It is gratifying to see amateur music alive and well in 2014 when there are so many things competing for people's attention, time and energy. A lot of the past 20 years has been the Walkman Effect and its consequences; that is, personalizing the experience of recorded entertainment. One consequence is private channels of living: you have your choices and I have mine. We dwell in splendid isolation in our self-selected worlds of music, movies and news channels, rather than to do something together as we occupy the same time and space and give our attention together to the source.
The portable and cheap book started with the Penny Dreadfuls more than 100 years ago and then became mainstream during the 1940s with paperbacks in pocket size. But the private worlds of silent reading always was a small part of social experience during the rest of one's day. Radio, TV, movie and theater-going were much more shared experiences and included conversation afterward. Now the portable electronics and offspring of the products and services created and consumed via Internet have created totalizing environments so that a person can be a spectator on life rather than the main character in the story of one's own life.
That is why amateur singing, bands and orchestras, and theater productions are so precious. They require sustained practice and cooperation to bring the final performance together. And while audiences are an important source of energy for those on stage, the most valuable part of the undertaking is in the doing, rather than the watching. The level of excellence is less important than the fact of taking on the work itself. And so it truly is gratifying to see community choirs like the small ensemble of the Mint City Singers and the growing St. Johns Community Band presenting their music for the public during the holiday season.
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