Post-pandemic singing in New Zealand

Lessons from post-pandemic singing in New Zealand

In some ways, chapters have emerged stronger after quarantine

What does it feel like post-pandemic? What can you expect as singers and chorus members when you come out of your current restricted lifestyle? What’s different and what hasn’t changed? Here is what we have learned in New Zealand on the other side of COVID:

Technology is a blessing. Thank goodness for technology and Zoom. I remember watching Star Trek as a kid in the ’70s and marveling at the ridiculous notion of people talking to each other live via a TV monitor. How 2020 was that!

The world is smaller. Our chorus still raves about the thrill of inviting barbershop icons into our homes to talk to us. We had time to stop and listen, and to reflect on our strengths. I’d like to think we can still reach out to our favorite international coaches post-pandemic too!

Keep learning. We took advantage of Zoom rehearsal time to keep our

WE CAME BACK TOGETHER WITH SO MUCH MORE APPRECIATION OF OUR “ FELLOWSHIP, OF WHAT SINGING MEANT TO US, AND SO MUCH MORE AWARE OF THE JOY OF SINGING TOGETHER IN HARMONY. OUR AUDIENCES ARE RAVING ABOUT HOW MUCH WE HAVE IMPROVED SINCE LAST YEAR. ”

In Hamilton, New Zealand, the Waikato Rivertones (SAI) and the author’s men’s chorus, Mighty River Harmony, combined to put on two holiday shows in 2020.

voices oiled, to learn new repertoire, to mark up scores together, and to find ways to speed up learning. We have a new repertoire now that our post-lockdown audiences are loving.

Zoom bonding is better than you think. When we came out of lockdown, it amazed me that when we met up for the first time, it was only those who weren’t on Zoom who seemed like long-lost friends.

Singing with heart. We came back together with so much more appreciation of our fellowship, of what singing meant to us, and so much more aware of the joy of singing together in harmony. Our audiences are raving about how much we have improved since last year, how ‘clean’ we sound, and how we are clearly loving what we do.

A new perspective on contests. What a blessing in disguise it has been that our competitions were canceled. We would have spent the year chasing elusive contest points over two songs to improve on last year’s score. Instead, we focused on an in-house scratch quartet contest and national Harmony Education Aotearoa weekend last month. What fun!

Remembering why we love it. Getting back to sing together reminded us why we love doing what we do. The chords tingle our spines, our souls are fed, and the fellowship is such strong glue. But most of all, we missed pleasing our audiences and feeding their souls.

Keeping some of the good things. After the initial shock of adjusting to quarantine, families in New Zealand began to enjoy the simple things, like daily family walks or bike rides. Fathers spent more time with kids. Time to cook meals and bake bread and smelling the roses became a real thing. It has left me questioning our frantic pace of life, reflecting on what really matters, and being determined to appreciate more of the simple pleasures.

Hang in there, friends in the U.S. and Canada. Try to appreciate some of the blessings staying at home brings, keep singing, and keep connecting. We’ll all be singing in harmony together soon enough. n Jill Rodgers is BHNZ National Education Coordinator, Dean of Harmony Education Aotearoa chorus, Director of Mighty River Harmony, BHS Harmony University CAP Coordinator, and lead in Unlimited quartet Jill.rodgersnz@gmail.com