my appreciation for other people's competence
This is kind of a long rambly walk, but here goes. :-)
I have this side job as a church choir section leader. When we all stopped going anywhere and certainly stopped singing in churches in March 2020, the longtime music director at my church job* had been retired† and his replacement announced, but the change wasn't going to happen until the fall - only then we all got bounced during Lent and there was no real sense of winding down with one boss and starting up with a new one.
Long (long) discourse redacted about how that job is different now than it was before and will likely continue to be different even if/when we feel a lot safer plague-wise than we do even now: Other churches occasionally announce that they're hiring, and one of my colleagues in the alto section got a job at one of them (yay!), and I thought, yeah, it wouldn't suck to be on staff at a church (in no particular order)
Anyway, the places that are hiring sopranos generally want recording samples, which I don't have because who the heck am I?, not a "real" singer freelancing with a music degree and trying to put together a living with solo gigs. But you've got to meet them where they are, so I contacted my big chorus's miraculous accompanist and vocal coach, who, it turns out, also records in her home studio! to spare singers having to book professional studio time! And I brushed up a Mozart aria and learned a Bach one and went and sang with her today and OH MY GOD, YOU GUYS.
I cannot overstate how marvelous it is to be around people who are really good at what they do and obviously enjoy it with all their hearts. I mean I'm sure you know what I'm talking about, but you don't get to see it in person all the time. Just wow. Like you spend ten minutes in her presence and you realize she's a preposterously talented pianist, but this was more than that. I've said before how there are directors whose gift is making you want to do your best for them? This was like that, only also helping you find your best. The woman has a doctorate in accompaniment and vocal coaching and she should, that shit is real. She also had nice things to say about my singing, which certainly didn't bring my mood down at all and I don't think she'd have said them if they weren't true. So that's good. But I think the reason I'm feeling so good right now is from spending a couple of hours with someone who is absolutely in the right line of work.
* I always find myself saying "my church job" rather than just "my church" because I am not a member there or even a member of that faith. Is that weird?
† The transitive was deliberate. He'd been thinking about retiring and then the decision was made for him without his knowledge or input.
I have this side job as a church choir section leader. When we all stopped going anywhere and certainly stopped singing in churches in March 2020, the longtime music director at my church job* had been retired† and his replacement announced, but the change wasn't going to happen until the fall - only then we all got bounced during Lent and there was no real sense of winding down with one boss and starting up with a new one.
Long (long) discourse redacted about how that job is different now than it was before and will likely continue to be different even if/when we feel a lot safer plague-wise than we do even now: Other churches occasionally announce that they're hiring, and one of my colleagues in the alto section got a job at one of them (yay!), and I thought, yeah, it wouldn't suck to be on staff at a church (in no particular order)
- closer to home
- that paid more per call
- that guaranteed me more calls per week or month
- whose general ethos was politically more comfortable for me (Episcopalian, probably, or even Catholic in a different diocese)
- whose music program didn't have internal political landmines for me to avoid (probably a pipe dream, but one can hope)
Anyway, the places that are hiring sopranos generally want recording samples, which I don't have because who the heck am I?, not a "real" singer freelancing with a music degree and trying to put together a living with solo gigs. But you've got to meet them where they are, so I contacted my big chorus's miraculous accompanist and vocal coach, who, it turns out, also records in her home studio! to spare singers having to book professional studio time! And I brushed up a Mozart aria and learned a Bach one and went and sang with her today and OH MY GOD, YOU GUYS.
I cannot overstate how marvelous it is to be around people who are really good at what they do and obviously enjoy it with all their hearts. I mean I'm sure you know what I'm talking about, but you don't get to see it in person all the time. Just wow. Like you spend ten minutes in her presence and you realize she's a preposterously talented pianist, but this was more than that. I've said before how there are directors whose gift is making you want to do your best for them? This was like that, only also helping you find your best. The woman has a doctorate in accompaniment and vocal coaching and she should, that shit is real. She also had nice things to say about my singing, which certainly didn't bring my mood down at all and I don't think she'd have said them if they weren't true. So that's good. But I think the reason I'm feeling so good right now is from spending a couple of hours with someone who is absolutely in the right line of work.
* I always find myself saying "my church job" rather than just "my church" because I am not a member there or even a member of that faith. Is that weird?
† The transitive was deliberate. He'd been thinking about retiring and then the decision was made for him without his knowledge or input.