I got a call from my friend Hank this week asking if I would help out in the bass section this Sunday. The last time he called I was going to be in London, and I didn’t have that excuse this time. Besides, I really like these folks, and I was looking forward to seeing them
It turned out a bit weirder than I thought. Lewis Foster was conducting. I had to resist walking up to the podium. I took a couple of steps to prepare myself mentally – I didn’t wear a tie or jacket, and I took a seat on the back row. Even so, I often caught myself using my "song leader" voice rather than blending, and had to resist conducting subtly to myself. Lewis did a great job, but even so I had to resist the urge to "fix" things I heard. This is why it’s never a good idea for choir directors to sing in someone else’s choir, especially a choir that one has directed recently.
I’m hearing great things about what Hank is doing. Seeing my former choir made me a bit jealous of Hank, – I thoroughly love working with choirs. But, I know I wouldn’t be able to follow through with everything the church needs given my current obligations.