February
S, 1958
No tongue in check -11There are The fly-leaf of the conductor's log-book is inscribed, no bad choruses - only bad conductors." -Any conductor has to buy this. If he's willing to admit a bit of the glow when things are right he has .Tha reel - is - selcT6in--a-c.to acknowledge the child whcm Vice has versed. - countable for the backlash.
The theory of choral conducting begins with the assumpt ion tha t the singers are there because they enjoy it. They are neither drafted nor indentured. This is supposed to be happy hour learn time laugh time occasionally cry a little time think h±gh time don 1t be ashamed to feel out loud time. The theory contim.1es that the climate is one 6f expectant pleasure and accomplishment - nobody enjoys making mistakes - and it is the business of the conductor so to contrive and direct the learning procedures that no one has a chance to make a mistake~ _ _J__ No mistakes - no . frustration, shame, sense of inadequacy~ No sense "'-, , of inadequacy - heightened learning powers, greater accomplishment, more 'L_-u------71 / enjoyment. -Every day in every -way the world sounds more and more bea SJ u ' tiful and I'm sitting in the middle of it right up to hereo All is Vio( lets harps and alfalfa, meadow and maid, progress is our most importan .... p~oduct says the sower of consolative thinking.
---The theory .. -·-
of course is very beautiful, and one is not heartened by the fact that it is absolutely tnue. The business of a conductor is to }foll .er 11Sheep ~11 and to holler it so loud so clear so long and so successfully that even the wolves begin to doubt their existence, shuffle off their mortal coils to buffalimbo - has-beens, were wolves, _ _b /'--- Where flowers are tended, weeds do not growo Evil and good cann90 ;:::5 c., 0 1 simultaneously occupy the point of a pin, To the pure all things are pure. There 1 s nothing good or bad but thinking makes it so •
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But, Daddy, I saw the wolves last, night. Lots and lots of them ~11 (To hirii's:elf 11.,.,, o •• and nine damned dirty old stage ~11) 11You1 11 never be a conductor, son, Conductors see only sheep. 11 11But, Daddy, what if there are wolves?" "Keep your head, son, hollerlSheep t 111 11••
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o
Daddy?"
Yes? 11
11
., •• ., If ing theirs situation., "Son, there hollerin1 11••
you can keep your ' head when all about you are los- · -- it's just possible you haven 1 t grasped the 11
ain 1 t nothin' in this won't fix •••o••"
1Wrongnotes1
1
II
situation
a little
sheep--