Working with the Music Director

Artistic leadership of a chorus is both an individual balancing act and a highly collaborative endeavor. Chorus America's book, Conductors Count: What Chorus Music Directors, Boards, and Administrators Need To Know, represents the culmination of many months of gathering data on the professional lives of choral conductors and learning about their experiences. These excerpts highlight the primary factors that contribute to the teamwork that is necessary for success.

In a profession defined by individual talent and passion, the indicators of successful relationships might seem elusive. But a look at what we do know yields five factors that affect the way a chorus's board, singers, and staff interact with the artistic leader:

1. The music director's professional life

2. The music director's management responsibilities

3. Whether the music director is the founder

4. The nature of the organization and the role of the singers

5. The nature of the board

The Music Director's Professional Life

Music directors lead professional lives that are so complex that they might seem downright frenetic. Most craft full-time careers from the leadership of multiple choruses—typically two or three—and some add teaching to the mix. People who choose choral conducting as a profession know this reality.

This multitasking life means that the board, chorus members, and staff of individual choruses must be comfortable with the music director's part-time attention and also be attuned to the challenges of each situation.

A music director with ties to more than one ensemble may find that working with different organizations—which have different missions, singers, repertoires, and audiences—can stretch and enrich his or her artistic vision. For the singers and the audience, the result can be a richer, more challenging musical experience.

On a personal level, a music director who must interact with multiple colleagues in several contexts will need to be skilled at working collaboratively and sustaining open communication. Multiple positions also offer wider connections in the world of choral singing—both in the local community and the broader field—that can benefit each chorus the music director leads.

Having numerous responsibilities obviously challenges the music director and the chorus, especially when it comes to time commitments. According to Choral Conductors Today: A Profile, Chorus America's report on a survey of nearly 700 conductors, choruses hold an average of 1.5 rehearsals a week, with an average annual performance season of 13.6 concerts.

In each season, a music director meets with each of his or her choruses an average of 74 times for rehearsals and performances. So if a music director conducts three choruses, that's 222 rehearsals and performances per year, in addition to the nonmusical tasks that are always added to the artistic side of the job. And while variety in choruses and singers can have a positive effect, it also requires great flexibility, as conductors must adjust their expectations and approaches each time they stand on a different podium.

Organizations also need to be responsive to another facet of the music director's life: the necessity of continuing professional development. Conductors learn and refine their knowledge and technique throughout their careers. Perpetual motivation or stimulation, training, and exposure to new ideas and colleagues benefit not just the music director, but chorus members and ultimately audiences.

To manage the challenges of working with a music director who has more than one position, a chorus needs:

• A strong board and administrative structure, with committed board members and an experienced executive director
• A rehearsal and performance calendar planned and coordinated well in advance, with a strict policy about making changes
• Disciplined rehearsals that use time well and build in extra time to master complex pieces
• Good relationships between section leaders and the music director
• Effective internal communication, including the capacity to respond quickly to the unexpected
• Financial support for the music director's professional development
• Respect for the music director's professional schedule and personal and family life

The Music Director's Management Responsibilities

The more administrative responsibilities the music director has, the closer and more complex his or her interaction is with the board, the singers, and external stakeholders such as funders and community leaders. He or she can be responsible for auditioning the singers, generating the audience, creating the program, and conducting the program.

Board relations, communications, and financial management are all part of the job. In just about every chorus, the music director will make periodic reports to the board and board committees, be a spokesperson for the organization, be involved in donor development, participate in community activities and professional organizations, and develop an annual artistic plan.

Music directors often play a variety of organizational roles. Some serve as chief executive officer of their choruses. Most choruses do not have paid staff, so the music director must fill both administrative and artistic roles. He or she may be assisted by an assistant conductor, section leaders, and experienced volunteers.

The music director is responsible for keeping the artistic side alive. The board and singers may rely on him or her for everything from generating audiences, to managing singers' attendance and seating charts, to commissioning new pieces for the chorus to perform.

The music director usually plans educational programs that extend the value of the artistic programs and attract new audiences. Donor development and stewardship is also a key task for the music director, working alongside board members. In a children's chorus, a central—and time-consuming—role for the conductor is as music educator.

In the 27 percent of choruses that have paid administrative staff, the staff handles daily operations, while the board has oversight responsibility for fundraising, finance, planning, and evaluation. Although the music director has fewer routine administrative functions, he or she does work in more than just the artistic arena. Donor development and education outreach are two areas in which music directors stay involved.

A chorus with a music director who has significant administrative responsibilities must be prepared to:

• Factor these responsibilities into the music director's time commitment, and adjust expectations accordingly
• Facilitate an effective method of communication among the music director, board, and singers—a chorus needs a communications hub
• Relinquish part of the workload to the board; as an alternative, create administrative positions for volunteers to fill
• Move the organization toward hiring paid administrative staff, especially an executive director

The Founder's Position with the Chorus

One in three choruses is still conducted by its founding music director, according to the Chorus America survey. These circumstances affect the working relationship in ways that are unique to each organization. A founder with a long and productive tenure might have a comfortable relationship of loyalty, respect, and trust with the board and the singers. Functioning in the relationship is almost effortless for all parties because they know each other so well. The music director usually has helped to recruit many members of the board and selected all the singers, and his vision drives the agenda.

As a chorus matures, develops a working board, and creates an administrative infrastructure, the founder relationship naturally changes. For the chorus to thrive, it cannot be centered completely on the founder.

Some founders enthusiastically engage in envisioning the organization's future, and some choose to leave the chorus in the hands of a new music director, having successfully guided the organization through its early years. Other founders find it difficult to deal with the growing sophistication of the organization after years of being the focal point. Founders who have retired sometimes have emeritus status.

If a founder is present—whether as music director or in another capacity—the organization must be prepared to:

• Invest in developing a vision, planning, and evaluation—with the staff and board as partners—so that the chorus has a framework for sustainability even after the founder is gone
• Increase communication and information sharing to allow the board to be fully aware of the organization's challenges and opportunities
• Act as a partner with the staff and board to find solutions for the challenges
• Broaden board membership by seeking out people who bring new perspectives and can be actively involved in the organization
• Assist in establishing consensus about the music director's status with the chorus after retirement
• If the founder remains involved with the chorus, the board should establish parameters for participation, with input from the new music director. The founder might be a periodic guest conductor or be available to offer informal advice when the music director seeks it.

The Nature of the Organization and the Role of the Singers

The seemingly limitless variety of choruses in North America is both a positive characteristic and a complicated one. Budget size has a clear impact on the music director's administrative responsibilities; the smaller the chorus budget, the greater his or her nonartistic, management role.

A chorus's repertoire determines the nature of rehearsals and scale of performances that a music director must coordinate—with an orchestra or not, in a large concert hall or a church, and so on.

The music director of a fledgling chorus may focus principally on artistic development and relationship building within and outside the organization. The music director of an award-winning, established chorus with wide name recognition will have a more demanding external focus—including relationships with influential stakeholders, interaction with other arts organizations, and public appearances.

The role of the singers is especially influential. A chorus with singers who have all been selected by the founder, who make up most of the board, or who have extensive administrative responsibilities will have a very different relationship with the music director than a chorus in which its members participate only as singers.

An effective relationship with a music director depends on the organization's capacity to:

• Acknowledge the challenges and possibilities inherent in its mission, type, budget size, and repertoire
• Be clear about the roles and responsibilities of board, artistic, and management leaders
• Be clear about the role of chorus members in the overall artistic direction
• Look at models in the field for guidance in shaping the relationships
• Build an effective board that is actively engaged in its governance responsibilities
• Review the decisionmaking model periodically to make sure it is working and make adjustments as needed

The Nature of the Board

Even if a chorus begins as an informal organization, most evolve to nonprofits with governing boards that are ultimately responsible for the organization's mission and service to the larger community.

The board's overarching role is to add lasting value to the chorus through strategic thinking and planning, resource development, and financial and artistic oversight. Although the founder provides artistic vision, he or she cedes governance responsibilities to the board, which works in partnership with the music director, management, and singers.

Board culture affects the board's relationship with the founder, its fundraising style and behavior, and its success at being a bridge to the community. Culture also drives the board's relationship with the music director. Successful relationships begin with boards that foster teamwork in the best interests of the chorus while promoting candor and dissent as essential to consensus building.

Eventually, as resources and stature grow, the board assumes a different role and its members are largely community leaders. In many cases, a founding board will be more involved with the music director in setting artistic vision, while the board of a more established chorus will step back from day-to-day artistic and administrative involvement.

It bears repeating that every organization is different. Ideally, every board and each music director ideally will find the harmony needed for a successful working partnership dedicated to the mission and vision of the organization. With the goal of making the most of the relationship with the music director, the board should model these attributes:

• A shared vision for the organization
• An understanding that board members are links to the community who provide access, influence, and resources
• Clear expectations for the music director—both artistic and administrative—and a commitment to providing constructive feedback and annual evaluation
• A board culture of participation in the organization and the work of the board
• Board structure and composition that match the organization's needs—whether it's day-to-day involvement in a new chorus or a strategic, policy role in a more established chorus

Credit:
Excerpted from Conductors Count: What Chorus Music Directors, Boards, and Administrators Need To Know, published in 2007 by Chorus America.

This article is adapted from the The Voice, Spring 2007.