Wednesday, January 18, 2006

Parent Blogger Beats Me to the Blog

The Technorati search tool delivered an interesting blog to my attention this morning, the Possumblog.

I had actually found this blog on Friday night but didn't have time to mention it on the blog. The parent's daughter participated in the honor choir but I didn't meet them. I asked the students if any of their parent's blogged, but no one admitted to it . . . so maybe it was a Jr. High Honor Choir member parent's blog. (although another phrase leads me to believe that they were in my HS choir)

Anyway, there were several comments about the UAB Honor Choir that I enjoyed that I'll preview for you. You can read the whole post here.

Observations:

We made a good impression:
Very, very nice, I must say. This was UAB's honor choir presentation, so there were kids here from all over the state. The practice for this one certainly paid off . . .
We compared very favorably to other Honor Choirs:
the last one we went to xxxxxxx was a model of inefficiency, and the hall's acoustics made everything sound like someone drowning in a convenience store restroom.
Ours had the hallmark of Dale Reynolds organizational talents, and theirs did not:
everyone was where they needed to be, and there was little of the uncharming kids'll-be-kids shenanigans.
Our ASC acoustics compare very favorably also:
the folks who designed the Jemison Hall at the Alys Stephens Center are to be commended for doing their homework. The room was lively without being harsh, and warm without muffling any of the upper or lower ranges. And the piano accompaniment didn't drown out the singers. AND the doors didn't make loud crashing sounds anytime anyone went out. AND the patrons were a bit better behaved this time . .
Our choir was complimented, and my blog was outed . . . as well as my political beliefs!
Anyway, the music was wonderful, and especially that of the hosts of the recital. Their conductor has his own blog (of course--oh, and be sure to check out his blogroll if you think all liberal arts academics are a bunch of fawning, squishy "progressives") and he was a bit tough on them in his comments, but for a rube like me, once you get to that level of talent there's no way I could pick out anything that was out of place. Y'all done good, Doc.
So what do we learn?

1. People watch every performance of ours very closely . . . and it isn't just the way we sing. It's the way we act, the way the event is organized, the way that a plan is implemented.

2. One never knows who will be in the audience and making comparisons . . . and making them publicly. The Possumblog has an average of 369 people that visit each day. That is a pretty big audience! Three times the people that follow my blog (sniff, sniff).

3. Not everyone hears the mistakes that we hear. Most don't hear the subtle slips that we make and know about. At the same time, we strive for perfection . . . because EVERYONE knows when we get it exactly right. And that moment, I promise, is one you will never forget.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Thank you for the link, Dr. Copeland. My girl is in the HS choir, but she was unlikely to have mentioned anything about Possumblog because, believe it or not, I've been writing that silly pile of poo for four years without ever telling anyone in my family or any of my friends about it. Hiding in plain sight, I suppose.

As for your advice to your students, I'd say you're spot on. Although I don't have the ears to pick out those tiny mistakes, I do notice when things are out of place or if it looks like no one's taking it seriously. I might not be able to hear it, but I can sense when the wheels have come off. And don't ever feel put-upon to have to do your best--you don't get better by comparing yourself to an inferior product.

All the best, folks, and thanks for a wonderful afternoon.

Unknown said...

I've definitely noticed an aggressiveness in an MBV written response vs. her docile social demeanor in public. I think she is on steroids.

Anonymous said...

Or channelling her inner Lucy van Pelt! ;)

The Hewitt Trussville Choirs said...

I believe that is one of my students parents...that name is very familiar...and he is correct...UAT's honor choir was not well organized or done with any sense of decorum...however I am biased...