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| From the Chairman | |
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It's Time for Spring Cleaning | |
New tools from Chorus America can help you address the organizational health of your chorus As I write this, my thoughts are turning to spring cleaning, yard work, and projects around the house. Consequently, I also hear my Dad’s rich baritone voice in my head counseling my brothers and me to do things like “lift with your legs not your back” and “let the hammer head do the work.” Dad used to joke that he had three boys so that he wouldn’t have to do chores as he grew older. In fact, he still did them—but he ensured that he had our help in doing so. Dad taught us how to use the tools, and then coordinated our efforts to ensure that we got the best possible result. Because of Dad’s training (and in spite of the fact that the three “boys” are now pushing 50), we still work efficiently, naturally, together. It seems to me that Dad had a lot in common with those in leadership positions in a chorus. As many choruses wind up their performance season, now might be a good time to tend to all the projects that were put off “until there was time to deal with them.” There’s no time like the present to address the organizational health of your chorus, and all the tools you need are available to Chorus America members. “Many hands make light work” Anyone who, like my Dad, has tried to focus the over-eager contributions of children, knows that extra hands are only helpful when everyone’s efforts are directed toward the same objective. This is true of choruses as well—be they volunteer, professional, community, or children’s ensembles. But it’s not always apparent how best to structure your chorus’s governance, programming, marketing, outreach, leadership, and fundraising efforts. Which may be why Leading the Successful Chorus: A Guide for Managers, Board Members, and Music Directors is one of the most popular publications we have ever produced—it has practical information on all this and more. The 2009 edition, The Chorus Leadership Guide, has been expanded to include lots of new and updated content, as well as many new tools and document templates available for downloading. It will be available at a discount to members in August, in time to help you orient new board members and launch your 2009-10 seasons. Similar guidance is always available in-person at the Chorus America Conference. “Measure twice, cut once” My Dad’s voice again. But this statement rings true to all of us who have ever written a grant proposal for our group, advocated on behalf of chorus funding in our schools, or tried to convince civic leaders about the importance of our art form. Compelling data is essential in these efforts, and we provide it for you. Recently, Chorus America surveyed 200 member organizations to better understand how choruses are dealing with current economic conditions. The data revealed that while there are significant concerns, choruses have always been able to succeed at doing a lot with a little; and we are taking a characteristically scrappy, grassroots approach to surviving the downturn. This information may prove to be helpful background data for your chorus’s development and community engagement efforts. So also may the results of the 2009 Chorus Impact Study, released this month (http://chorusamerica.org/about_choralsinging.cfm.) This second wave of research confirms the findings of the original study, with generally increasing indicators across the board. For example there are now 42.6 million adults and children who sing in a chorus today—up from 28.5 million in 2003. Plus, choristers continue to exhibit civic leadership to a greater degree than the general population, and are more civically engaged today than they were in 2003. In addition, the second study collected benchmark data on the positive effects of choral singing among children. For example, children in choruses get significantly better grades than their non-singing peers. And, over 75 percent of teachers can identify students who sing in a chorus because of indicators like stronger social skills and better emotional management. “A fresh coat of paint” Part of our spring cleaning at Chorus America this year was a touch-up to our visual identity. You might have noticed our new logo. You will soon see much more of it as we gradually roll it out across all our communications. Our intent was to reflect our position at the center of a dynamic and inclusive community of choral singers, and our role of providing services to choruses throughout North America. We think our designers hit just the right notes with our new logo, and I would like to personally thank the team at Holland-Mark advertising for their incredible talent and efforts on our behalf. Todd Estabrook |
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