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students from first grade through university. It is a new Finally, take your choir out to perform often. I was so
chapter for me and equally as rewarding as work in the hesitant to do this when I was a young teacher. I had lit-
classroom and rehearsal hall. tle confidence in my ability, and I felt insecure and em-
My vision for the studio included a very comfortable barrassed by my own work. However, once I got over
overstuffed chair for sometimes weary parents to sit in myself and started having my choir perform more, they
and enjoy hearing their child perform and grow. Re- rose to the occasion. No one wants to be embarrassed,
cently a parent texted me this sweet sentiment: “This so they worked harder to bring excellence, and then
week has been physically and emotionally demanding. the reward of the rush after an exciting performance
I’m struggling to just keep my head above water. But, paid off. If you’re early for a performance, stop by a gas
in all the chaos there is this chair. When I sit here, my station and sing one of your songs. Sing at halftime of a
troubles disappear for thirty minutes. Here I listen to basketball tournament. Sing for the school assemblies.
my favorite vocalist and get lost in the music.” Mission Tour the elementaries, carol at Christmas, and take the
for the parent chair accomplished! choir to the office on the principal’s birthday to sing!
I wondered if I would miss the podium after all those I once took the choir to in-school suspension when
years of immensely enjoying conducting, but in addi- one of our singers landed in there, and we sang for
tion to teaching privately, I also have the opportunity to them. They loved it! Sing in the school commons as the
guest conduct honor choirs, and I love it! While I don’t school gathers in the morning. Audition to sing other
have a choir I regularly conduct, I do have a couple of places. We once auditioned to sing at the tournament
ideas about starting new ensembles in my community. of the sweet sixteen and sang for the Stanford game.
The time is not now, but I can see myself having a choir What a rush! We sang for the St. Louis Cardinals, the
or two again in the future. St. Louis Rams, our home baseball and soccer teams,
football games, basketball games, the Harlem Globe-
Looking back at your career, what three things trotters, and we flash-mobbed everywhere we could.
would you tell your younger self? (This question During COVID, we gave parking lot concerts and sang
was supplied by the previous Choral Conver- at a nursing home outside the building, making our
sations interviewee. See “A Conversation with way around the entire building singing songs for the
Pearl Shangkuan,” Choral Journal March/April residents. They cried and we cried!
2025.)
Please provide a question for the next Choral
First, draw a circle around your choir and keep them Conversations interviewee.
at the focus of your care and leadership. Worry not
about the stamp of approval from others at the school What are some of your most memorable choral
or in the area or in the profession. Resist comparison, works you have programmed? Why did you program
as that will leave you feeling better or worse than you them, and what was the result for the singers and the
ought. Care for the choir, and they in turn will care for audience?
each other and often for you.
Second, you don’t have to know everything! One
hallmark quality of teachers and especially conductors Donathan Chang is a former conducting student of
is that they love to help. If you do not know the pronun- Mark Lawley’s, and his wife, Dr. Yoojin Muhn, is the
ciation, ask. If you don’t know how to plan a tour, ask. director of choral activities at the University of Texas
If you do not know the rules and expectations for an at San Antonio. Mark, Donathan, and Yoojin have re-
event, ask. If you don’t know IPA or solfège or perfor- mained in contact over the years while sharing conver-
mance practices, ask. And ask right away! You’ll find, sations about the choral profession.
as I did, that the choral world will trip over itself to help
you; you just have to ask.

CHORAL JOURNAL October 2025 Volume 66 Number 3 65