[A version of this article first appeared as a post on my blog From the Front of the Choir]
In January 2008 I handed over the reins of my first choir WorldSong to a new musical director after ten years at the helm.
And in September 2010 – again after ten years – I handed over the leadership of Woven Chords. It was time for a change.
As you probably realise by now, I am very sensitive to complacency and habit (see Breaking the habit of a lunchtime).
I am always on the lookout for different ways to do things, new challenges, ways of keeping people on their toes, possibilities for development and improvement, ways of raising the bar and stretching people (myself included).
Some people resist change and would be more than happy to continue doing the same thing week in, week out. Unfortunately, I’m the leader (of the gang, I am!) and if you sign up for my choir, you sign up to my vision and my way of working.
I really do believe that by constantly reviewing the way that I do things, finding new ways of approaching familiar material, having high expectations, taking people out of their comfort zone, etc. then individuals within the group improve their skills, the overall quality of the choir is better, and we constantly improve and move forwards.
The upshot of this philosophy is that there will come a time for me to hand over to someone else.
Inevitably, any group of people working as a team with a ‘leader’ can come to believe that they can only do what they do because of the particular person leading them.
Obviously, the way that any particular group functions is highly influenced by the style and approach of their leader (conductor, director, coach – whatever). That person (if they’re any good) helps to mould and shape the group, and helps them to work as a team.
But I believe that there comes a point where that person should try to remove themselves from the picture, to make the group realise their own strengths and capabilities – strengths, talents and abilities that have now become independent of whoever happens to be leading them.
In fact, in terms of being a musical director and/ or teacher, I believe that my job is truly finished when I have succeeded in making myself redundant!
Whenever there is a strong leader of a group or enterprise (artistic director of a theatre, conductor of an orchestra, curator of a gallery) it is very easy to think that any and all successes and achievements are down to that leader.
It may well be the case that a particularly strong individual leader can dramatically improve a group or project, but we must also realise that the individuals making up the group are also of vital importance and help to create the overall ‘flavour’. After all, if it weren’t for the members, then the enterprise wouldn’t exist at all!
I strongly believe that any such job should only be held for around five years, after which the leaders could perhaps rotate and move onto other similar organisations. Otherwise galleries or orchestras (or choirs) can become stale and too much a reflection of one particular individual’s vision.
So back in 2010 it became time for a big change. I knew that Woven Chords would move forward without me onto different (and bigger and better) things.
I was very sad to be moving on, and still miss the choir and the individual members terribly. However, I am also very excited to see how the choir has grown since I left and await the further delights that are in store for all concerned. Here’s to the future!
Have you ever handed over a choir to someone else? Are you a singer in a choir which has had different leaders?
I'd love to hear your experiences. Do drop by and leave a comment.
Chris Rowbury
website: chrisrowbury.com
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