I'll start off each post with an A Capella video for your enjoyment :)
Featured this week is a friend of RoF's.... Boston University's Mustard Seed! Whether you're a Christian or not, I think you'll find this video pretty amazing. The passion, both musical and Christ-driven, is intense. I hear Mustard Seed is almost celebrity status at BU...
This video is from Jam More in Baltimore that was held at Johns Hopkins University last semester. RoF had the opportunity to meet other awesome A Capella groups.
Note: Take precaution regulating your breathing. The soloist at 0:51 may just take your breath away. You may also want to watch out for the female beatboxer... too awesome for words. I wish I was that awesome.
In my last post I complained about potential danger of a lack of unity in our group. I think in any group it's very easy for the status-quo to be shaken or perhaps even turned upside down due to the dynamics of the individuals. Especially in a group of performers, our "center-stage" personalities can get the better of us. However, today, interestingly enough, I'd like to make a note on the complete opposite end of the spectrum.
In RoF, we all participate together, and each is expected to pull his/her own weight in order for the group to move forward as a whole. Sure it can be unhealthy for the group when one tries to stick out a little too much; but what is the group to do when a member tries to stick out a little too little?
One of RoF's warm-up exercises is the Folger's coffee jingle: "Oh the best part of waking up is Folger's in your cup!" The exercise begins with one of the basses, and each individual sings the line a half-step higher than the one before him. It's a fun exercise where no matter what type of voice you have, you get the chance to see a little bit of lighthearted spotlight. It's also a hilarious opportunity to hear the basses sing at a not-so-comfortable range after we go full circle around the group.
However, we have one member that refuses to sing it. Every single time we ever sing this exercise, she will never sing it. Ever. We tried all sorts of encouragement, but nothing ever went through. Now if this attitude was only applicable to the warm-up exercise, it wouldn't be much of a problem. But when the soprano section is rather lacking in the quantity department and every voice counts, it can be demoralizing for the group if not everyone participates with their 110%.
This person also happens to be a rather close friend of mine. I've tried to encourage her and talk to her about it, but to avail. Does anyone have any suggestions? What to do when a member of a team is intensely shy, or seems to have no enthusiasm for the group effort? Advice please. :]
Currently on RoF's practice playlist:
Seasons of Love from the Broadway musical RENT
True Colors (w/ revised lyrics) by Cyndi Lauper [also seen on GLEE! :D]
I was in the choir when I was in high school, and for one of our warm-ups was that our conductor would pick a random person to sing our school's Alma Mater. It was a lesson in memorization because we had to know it perfectly every time we sang it, or we would have to do it again. It was also a lesson in courage. While it was not mandatory to audition for other solos, this was the one time we HAD to sing by ourselves. There were some people in my choir who were amazing singers in a group, but were so shy, that when they had to sing be themselves, they physically froze. It was rough, but eventually they could do it. All they needed was a little encouragement and time to believe in themselves.
ReplyDeleteDo you guys spend much time doing things other than singing? Maybe if she felt closer to the members she wouldn't be as embarrassed to sing in front of everyone!
ReplyDeleteI've hear the TobyMac original of the song you posted, and appreciated hearing this a capella version. And I completely agree--the beatboxer is awesome.
ReplyDeleteThis kind of stuff is really hard to do! I was in a chamber choir in college as part of a music scholarship I received, and I remember even in this slightly larger group, how nerve-wracking being called on to spot sing something a capella could be.
Much like with public speaking, there can be a sense of being exposed or being judged (critically) by others. So being supportive when anyone in the group makes mistakes can help, since this shows that the culture of the group values risk taking, is grace-focused, and isn't demanding "perfection," especially in rehearsal.
Theologically, I'd also recommend Jerry Bridge's book, "Discipline of Grace." Essentially, he argues that people, especially those who are hard on themselves, need to "preach the gospel of grace to themselves" on a daily basis. My guess is that you friend has difficulty forgiving herself when she makes mistakes, and on some level is still trying to be perfect in her own strength. (I think she'd agree that there are deeper causes for this level of anxiety; John 10:10 seems to apply.)