Letters from the Director
CDD Committee chair speaks about how his weekly letter to his chorus has positively affected the overall experience.
By Charlie Metzger
When I decided to direct the Gentlemen of Fortune again, I knew I wanted to do some things differently and most of them pointed to better communication. The chapter has a mission statement: "Working together in fellowship, we enrich society with world-class barbershop entertainment". I thought it important to regularly get our mission out in front of the men and do it in a way that related to the music program.
Time for rehearsal was never sufficient. One way to make the time serve us better was to plan carefully and communicate the plan. If people know the purpose for what they are asked to do, it seems more likely that they will do it. They needed to know where we were coming from each week and where we were going. That boiled down to a summary of what had occurred and a plan for next week that would move us on in our quest for improvement and enjoyment.
I felt that we needed to renew ourselves as a singing group and work towards:
• establishing a core sound that had less pressure, more ping, more tunefulness about it
• performing a package containing half our repertoire every week in order to practice the associated performance state
• bringing stale repertoire up to a good Canadian “Eh” level
• learning new contest songs and a good closer to add to our repertoire mix
• learning eight songs per year (ambitious, but doable)
That would mean constant upbeat feedback and a regular infusion of new ideas. So, each Wednesday morning, I sit down with my laptop. I start by reiterating the vision statement, then notice in writing the things that improved and the people who contributed significantly. I notice progress towards the goal. I also tell it like it is if we have particular work to do, pointing to specific plans to make improvements. Sometimes there are important ideas to get across. Sometimes we need to organize or find ways to meet deadlines to keep things going. Music-related decisions are mostly made by email. The two men in the chorus who do not have email have the missives hand-delivered to them by guys who live near by. The next week’s schedule is planned and included, usually with specific goals for each item.
Here’s what the guys have to say about it:
Charlie,
The review of the previous night's practice is very helpful, and reinforces the teaching and the achievements of the chorus, and gives clues on how to improve and grow musically and expressively as a Chorus.
Imparting different ideas from your reading is stimulating and thought provoking.
Publishing the following week’s program is a welcome reminder to attend to finding the appropriate music, and to do some home preparation prior to practice.
Your actions also show your concern and dedication to the chorus to perform well and provide "World Class Entertainment"
David
Hi Charlie
I find your after rehearsal e-mails very interesting, reinforcing, enlightening and encouraging.
They are always interesting because of your way with words and your ability to take the most complex things and explain them in layman's language.
They are reinforcing because they remind me of what we did at the last rehearsal, the discussions, and the directions that you indicated for us to take (as well as homework assignments).
They are enlightening because, even after my 25 years of barbershop, there is always something new for me to comprehend and learn.
They are encouraging because you always praise us, even when we don't always come up to expectations (shades of Zander?).
What more can I say? Keep the emails coming!
Harry
If you’d like to read some examples, go to my blog where I have collected them for a few months now. Paste the url below into your browser.
http://ca.blog.360.yahoo.com/blog-kRdumDk1crSO1V1S5YllRGCQx44uxHs-?cq
By the way, the improvements are legion, we’re having fun, and we’re gaining new members in addition to experiencing less absenteeism.
contents copyright of the author and copyright (c) 9/8/2010
Barbershop Harmony Society
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