Have you ever sang in a choir? As I sat in church last night watching the conductor of our orchestra, I was mesmerized. It's because it reminded me of the experience of singing in a choir.
When you sing in a choir, you should be exhausted afterward. There's a lot of thinking going on as you keep one eye to the sheet music, one eye to the director, anticipating what's coming next, remembering oddities about the music, remembering where to breathe so as to not wind up breathing in the middle of a word, and so forth.
To me, it's an amazing thing to experience. Part of it is because I'm not one to let someone else be in control of me. But in this case, it feels good because it's allowing me to be a part of creating something beautiful: music. With one motion of the hand, or with raised eyebrows, or a look in the eye....you as a singer get the message they are trying to send: "louder" or "get ready - that tricky part is coming" or "nice job!" You have to learn to trust the director, that they aren't going to cue you to sing on a rest or get loud when you're supposed to sing quietly. Essentially, you do whatever they direct you to do, plus you bring your hours of rehearsal and preparation to the table.
It's really like a master puppeteer scenario. Sometimes I feel as if there is a tiny string between the director's finger and my ribs. When they give that hand motion that you'd give someone to say "come on over - quickly - the coast is clear" I push out air from my diaphragm to follow the cue of singing louder, louder, until sometimes my body is trembling from the exertion of air. But you're not just a puppet....you're a willing, prepared, talented participant. You're there to perform the best you possibly can, and they are there to steer you and to push you.
Singing in a choir also brings that rare experience of working together in utter cooperation and teamwork. You want, more than anything, for those tenors to hit their harmony right. You need the person next to you keep in time so as not to distract you. You silently pray that the sopranos will hit that high note and when they do, the corners of your mouth pull into a smile because you're so proud to be a part of such a talented group of people, and because you're genuinely happy for the sopranos for nailing it, because you know how much they struggled in rehearsals with that measure.
Why can't we live our lives like that? Reflecting on all of this made me think about how we conduct ourselves in the workplace, but mostly about how we conduct ourselves as people. In music (and in sports I would argue) we experience the things I described above....if we're doing it right. But when's the last time you've really wanted to see your coworker succeed and not been secretly pleased to see them stumble? When's the last time you've felt a part of something amazing that you could not have done by yourself? Are you willing to follow the rules or guidelines while you trust the person in charge? Are we assembled in the risers with one eye on God and one eye on His written word, doing our best to follow it to a "T"?
Each of us brings a talent, a unique voice. But when we're willing to join our voices with other amazing voices, to practice our parts, memorize the words, and take instruction from the director, our talents are amplified and multiplied into something far bigger than we are.
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