In Quest of Answers

Since it's break, I'm allowing myself time to read a fun book.  The book is entitled, "In Quest of Answers: Interviews with American Choral Conductors" and is by Carole Glenn.  Now, this wasn't going to be a "fun" read originally.  But it has since turned into a fun read.  

There are multiple topics in this book and I'm briefly going to comment on one.  This is the idea of being able to perform music from multiple time periods.  The answers from the conductors all vary.  Many say that if they can be a great conductor, they can get their group to sing in all styles.  Some others say they always make an effort, but due to their own short comings their groups may not be as strong in some areas.  There were a few people who said their ensemble naturally sing certain styles of music better than others.  For example, Dale Warland said that his group tends to sing twentieth century music the best.  Some others said their groups, because of the age or the kind of voices, sing earlier music better.  I always find this topic intriguing and there is certainly so much more I want to discover and learn.  There are a few books out there about choral performance practices in various time periods, and I plan on purchasing them some point soon.  I have thought about this quite a lot with my own choir and continue to think on it.  I often feel inadequate because I'm not exactly sure how to get a large difference in sound production.  Sure, there is articulation and phrasing and the musical idiosyncrasies of each genre, but I'm specifically thinking about vocal production.  Or, maybe I don't need to worry as much about vocal production because the other musical characteristics will shape the production.  I will have to think about this.  And experiment.

To touch on a topic briefly that has been at the forefront of my mind, I read an article about a teacher in Connecticut that hid her first graders in closets and cupboards with the gunman came in.  He shot her but her students were unharmed.  She was 27.  That's two years younger than me- I was teaching when I was 27.  It's a peer.  John and I spoke about how we think and hope we would respond in that kind of situation.  I have loved all my students, from Kinder to College.  I would do all in my power to protect them.  John asked me if it would be different if I were to have children of my own.  I don't know if I would be able to process all that in the moment.  I would probably still react the same way.

Everybody in the world is someone's child.  Those children, the adults, the young man with the gun... those were all somebody's child, even if they were "child aged" anymore.  Despite the fact I am 29, my mom still text me and said, "You will always be my baby girl and I love you."  And it hit me that, no matter how old I am, even my mom has hopes for me- hopes of safety, of love, of being a good person. I am sure I will feel the same way about my children.  

I have no wisdom or solutions for how to prevent this type of thing.  I wish I did.