As we move into a New Year, many of us find ourselves reveling in the glow of Advent and Christmas while also looking to the weeks and months ahead and searching for inspiration. We are setting goals and searching for ways to discover a better version of ourselves while exploring means to open up new horizons for our church musicians.
Some choirs find the opportunity to celebrate together prior to the holidays; I have found this post-holiday time to be ideal for planning a celebration. With no large performance expectations in the immediate future and the stress of the holidays behind us, there is definitely a more relaxed feel to this season, with time and space to breathe and unwind. The month of January is a great time for choirs to step back and celebrate.
For directors, these weeks offer respite to look into opportunities for reading sessions, seminars, and education to build skills and expand repertoire while learning new rehearsal techniques to make rehearsals interesting and informative.
I wrote in an earlier post about the value of retreat times. I have typically scheduled “away” retreats in the fall when our choir travels several hours away to spend three days in rehearsals and fellowship. January has always been for us a time for “at-home” retreats. These times are typically Friday nights and Saturday mornings when we stay in our own space. Friday nights include a shared meal together, either going out to a local restaurant or having a potluck at the church followed by rehearsal. These times spent around the table with fellow choir members give us space to let our hair down, reflect on the past holiday season, celebrate our good work, and sight-read music for the coming year.
Saturday mornings begin with a light breakfast, a devotional time often constructed with reflection for singers, and further rehearsal (we are a choir, so singing together is what we do!). Repertoire for these rehearsals focuses on the upcoming seasons of the church year, especially new music for Epiphany, Lent, and Easter.
If all of this seems to be too elaborate or just won’t work for your group, don’t fret! Tailor it to your specific needs. Perhaps you could have an extended first rehearsal back, with time reserved before or after rehearsal for food and fellowship. Or simply schedule an additional night to invite your choir to dine together at a local restaurant. Or, if you have a singer with a large living space who is willing to open their home to others, you could make this more personal by sharing a meal or hors d’oeuvres together. One way or another, make space for holiness in your return to rehearsals. This is a time to resume choir devotions, strengthen faith, and offer encouragement. Never underestimate the power of fellowship, prayer, and music to transform your choir.
I remember several summers when, rather than taking a month off in July as we typically did, we had traveling rehearsals with food, fellowship, and full rehearsals in the home of a choir member. Most of our choir members had a piano. If they didn’t, we would bring a portable keyboard from the church. It was great fun, allowing us to continue singing together over the summer (what choir doesn’t love to sing together?) while allowing us to grow closer to each other and to God in the sacred space of each other’s homes.
The takeaway here is that music directors are tasked with many obligations. Our foremost responsibility is to provide beautiful music in praise of our Creator in worship. This is a noble and worthy responsibility. We must never forget we also embrace the responsibility to cultivate safe spaces in rehearsals for musicians to experience the same sense of awe and wonder they provide for the congregation in worship. A space where we draw closer to one another and nearer to our Creator. A space where the curtain of the Holy of Holies is pulled back. A space where we help each of those entrusted to our care to find the “thin place” where the barrier that separates us from the eternal is so thin that it almost evaporates before us and we become one with God. When that happens in rehearsal, in homes, in devotions, or in worship, we find ourselves in the midst of a spiritual transformation. “Behold, I am making all things new!” (Revelation 21:5).
