Introduction
Choir directors are engaged in various choral activities. As a result, they perform not only musical but also pedagogical, administrative, and liturgical roles. The manner, in which they are undertaken, influences the attitudes of the participants towards musical activities greatly (Mantie 22). In this way, if the members of the choir reveal the traits of their leader, many future generations can bear the director’s legacy. It deals not only with such things as the attitudes towards the choir and its place in life but also with more personal characteristics.
Main body
In order to prove this view, the research that consisted of two parts was conducted. Theoretical materials were thoroughly investigated, and the study with ten (10) members of the “Coral de Cámara Exalumnos” (Alumni) of the University of Puerto Rico was conducted. The sample was selected with the help of the simple random technique. It was qualitative research that revealed the views of the participants on the musical and pedagogical impacts of the choir director. The information was gathered through well-structured interviews and observations of the responders’ attitudes and expressions. Finally, the collected data was summarized and classified. The results were discussed with references to the Serious leisure theory, quality life theory, and situational learning.
As a result of completing the investigation, it was found out that the members of the chorus tend to treat a director as a leader and are likely to follow one’s example. While working, a choir director encourages the group and develops a love for music. Whiteley also supports such an idea and strongly believes that motivation plays a vital role in this case (73). When a director appreciates teamwork, one makes the members feel like a whole and promotes the development of skills needed in both personal and professional aspects of life. Such attitude improves the music-making process significantly, and the choir achieves success (Pierce et al. 567; Heo et al. 209). The way the members manage their everyday activities alters, as they become more concentrated, disciplined, and passionate about music if their director reveals such traits. Close interaction allows lots of people to share memorable experiences regardless of their cultural diversity. As people’s attitudes and emotions affect the way they perceive information, the learning process also streamlines, and abilities in music-making improve (Heo et al. 17). The director can unassumingly teach the choir to respect musical instruments, the composer, and the audience so that they will have shared values and will communicate them to others. When the director refers to the leisure motives, one can improve the quality of the members’ lives (Rohwer and Rohwer 257). For example, during the concerts, they can be delighted to interact with the audience and receive positive feedback. In this way, under the director’s influence, the choir goes through numerous life-changing experiences that enhance their well-being.
Conclusion
Thus, the manner, in which a director maintains one’s roles, influences the members of the choir greatly. Creating a positive environment that promotes personal and professional development, the director enhances the members’ quality of life and forms the way they treat not only their work but also the whole world. If the current groups that are directly affected by their choir directors continue bearing this legacy, they will communicate it to others, and it will linger on for several generations.
Works Cited
Heo, Jinmoo, Youngkhill Lee, Bryan McCormick and Paul Pedersen. Daily Experience of Serious Leisure, Flow, and Subjective Well-Being of Older Adults. Leisure Studies 29.2 (2010): 207–225. Print.
Heo, Jinmoo, Robert Stebbins, Junhyoung Kim and Inheok Lee. (2013). Serious Leisure, Life Satisfaction, and Health of Older Adults. Leisure Sciences 35.1 (2013): 16–32. Print.
Mantie, Roger. A Study of Community Band Participants: Implications for Music Education. Bulletin of the Council for Research in Music Education 191 (2012): 21–43. Print.
Pierce, David, Judy Cameron, Katherine Banko and Sylvia So. (2003). Positive Effects of Rewards and Performance Standards on Intrinsic Motivation. The Psychological Record 53 (2003): 561–578. Print.
Rohwer, Debbie, and Mark Rohwer. A Content Analysis of Choral Students’ Participation Perceptions: Implications for Lifelong Learning. International Journal of Community 2.2/3 (2009): 255-262. Print.
Whiteley, Philip. Motivation, Oxford: Capstone Publishing, 2002. Print.