The Conductor

During a rehearsal, a choir group took their position on stage.

When everyone was ready, the conductor took her position at the centre stage, facing her members.

The venue has its constrains. The space was limited. The stage was small and the seating area was long. The first row of seats were very near the stage and that row was reserved for the important guests.

Obviously with such limitations, the conductor covered most of the view on stage, and she has her back facing the audience.

The performance was good. The conductor did well too.

I spoke to the conductor after the first round of practice.

Jokingly I asked if she wanted to stick something on her back, like a cartoon or something!

She was good and she sensed my concern right away. She asked for my suggestion.

I asked if she mind if she stand at one of the two corners? She said she was fine with that.

I then explained the situation to the rest of the choir group and asked if they agreed to the new position of their conductor?

Everyone was understanding except one.

The lady protested by saying that everywhere in the world the conductor always stood at the centre. No where a conductor stands at the corner.

I repeated the limitations that we had and that with the conductor standing in the middle, most of the choir members would be blocked, including that lady. Furthermore it would be rude to have the backside facing the guest in such a short distance.

The lady kept quiet but wasn't looked very happy.

I let the group practice for another round and told them to smile more and practice more. I wished them all the best.

On the day of the performance, the choir sang extremely well. Everyone was smiling.

The conductor did not stand at the corner as suggested earlier. She stood among her members instead!

After the performance the conductor has a chat with me. She thanked me for being observant and gave her suggestions.

She said all this while they only concerned with their performance but never thought of the audience's reception and reactions.

She said the members took my advice to practice more and could sing without the conductor facing them!

I appreciated their understanding and support! I thanked the conductor and the group as well.

I was the master of ceremonies for the event where this group performed.

Life Lesson 101: A little creativity makes all the difference!