I am sometimes inspired by the great writers of our time….. Jane Eyre, Kate Morton, Lisa Jewel, Jackie Shears…… and am compelled to write my very own tale based on real life events.
Once upon a time, in a far off magical land, there lived a Fairy Choir Leader. She spread joy, light and wonder where ever she went and met every 2 weeks with a delightful merry band of Super Singers in the local palace. They sang, chatted, sang some more and all was well with the world. The Super Singers travelled from afar to be a part of such joy and more singers joined until there were many.
Over time, however, the Fairy Choir Leader noticed some small changes. They sang, they chatted, they continues to chat whilst others tried to listen and then they chatted some more. It was becoming tricky to manage. Since the Fairy Choir Leader’s magic wand had given up the ghost long ago, she appealed to the better nature of the Super Singers, imploring them for a little more calm in exchange for perhaps a longer break to catch up with their friends. But it fell upon deaf ears.
Soon, some of the Super Singers were becoming vexed and wanted to listen and sing but found it hard to do so. The Fairy Choir Leader tried again to implore to the singers until one day she raised her fairy voice. It was a sad day.
That night, the Fairy Choir Leader tossed and turned trying to think of a way to make things work better, for becoming a Shouty Choir Leader was not what she desired. Eventually, after much wrangling and conversations with other Leaders, she hit upon a brilliant plan! She would separate the choir in two halves so they rehearsed still fortnightly, though she would give up her time to rehearse every week. She took on a few more Super Singers to help spread the cost of the Palace and after Christmas, hatched her plan.
The Super Singers arranged themselves into Songbirds and Nightingales. This meant if singers missed a session, they could catch up with the next one! A perfect solution for shift working Super Singers. But there was dissent in the ranks and one group of singers felt unable to make the change and so the choirs were unbalanced. The Fairy Choir Leader accepted her fate and continued with her plot.
At first the Super Singers were happy! They enjoyed the smaller group! The liked being nearer to the front! They liked having a more intimate feel so that they could talk to more people in the breaks! Progress with the songs was made, The Fairy Choir Leader got to spend some proper time with her new Super Singers so they felt more included. All seemed well….
After the 4th session, the Fairy Choir Leader noticed a shift. It was a small, slight thing. A feeling. A rumbling. And it only applied to one half of the choir. The Fairy Choir Leader took action in the form of happy smiling Facebook posts, a jumpsuit for rehearsals and more lipstick and yet still the sessions seemed to drag. Singers appeared to forget things they had long since even singing and progress slowed a little.
Again the Fairy Choir Leader wrestled with much gnashing of her teeth and the odd wailing to her friends. She spoke again to her Elders and sought advice. Attendance was dropping and it was trickier to find that Liberty Magic.
Then lo! A gig on the horizon! And to keep the rehearsal equal for the two groups, it was decreed that the rehearsal before the gig would be all together. And the Super SIngers rejoiced! The energy was renewed and the harmonies remembered!
A joyful gig ensued where the Singers implored the Fairy Choir Leader to please….. pretty please…. Could they get back together as one big choir?
The Fairy Choir Leader looked at this all on balance. She would get her free Mondays back. She would not have to take out a second mortgage to hire the Palace. Her singers would be delighted….. and yet, they would need to behave and be respectful to each other. And so, by and by, she set out her expectations for behaviour which weren’t anything horrible and waited for the first session of the new term.
What a magical night! The Fairy Choir Leader felt it could have been the best rehearsal EVER! Singers compiled, listened, sang and even completed a WHOLE SONG in one evening, a feat never to have been achieved before! Everyone was happy to chat in the breaks and didn’t talk while the Fairy Choir Leader was teaching and everything in the Kingdom was brilliant again and they all sang happily ever after.
The moral of this story? It’s OK to try new things but accept when they’re not working and make the changes necessary. I’m incredibly grateful to our singers who stuck with our choir whilst we went through this period of change and am delighted that we are where we are now.