Watching that very nice man, Gareth Malone and his workforce choirs on TV recently really got me thinking – or more specifically, feeling strong emotions. I saw how a bunch of “ordinary” people can produce something that is beautiful – extraordinary.
It began with the usual clutter of discordance and varying talent – ordinariness that grew into a joyful harmony. The group was united under a common purpose and fully engaged with a loyal commitment to a shared outcome – being the best and winning together. Choir members spoke of the pleasure of the production, the connection to each other and what they created together. The whole thing became a metaphor of possibility within the very place of its origin – the business they are in.
I noticed how one place was regularly cited as stressful and full of discontent as it goes through repeated change. Yet the choir found a reason and focus to produce something full of energy and performance that required a single focus and the pulling together of talent. The metaphor became stronger when it was pointed out that a choir only works when the voices are working together. Talented, strong, single voices working separately do not work as a whole.
So do we have a choir within us? Could that choir find its voice when it has reason and opportunity to flourish? Could it be that I didn’t know I could sing, connect and fill my heart with pleasure and pride until the choirmaster arrived with the invitation? In that extraordinary moment, it is not the choirmaster that gave me my voice, I found it for myself.
