"I Believe in the Power of Music to Transform & Enhance Lives."
I believe that music should be available to everyone, not just to those with more training and natural abilities. That’s why I have no auditions for my high school choir and adult community chorus. Furthermore, I've taught every member of my high school choir individually on a rotating basis, so that all my singers benefit from the advantages of private training. Choir singing should be about all of us, not just the superstars.
Admittedly, to work with singers of less experience, one needs to know more rather than less about the voice and have good communication skills, such as the ability to use non-music analogies to teach vocal skills. My mother, who is in her 90's, conducts the choir in her retirement home, and I give free voice lessons to all those members. With a few explanations, some adjustments, and lots of encouragement, every one of them can still sing well, and incidentally, they understand more than most the joy that singing brings to their lives.
The concept of “no auditions and no cuts” doesn’t hold us back. My high school chorus toured Munich, Salzburg, Vienna, and Krakow in spring 2011. My adult chorus recently performed Brahms' “Nanie”, Vaughan Williams' “In Windsor Forest”, Jenkins’ “Gloria”, and Haydn’s “Seasons”, all with full orchestra. Sure, it takes hard work to teach such complex music to musicians of varying experience, but their love of music is pervasive, and when they stand before an audience there is a depth of emotion and obvious commitment to excellence and beauty.
Where has all the beauty gone? News broadcasts portray murders and mayhem, wars and shamed leaders. But in the midst of all that bad news, choirs and orchestras of all ages stand as examples of caring and beauty, models of what a caring community should be. When one has been immersed in the warmth of such selfless music making, one becomes a better person and the human spirit is enriched.
I inherited these concepts from my parents, John and Helen Kemp, whose crusade for beauty and artistry and belief in lifting the human spirit have inspired countless directors and their choirs. Wouldn't you like to join the crusade?