Seven years ago, Choralosophy was an experiment. Today, it’s a career. It is a job, no different than your job, albeit a bit more public. Today is the show’s 7th birthday. Here is what I’ve learned:
As I hit this milestone, I’ve been reflecting on how the landscape of “online work” has shifted—and how it hasn’t. I have also learned that many gatekeepers exist within the legacy of our art form. It is a system of hierarchy I have spoken on before and am quite familiar with. And it isn’t entirely unreasonable. Every industry and academic discipline will, over time, develop traditions related to “who gets to speak?” The gate being kept is usually related to legitimacy. “Online presentations” vs. “convention presentations” would be an example in today’s Choral Music world. One is seen as legit, and the other clickbait. Or, put another way, did someone “ask for you opinion?” or “did you just post it online unsolicited.” In my case, it’s both… Seven years ago, no one asked. I just started posting. But now, people ask… The problem is, that this is not the normal process a generation of music educators were raised to envision career building. We were raised to build our influence and success through professional organizations and institutions. Not the internet. But, here we are. Read the rest of this piece on Substack for FREE!
Tune in, and have your thinking stimulated and challenged. Then, weigh in yourself with your related ideas and experiences on Facebook in the Choralosophers group or over on choralosophy.substack.com Also, don’t forget to grab a reading rope for your classroom wall from the shop! Music Reading Rope
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