Preaching to the choir?

I’m part of a choir that’s full of busy people. At the start of each cycle, we take our music, and commit to spending time to learn our parts before we come together in rehearsals. It’s a fun experience when we do coalesce as a choir; there’s the social factor of meeting and connecting, as well as the musical overlay of all of our many parts. As we each know what parts we’ll be singing, we live out some healthy boundaries – staying in our own lane, as it were, and letting others stay in theirs.

The commitment to each other is delightful, for in doing our own practice and learning, we are honouring the time and efforts that the others are also contributing to the whole. It can be empowering when we discover how our individual work enhances and uplifts the equal work of the others in the choir; together we are more than the sum of our parts! More than once I have been ‘carried’ by the folks near me, as I wrap my brain around a particular piece of music.

Part of the learning curve continues as our attendance fluctuates each rehearsal; life happens and we’re not always all available every set time. Yet we celebrate the successes we have, and extend grace as we also receive it. (At one rehearsal, I was the only S1, and after we all held an extended end note I was particularly gassed… yet upheld by the supportive comments of my fellow singers).

Part of our rehearsals include the occasional time of ‘shaking things up’; for example, we might all disperse around the room, or into small groups, where we are not singing with others in our same range. It gives us a chance to appreciate the other parts from different perspectives and locations, and learn to adapt accordingly.

Singing in a choir can be a LOT of fun; it can be quite revealing about how we respond to community. We have chosen to be together, even before we know who we all are; we are trusting in the gifts and skills being offered, as we trust that ours will also be appreciated. We are learning, and growing, and evolving, as we find ways to work together in. And we delight in the output: the joy of singing.

Any community can be like this: welcoming in newcomers, extending grace when things aren’t perfect, collaborating to benefit everyone. There are many analogies that can be made between a (functional and friendly) church and a (functional and friendly) choir. My ongoing hope for the church is that it will celebrate the opportunities to come together; and that we will always commit to make a joyful noise unto the Lord.