Sigma Alpha Iota

Spring 2019 14 PAN PIPES CHORAL SURVEY WHY WE SING WHAT CHOIRS MEAN TO US By Stephanie M. Riley In eighth grade, my dear friend's mother asked me what I was interested in doing as a career. Without any hesitation at all, I replied with "I want to be the best choral conductor in the world." At the ripe old age of 13, I knew exactly what mattered most to me in life, without knowing then how much it would change me for the better, humble and humiliate me, as well as giving me some of the most life altering experiences I could ever imagine having. It soon came time to apply for college and I set my sights, and all of my eggs into the proverbial one basket, and become a full-blown "Cranie" at the SUNY-Potsdam Crane School of Music. I dutifully attended orientation over the summer and was enrolled in Phoenix Club and Crane Chorus - the all campus SATB chorus; a requirement for every semester in my undergraduate time at Crane. Ironically, while I thought Phoenix Club was a complete waste of my time (I was the typical 17 year old freshman who was clueless), it ended up being the best experience and inspiration to me as an adult and choral music teacher. However, it was my first rehearsal in Crane Chorus that would forever shape why choir was so important in my life, and furthermore, how I wanted to extend that to my future students. at all encompassing feeling I got when everyone around me sang was like no other. It was probably the best hug this super homesick girl could have ever asked for. In that moment, I felt a part of something bigger than myself and all I knew was that everyone needed to feel that. Fast forward nearly 15 years later, and I'm teaching in a high school, grades 8-12, and I have the dream job of teaching four choirs in addition to some theory classes, piano classes, and music technology classes. I have an incredibly supportive administration who supports attending conferences and was fortunate to receive a Professional Development Grant from SAI Philanthropies to attend the ACDA Eastern Division Conference in Pittsburgh last March. Going into the conference, even with the dream job I had, I was looking for inspiration and some helpful direction for the next step in my career. Earlier in the fall, I had successfully auditioned for e Tanglewood Festival Chorus, and while it was definitely fulfilling the singer in me in ways I couldn't have imagined, I felt I needed and wanted more. I attended a session lead by Dr. Doreen Fryling, discussing community choirs and developing them. She went on to explain how she and her husband, Dr. David Fryling, professor at Hofstra University on Long Island, created their own choral group. What made this group so unique was that they didn't stick to the formulaic community ensemble of a weekly rehearsal and specific scheduled concerts throughout the year. eir choir met at times that were convenient for them and the concerts were scheduled at their convenience based on life events occurring at the time. Aer attending her session, and pondering it some more and attending our SAI convention this summer, I finally discovered a topic of keen interest: why do we sing in choirs? Dr. Fryling had so eloquently explained to the attendees that the members of her choir participated because 1) the schedule was perfect as the commitments were at their own will, and 2) they really wanted to be there. We all know the health benefits both physically and psychologically to singing: stress relief, breathing, heart rate regulation, blood pressure stabilization, life-long friendships, keeping our minds busy and agile, having a purpose, and just the pure joy of singing. With all of these benefits, I wanted to dig deeper and really ask the question: Why do you sing? I wanted to know if it was the health related benefits, social interaction, the responses that I personally could choose from are endless. The Strolling SAIs perform at the 2018 National Convention led by Bronwyn Clagett.

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