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The Keys to Collaboration: Unlocking the Power of Partnership for Choral Organizations

tween the Festival, Bunch, and Takei eventually led to How do you measure the success of collabora-
another original work that premiered in 2021 with sup- tions?
port from the NEA.
In northeastern New York, the Saratoga Opera Meier-Baker (NEA): Measuring success can be diffi-
mounted a new production of composer Lembit Beech- cult, which is why so many organizations resist doing it
er and librettist Hannah Moscovitch’s Sky on Swings, a at all. From the onset, establishing clarity on a project’s
musical and theatrical exploration of Alzheimer’s dis- overarching goal is of primary importance. This goal
ease as seen through the eyes of two women at different must be routinely revisited and remain at the partners’
stages of dementia. They partnered with the Alzheim- top-of-mind so that any mid-course corrections can be
er’s Association of Northeastern New York to create made. A key question might be what type of impact are you
associated public events that explored the challenges of hoping to make? For a broad impact, success may look like
living with the disease and those caring for them. the total number of individuals reached. For a deeper
One final element that unites these examples and impact, success may involve a smaller number of par-
so many others is the understanding that relationships ticipants whose transformation demonstrates a lasting
among partners need to be nurtured and strengthened investment. Another common question relates to the
over time. Partnerships rely on people, and—just like “customer” of the project. Are they the singers them-
any relationship—require open, thoughtful, and fre- selves, or are you focusing more on the experience of
quent communication about shared priorities and op- the audience? Answering such questions will help iden-
portunities. tify which aspects of the project need to be measured to
properly evaluate success.
Sidey (CA): Many successful collaborations are com-
munity-led, where the needs and ideas of their stake- Mlynczak (NAMM): It starts with clearly defined
holders (e.g., participants, personnel, family members) goals, a shared agenda, and individual roles and assign-
shape programs and solutions that suit their local ments for everyone involved. After continual progress, a
needs. Partners that engage in active listening and work first measure of success is the willingness of collabora-
from a curious mindset tend to learn a great deal from tors to continue to “show up” for the work at hand. At
these types of individuals. Getting to know a commu- NAMM, a critical part of our work is building a co-
nity’s needs and desires often helps partners articulate alition for music advocacy. In this space, success is de-
a shared definition of success. fined by the readiness of individuals and organizations
Additionally, many impactful collaborations recog- to continue to participate in advocacy work both at
nize that this type of work is people-powered. As such, NAMM-sponsored national events, such as our policy-
they invest in individuals that make this work possible. related work with federal legislators, and among grass-
Whether that means using grant funds to compensate roots efforts in their own communities.
teaching artists at fair market rates, supplementing
teacher pay for additional assumed work, or financially Sidey (CA): Success can look very different from one
honoring individuals for advisory roles, the act of rec- project to another. In our grantmaking, we take time to
ognizing the fair value of an individual’s labor is an learn and understand how projects define success and
important part of a successful collaboration. When identify the changes they hope to observe or measure
monetary compensation is not possible, project leaders as a result of their work. As a funder, we rely on a part-
might consider alternate forms of compensation, such ner’s definition of success and not our own. Allowing
as providing resources or supplies, offering professional grantees and project partners to define success is a valu-
development opportunities, and facilitating meaningful able way of recognizing their community knowledge
networking. and expertise. Operating from a place of shared values
nurtures freedom and trust to let grant partners define
success and identify appropriate methods to observe or
measure progress.

CHORAL JOURNAL October 2024 Volume 65 Number 3 41