Kindness in the Time of COVID and Beyond

It is easy for us to fly off the handle at these times. And we all have an excuse: unprecedented world events, a global pandemic, economic downturn, etc. Everything is in so much flux; nobody's life was the same as it was one year ago. When things don't go our way, it is easy to look at others and assign blame. At the same time, we have all seen incredible acts of kindness; Italians were singing together on their balconies, groups have been created to support the vulnerable, and people go out of their way to be kind to one another. I have found that being calm, mindful, empathic, but primarily — KIND — serves to lift us all up.

There have been two diverging schools of thought in conducting: one is that the musical leader takes an autocratic approach (i.e., the "Toscanini School"). The other path was paved by conductors such as Giulini and Abbado where the musical leader is vulnerable to the music, is a leader amongst colleagues, and is always serving the genius of the composer's music.

A great leader is also a great teacher and speaker who has elevated thought and can clearly communicate their knowledge and intentions. Although, perhaps more than anything, the transformative agent of our time is education; The lesson that needs to be taught is that empathy and mindfulness are keys to leadership and human progress — not vanity, entitlement, and hubris.

The pandemic is an opportunity to consider new ways of thinking as we prepare for the return of public gatherings and events. Will this be the renaissance that Italy experienced following the Bubonic Plague? Or will this be our return to "normal?" As my friend, David Woodward, wrote, "normal" was pretty short on fairness, empathy, and social justice."

I hope that there will be an enlightenment where music and art are regarded as essential activities of great value that give us shared experiences that unite — something which is desperately needed right now! And yes, I hope that this pandemic leads Longmont to invest in building a performing arts complex that brings the artistic excellence of our music-making into greater relief.

But more than anything, I hope that this pandemic leads us to offer better, kinder choices.