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Teaching at Eden Seminary has been a real joy. Not only has it given me a chance to share music and resources that may help foster congregational song but it has given me an opportunity to reflect on what I actually do as a music leader. Many of my skills came from watching others, reading and simply trying things out. So it has been helpful to translate my practice into theory – or at least suggest a process or trajectory that the students might use.
On Wednesday we had an excellent conversation about the qualities of a good song leader. Of course, some obvious things stood out – effectively communicating the mood and character of the melody, knowing how and when to teach a song, singing in a way that draws others into singing, etc. But I found that we easily shifted to language that focused on getting the song “right” – somehow achieving a level of proficiency or mastery over it. Given music’s important role in worship, I really appreciate when it is given the preparation and care that it needs. And I think striving for excellence can come as an expression of thanks to the God who has given us our very lives and talents and who calls us to good stewardship of them. But I think there is something else underneath all of this, too…
I read Parker Palmer’s book “Let Your Life Speak” about 2 months ago and it is still resonating inside of me. He says: “The power for authentic leadership is not found in external arrangements but in the human heart. Authentic leaders in every setting – from families to nation-states – aim at liberating the heart, their own and others, so that its powers can liberate the world.”
I think many of us believe that good leadership (musical and otherwise) comes from dotting all the i’s and crossing all the t’s, and in our culture we are obsessed with competency, effectiveness, image, and articulateness. The presidential campaign is a perfect example. The rivaling candidates and media are so quick to jump on the smallest mistakes and missteps, as if this somehow demonstrates an inability to lead. But Parker pushes deeper than performance, to the spiritual and moral qualities that might undergird and inspire a different understanding of leadership. Playing off his quote, I have made up my own short list of qualities that I think make a good music leader. Perhaps these can help to balance (or even subvert) what seems like our natural tendency to just focus only on musical or technical details.
- Authentic music leaders help to create a space where individuals can more deeply understand and experience their belovedness in God’s eyes. They can do this because they are secure in their own identity and inner worth.
- Authentic music leaders help to create a space where worshipers have the freedom to express the deep joy or pain in their hearts to God. They can do this because they are in touch with their own emotions and have embraced the light and the shadows within themselves.
- Authentic music leaders help to create a space where individuals can be challenged to grow into their fullest abilities but also have the freedom to fail and try again. They can do this because they genuinely love the people who they serve and see the building of community as more crucial than a perfectly in-tune melody. And because they are not motivated by fear of failure they are able to offer helpful correction, grace and encouragement to others.
What do you think? Is there something that needs to be added? How would our churches change if organists, choir directors, singers and song leaders were offering this kind of leadership from Sunday to Sunday? Offering great beauty and skill coupled with generosity of spirit and a desire to see the hearts of worshipers freed to deeper participation and ultimately, deeper praise? Do you think this would, as Parker says, ‘liberate the world’?
My soul has been nourished the past ten days. Thanks to 40,000 frequent flyer miles, $67 (the booking fee!) and the hospitality of my dear friend, Michael, I enjoyed an inexpensive but exciting trip to Berlin, Germany. Home base was a lovely apartment right near Potsdamer platz, which is a bustling center of commerce and entertainment. There is a huge amount of building going on all over the city – some of it very exciting, modern architecture. But the new and the old mingle throughout and I love the juxtapositions and conversations that they create. Some say that Berlin is one of the most interesting cities in the world right now and it is easy to see why.
Berlin is a city that is well aware of its history though it is not always easy to face. But it seems to be finding a way to integrate its past into its future. Buildings like the Kaiser-Wilhelm-Gedächtnis-Kirche from the 1960’s, in which a new church and tower were built within and beside a bombed out structure, are a unique blending of new and old. A stretch of the Berlin Wall has been preserved and cobblestone markers on the streets show where it used to run. And the Holocaust Memorial is a profound remembrance of the many lives lost in concentration camps. Thousands of slabs of grey concrete (each about the size and shape of a funeral plot) are set in a pattern of rows which you can walk between. When you first observe the monument from the sidewalk, they are at varying heights but no more than waist high. As you walk towards the center of the memorial, you descend lower and lower until the heavy pieces extend almost 8-10 feet above you. The street noise is muted, it is darker and there is a feeling of weight and sadness. As you come back to the edge of the memorial (which covers the space of a city block), the light grows again, giving a sense of coming to the surface after being underwater. Michael, who has lived with the memorial for several years, pointed out that concrete was an intentional choice. This is not a memorial that is going anywhere soon; it will stand to remind future generations of the suffering that was inflicted on so many.
Dining in the city was wonderful and we didn’t even hit high-end places. There are fresh markets, lovely cafes and places where you can get the classic German beer and bratwurst. I was also amazed to see food from so many different cultures. One evening, I made a Vietnamese rice noodle soup with ingredients that we bought at an Asian grocery. Somehow, the rice noodles didn’t make it home with us (or the cupboard ate them) and I was despairing that the soup was a failure. Michael put on his jacket, walked down to a restaurant on the street and ended up buying noodles from them. Maybe this is one of the gifts of globalization; you can easily get rice noodles in places you wouldn’t expect. Last night I had the best falafel and Middle Eastern food I have ever had in my life. The place was called Mo’s Falafel which, sadly, only gave me visions of Mo from The Simpsons. However, this Mo was a round, middle-aged babushka. She worked behind the deli-style counter of her tiny shop with amazing efficiency and care: a splash of olive oil here, a spoonful of yogurt sauce there, and a collection of bubbling pots and sizzling pans on the stove. She moved like a dancer who had perfected choreography for each action in the kitchen. She didn’t want to answer questions about herself (Michael inquires each time he visits) but focused on the food. “My little job,” she said, “is to please my customers.” And that she did. If you are ever in Berlin you must go to Mo’s!
Berlin has an exciting art scene and I got to see exhibitions at the Gemäldegalerie Gallerie, Hamburger Bahnhof and Kunst Werke. In the past years, I have found such renewal in museums and I’m not sure exactly why. I’m learning to appreciate the craft and skill of well-known masters, enjoying the challenge of new works and allowing myself to respond intuitively to colors, forms and figures. There is also something about the leisurely pace of a museum and the orderliness of the space. Somehow it cleanses the palate and sharpens your ability to see the world.
The other aspect of Berlin that I enjoyed was their openness and tolerance toward same-sex relationships. I recognize that no place is ideal, but it is truly joyful to walk down the street arm-in-arm with another man and not have to think twice about it. The most common places you are “allowed” to publicly express same-sex affection in the US are in gay bars, clubs or a few neighborhoods within large cities. Outside of these contexts, there are few truly safe places. As I shared in an earlier post, I don’t believe that sexuality is the lens through which I am called to view everything but it is an important part of how I live in the world. Like anyone, I want to be able to share healthy, life-affirming touch with a friend or a lover and not have to fear. I long for the day that gay and lesbian persons can live undivided lives – not having to choose between public or private expressions of their love and care. Berlin gave me a snapshot of what that might be like.
As I reenter the “real” world, I am looking forward to the coming months. There is much to do but I feel as if my batteries have been recharged. I’m especially looking forward to co-teaching a class at Eden Theological Seminary with Dr. Christopher Grundy this month. We’ll be sharing our passion for congregational song and exploring how churches might recover and reclaim the joy of singing together. I’m sure it will be a rich time and fuel some future entries.
It has been great to see the growing blog readership. Each time I post, I see a few more people are reading. I encourage you to offer comments and thoughts if you like. Peace.
