Page 71 - CJOct24

leadership through collaboration. Our chorus values chorus values, and our rehearsals embody collaboration
(as selected by choristers) are: kindness, collaboration, through allowing the singers themselves to be subject
growth, harmony, and fun. matter experts when appropriate (e.g., when we sing
Dr. Gabrielle Dietrich, the conductor of EFYC, is a a piece in Spanish, Spanish-speaking students coach
survivor of childhood trauma. During the summer of pronunciation), allowing singers to honor the cues of
2020, Gabrielle read Bessel van der Kolk’s “The Body their own bodies (e.g., singers don’t have to ask to use
Keeps the Score” and not only recognized herself in the restroom), and encouraging mentorship between
the stories included in the book but was also inspired by more experienced and less experienced singers. These
Dr. van der Kolk’s descriptions of the kinds of thera- are all ways of empowering singers and decentralizing
peutic environments that brought his patients solace, authority, which in turn encourages self-advocacy, body
including choruses. Sadly, many choruses impede the awareness, and personal agency. As the comedian John
inherently restorative aspects of choral singing through Hodgman often says in his podcast, each singer is a
authoritarian, exclusive, or socially unjust approaches; “whole human being in their own right.” Their voices
recognizing the ways in which choral singing helped belong to them as individuals, and our purpose as con-
her as a young person, Dr. Dietrich began with the ductors is not to objectify them as “our instrument,”
question: “What if we (conductors) got out of the way but to nurture them as they grow into who they choose
and intentionally allowed our choirs to be a place that to be.
centered safety, humanity, and wellness?” Later that
summer, Gabrielle moved to Albuquerque and learned
that New Mexico is tied with Arizona for the highest
rate of Adverse Childhood Experiences (events that Glenn Korff School of Music &
predispose individuals to experiencing post-event trau- International Quilt Museum,
ma) in the country. It was clear to her that this was an University of Nebraska-Lincoln
idea whose time had come and she was in the right Submitted by: Rhonda Fuelberth
place to carry out this work. Location: Lincoln, Nebraska
https://arts.unl.edu/music/i2choir
What is the most successful aspect of the project?
Program or Project Title:
i Choir: Inclusive, Intergenerational,
2
El Faro Youth Chorus singers have had the op-
portunity to work with several distinguished conduc- Exponentially Better Together
tors (including Dr. Rosephanye Powell and Dr. Anton
Armstrong) and were the subject of a regional Emmy
Award-winning news piece in December 2022 (www.
youtube.com/watch?v=6QHdKX8C4Ic). These expe-
riences have been inspiring for our singers and staff,
and yet, we consider our chorus community to be our
proudest achievement. Our singers feel safe to express
their opinions, disagree vigorously, and still come to-
gether around their shared love of singing. In a world
plagued by division and tribalism, this kind of open-
ness is something we all should aspire to cultivate.

What is the collaborative element of your project?
i Choir is an inclusive and intergenerational choral
2
As mentioned above, our singers selected their own ensemble that has partnered with the University of

CHORAL JOURNAL October 2024 Volume 65 Number 3 69