It’s Friday afternoon. At this very moment, my choir assistant and I would be in the midst of an OMAG rehearsal. But not for the past two weeks and not for the foreseeable future. Volunteering and visitation have been suspended at the prison until further notice. There’s so much uncertainty in this age of coronavirus. In the midst of crisis or when I need an emotional boost, I’ve always turned to music-making. Certainly, I have the luxury of listening to recordings, watching countless free online archival music performances, and plunking out a few ditties of my own on the piano. But this is eerily solitary. I am keenly aware these days of the meaning that group singing has in my life. Being a choir member is one of the many identities I claim for myself. I “belong” to a choir as a member. As a conductor and singer, I work toward the collective artistic effort that is a common goal of a choir. I participate in a choir because the music stems from a place within myself and contributes to a musical product that is far beyond myself.
And, what about those who are consistently removed from community and are intentionally isolated on a daily basis? How are “my guys” in the OMAG Choir dealing with their new (coronavirus) social-distancing normal, or is this time merely a continuation of their sense of being “removed”? The singers have often said they are removed from prison for 90 minutes weekly, when they are in choir rehearsal. Are they gathering to work on vocal parts in small groups? Are they working on their music theory and sight-reading exercises? Have musical leaders emerged to continue their musical activity, if even in small groups? Is my “insider” accompanist leading mini-rehearsals? What are the OMAG singers doing now, during our regular choir time, even while I write this blog post? Are they as anxious as I am about the pandemic? What resources do they have for their well-being? Is anyone ill?
This time calls for creativity, so what’s my plan? A choir rehearsal cannot “flatten the curve”, but just maybe it gives us all something creative to think about, rather than our overburdened focus on the virus. I’ve been experimenting with a few models for conducting sectional rehearsals, music theory/aural skills training, and small group “voice” lessons using technology. The deputy warden told us today that distance learning is a possibility in some cases. On Monday, I will call the central Ohio Dept. of Rehabilitation & Corrections office and ask for tech support in order to set up distance learning for the OMAG Choir at the Grafton Correctional Institution. Like so many other choir directors’ online posts have stated, I, too, want to remain connected to my choir for the duration of this extreme social distancing. Stay tuned as I explore and report back. I know we can make this happen!
Singing Behind Bars 