A Not-so-Subtle Reminder

Lilly Hall was buzzing with singers being dropped off, running to their choir room, signing in and taking their places.  I had ventured upstairs from the basement enclave where the ICC offices are to meet a volunteer.  I was thinking about my busy day, wondering where the heck I had parked my car eight hours before, distracted by the fact that my own daughter had texted me about the family dog jumping the fence.

As I walked past the room in which Bel Canto was rehearsing, I literally stopped in my tracks.  "O Fortuna" was pouring out of that choir room, sung with such maturity and polish it was beyond belief. I poked my head into the room where Bel Canto director Josh Pedde was working with the singers. Clearly advanced in their musicality, some of the kids just looked so young. It simply didn't seem plausible that the singing I just heard came out of those kids.  

A snapshot would show tall singers, short singers, some in jeans, some in soccer uniforms, some who probably had a bad day and some who may be thinking about the homework they still would have to do when they got home.  A snapshot would not have shown the skill with which these singers were being taught, the passion that came along with the skill, or the musical prowess they gained from the ICC directors in choirs leading up to this one.  

Although I've enjoyed dozens of fabulous concerts and certainly know the caliber with which our singers perform, I was pleasantly surprised to be abruptly reminded that when it comes to teaching kids to sing, the Indianapolis Children's Choir is second to none.  

A Day at the World Choir Games

It's extremely difficult to reach dominance in any profession. However, watching Henry Leck, the founder and artistic director of the Indianapolis Children's Choir, work his way through a day at the 2012 World Choir Games, I knew I was watching a man who had done just that. 

We boarded a bus at 6am and would be in Cincinnati only for a day.  Henry was teaching a workshop in the morning, and there was a public concert that night.  The ICC was not there to compete. 

No medal ceremonies, no ranking, no wondering who's the best choir.  Henry's philosophy, that music should not separate people but rather draw them together, has done no harm.  His choirs have performed on five continents, for religious, government, and corporate leaders, and with an array of professional entertainers.  The artistic quality of the ICC has never been compromised and the singers never fail to amaze.

The real work began in Junior Ballroom B, on the 3rd floor of the Duke Energy Convention Center.  This particular group of kids, culled together from two choirs, had never sung together.  To get the optimal sound, the choir needed to be 'voiced'.  This was fascinating to watch.  In a mere 10 minutes Henry went through the whole choir, section by section.  Two adjoining singers would sing the same note.  In an instant Henry would determine if being next to each other still produced the ideal sound.

Then the workshop "Changing Choral Sound" began.  Few attendees were aware that they were about to be treated to one of the best children's choirs in the world.  Henry taught several visualization and movement exercises.  A couple of measures of "Let There Be Peace on Earth" were sung to exhibit each technique.  Two measures, over and over, each with nuances not heard before.  I overheard one of the workshop attendees exclaim, "They sound so beautiful!  I just want them to sing the whole song!"

After the workshop, Henry sat down for a TV interview, convinced a Russian musician to help the singers with a challenging Russian piece, ate lunch, and headed off with the singers to the hotel.  Then it was off to the sound check at the Aronoff Center for the Arts, dinner, a little rehearsing, then waiting for their cue.   

The ICC was the last choir in the line-up for the Music of the World Celebration concert.  It had been a long day, but Henry and the singers were ready.  Their final piece, "One Song at a Time" resonated with the audience.  The song made one believe in possibilities.  If we all work together, stand side by side, could we really change the world - one song at a time - as the lyrics would lead us to imagine?

Yes, it is possible.  All of the choirs that descended upon Cincinnati demonstrated that.

Then, ICC took the stage and without the incentive of winning a prize, the choir sang its heart out.  The singers performed with artistry that brought a tear to one's eye and the audience to its feet.  And that possibility?  Henry had it glowing a little brighter. 

Attention Film Makers!

Note to those new to the movie making business: Don't skimp on the music.

This thought came to mind today as I settled in to watch Titanic's latest release. What a great film - history is the main character, it has a good love story, perfect casting and phenomenal storytelling.

I hadn't seen it for about eight years and during that time my life has changed and my outlook on things has been adapted by experience. Although seeing it in 3-D (3-D done right, I might add) and on an IMAX screen was visually stunning, eight years later it was the music that struck me the most.

How beautiful it was, how evocative, how integral to each and every scene. I don't know enough about film making to know when in the production process a score comes together. In some movies it's clearly an afterthought. In the case of Titanic - which won many Academy Awards, including Best Dramatic Score - I imagine the music being created in a parallel time line to the script. Hand and hand, the composer and musicians working together with the writers, with the actors, each group of creative minds inspiring one another.

Music is like that in so much of our lives - everywhere, often playing a supportive role, without which the main attraction couldn't quite shine as bright. The Indianapolis Children's Choir is a bit like that. We work in the background, helping to shape young lives hand in hand with their parents, their teachers, their own experiences. We help kids shine brighter.

Keep music in the lives of our children. It may just steal a few scenes.

The Singers That Didn't Take the Field

Now that the applause has died down, let’s change focus just a bit. Sure – for those 45 kids from the Indianapolis Children's Choir who took the field at Lucas Oil Stadium to sing the national anthem with Kelly Clarkson at Super Bowl XLVI – it was an experience of a lifetime. I was extremely proud of how the singers handled the rehearsals, the attention, the performance. However, I was just as proud of the singers who couldn’t be there. They handled the disappointment with a maturity beyond their years.

A little back story: There cannot be any doubt that the two conductors who took the field – ICC founder and artistic director Henry Leck and assistant artistic director Josh Pedde – would have wanted their full choirs out there on the 50-yard line. However, the NFL requested 45 singers – no more, no less. Singers from two of the ICC advanced choirs – Bel Canto and Cantantes Angeli – were selected based in large part on their stature. Super Bowl organizers wanted singers that were up to the task musically, but they also wanted singers who looked as young as possible. (Kelly Clarkson isn’t very tall; even in heels. I imagine the sight of little children gathered around the main attraction was what the organizers were trying to conjure up.)

The anthem singers handled their opportunity of a lifetime with artistic excellence second to none, but ALL of the singers are a shining example of the best of what music education offers a child – confidence, discipline, and grace.

There was a palpable reticence in the air on their regular Monday rehearsal the evening after the big game. In one of the choir rooms, a young singer who did not perform on the world’s largest stage said: “Can we clap for the kids who got to do it?” Bravo to them all.

Accepting a request: Honoring Dan Wheldon

When the call came in, the office stopped. Can we do this? Can we accept a performance request from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway to perform at the memorial service for IZOD IndyCar series driver Dan Wheldon?

Our performances are planned months in advance. This is to allow time for our directors to choose appropriate music, for the singers to learn it, and for our parents to get it on their schedules. Unlike adult performing arts groups, our artists don't drive. Don Steffy, executive director of the Indianapolis Children's Choir said, "We don't just throw our guitar in the car and go."

Singers are on fall break, and there was a question about the music. Was there even appropriate repertoire for this somber event so early in our season?

The behind-the-scenes effort to honor this request was a moment I wish more people saw. The entire ICC staff pulled out phone lists and began calling individual families, and parents rearranged their schedules. Above all of this was the puzzle that had to be put together with the music.

This is where the ICC really shines: founder and artistic director Henry Leck and assistant artistic director Josh Pedde began poring over songs. Cheryl West, director of ICC's high school division the Indianapolis Youth Chorale, offered some of her singers to ensure there are enough to complete a full choir. The artistic quality that ICC was built upon could not be comprised, but it was beginning to look like there were enough singers, enough common repertoire, and enough rehearsal time that it wouldn't have to be.

The request was accepted. The public won't see the effort put forth by the entire organization over the past 24 hours - parents, singers, and staff alike. They will, however, see over 80 young singers atop the risers at Conseco Fieldhouse, with a sound beautiful enough to honor a champion.

Thoughts from the Super Bowl volunteer kick-off

Indy is getting ready for the Super Bowl. Sports fan or not, this is huge for our city. I recently attended the volunteer kick-off, which amounted to a 2-hour cheerleading session to get over 8,000 volunteers excited about the work before them.

Hats off to the Super Bowl Host Committee - they did get us excited! At a preview of one of the world's biggest sporting events, one thing was clear: Music was a huge part of the excitement!

I walked in to Conseco Fieldhouse to hear live music coming from a band set up right on the basketball court. A former Miss America sang the national anthem, and the crowd sang along. In a video montage of the sporting events Indy has hosted over the past 25 years, I was thrilled to see that the Indianapolis Children's Choir was at many of them. The evening wrapped up with Indiana's own Sandi Patty singing "Indianapolis".

It's interesting to me how some people align themselves with one side of the fence or the other, proclaiming "I'm a sports guy" or "I'm an arts advocate." They're really so intertwined at times. The ICC has welcomed visitors, sung the Star Spangled Banner, and performed national anthems live for foreign athletes at world competitions.

Sports and music: we're lucky to be in a city that does both so well.

Project 9/11 Indianapolis Memorial Dedication CD

I spent a little time last week feeling a bit like a record producer. I was listening to few takes of our national anthem, sung by Cantantes Angeli, that had recently been recorded for the Project 9/11 Indianapolis CD.

We were on time crunch, as the organizers of this project needed our recording by close-of-business that day. ICC founder and artistic director Henry Leck was hearing nuances in each take, and he was listening carefully to ensure we delivered the best version. His name would be on this CD, so I certainly understood, even though I kept checking the time on my watch.

Our involvement in this project - the dedication of the beams from the World Trade Center on the 10th annivesary of 9/11 - came about easy enough. I picked up the phone and offered our services. Not a moments hesitation, and Greg Hess, the Indianapolis firefighter who spearheaded the memorial, said "Could you sing the national anthem?"

He never asked for a demo, nor references, nor any questions about our experience with these types of public events. Think about that - just on our name alone did he enthusiastically take me up on my offer to perform at a civic event that will include many of our state's top dignitaries.

Our reputation is solid. The ICC is known for many things, but artistic excellence is at the top of the list. Due to the high standards practiced at every rehearsal by all of our conductors, our name alone is assurance of a great performance.

I'm never involved when it comes to artistic development - but Friday afternoon in Henry's office I got a glimpse at the process. It's a process that ensures when people read "The Indianapolis Children's Choir" on that CD jacket, they'll already know its going to be great.