing....its from the ear as I hear my part, and your part, their part.....its through the eyes as the director breathes and paints the music with their body and face......its in the moment when music is created....something beyond hitting the right notes.
A director has to be trusted, and the singers need to know that the director cares about the music and the singers.
In worship at the seminary today, I sat in the silence of Nicarry Chapel awaiting communion, and my whole being noted the absence of the meditative space that had been created after each choir rehearsal. It was a space that I moved into so easily and deeply because of an hours worth of singing words and notes that were inspired....and brought to life by a gifted director and beautiful co-singers.