Never say, "Never!"

I love to sing with others and I love the challenge of learning new music.  Since moving to South Bend, I have sung in two auditioned choirs but both met at night when I'd rather be home and both had pretty intense performance times.  I'm not sure I could stand or even hold music up for hours any more in order to perform.  So I haven't sung in a choir other than church choir for several years.

 With much regret, I thought that part of my life was over.  But it's not!  Last week, Jim forwarded me the usual Monday  Notre Dame announcements and I happened to see that auditions were taking place for the Notre Dame Repertory Choir.  I had heard the choir sing last spring and they sounded good in their rather short program.   And they met at lunch time twice a week.

So I boldly auditioned before four graduate students in the music program.  That in itself was an adventure. I matched sets of tones, clapped out rhythms,  sight read exercises, and then sang the alto line of "Christ Lag in Todebanden" which actually was not sightreading for me!

I waited a week before the email arrived.   Not only was I accepted--they offered me a paid position of $15 an hour.  I was delighted to be accepted but turned down the money.  I'm sure a student needed it far more than I do --after all, I do get social security and a pension!

I have now attended two rehearsals.    It was great fun.  The young voices are good--much better than mine.  We spend no time warming up or learning music.  We just sing and I was challenged to keep up as best I could.

The purpose of the Repertory Choir is to give student conductors a chance to practice their skills.  Several graduate students took turns conducting and receiving suggestions from Professor Carmen-Helena Terrez.   They were encouraged to try out what she said on the spot--and they were put on the spot.  It was really interesting to see the process of their graciously accepting criticism and improving their skills.

I am definitely the only "grown-up" in the class--let alone "senior citizen?"  But I had a great time and look forward to the next meeting.

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After writing this blog and waiting to post it, I had some second thoughts about being two and three times the age of everyone else in the choir.  Then I read Felicia Ackerman's letter to the editor in the New York Times and thought that maybe I was guilty of "ageism" myself!  Dear reader, what do you think?  What would you do?

Call It Ageism

September 4, 2014

To the Editor:

According to “When Did We Get So Old?” (Sunday Review, Aug. 31), “Johnathan Rodgers, who is 68, knew that it was time to step down as president and chief executive of the cable channel TV One” when he saw that he was the oldest person at the conference table.

Why is this any more of a reason for stepping down than being the darkest-skinned person at the conference table? And why accept the view of Dr. Roger Gould, a psychiatrist, that old people are “the ones the world can do without”?

As a member of the baby boom generation, which fought racism and sexism, I see no reason to knuckle under to ageism.

FELICIA NIMUE ACKERMAN
Providence, R.I., Sept. 1, 2014

The writer is a professor of philosophy at Brown University.

http://mobile.nytimes.com/2014/09/05/opinion/call-it-ageism.html