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Views from the Choir Loft

Richard Sherman and Self-Confidence

Andrew R. Motyka · January 29, 2014

HERE MIGHT NOT BE much overlap between American football fans and sacred music professionals, but I am one point of intersection.

Last Sunday were the Conference Championship games in the NFL, and the biggest story coming out of the NFC Championship was a rant by Seattle Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman after the game. He let it rip into the camera and yelled at a reporter, taking shots at the opposing teams’ players. Many people, myself included, thought this was bad behavior and even worse sportsmanship, though some of the backlash has been overblown.

One reason it was overblown is that Sherman was approached by the reporter right after the game, which ended on a play in which Sherman himself was the hero. When the reporter interviewed him, he was still completely pumped on adrenaline and machismo which is necessary in these kinds of situations. That he couldn’t just drop that persona is excusable, in my opinion. That he didn’t later regret it is the problem.

I still understand where Sherman is coming from, though. To some degree, we need to pump ourselves up for performance, and like it or not, playing and singing at Mass is a performance. Many people don’t like to think of “performing” at Mass, and I understand that hesitation, but performance is the means by which music is accomplished. You do not mumble, stutter, ruthlessly execute, or even proclaim music. As a performance art, it must be performed. To do this well, you have to be confident.

People who know me well might think that this is strange coming from me. Ask my wife, and she will tell you that I am Captain Insecurity when it comes to organ playing, singing, conducting, literature selection, and even dressing for Mass. I constantly feel underqualified for my position, that I snuck in and no one has realized it yet. When it is time to play, sing, or conduct, however, I have to put on the mask of confidence in myself. I have to pump myself up, just like Richard Sherman does, and believe that I am the Best in the Room. This isn’t arrogance; it’s simply psychological. The choir can’t follow a conductor who meekly gives cues, an organist will not shape phrases if he is worried about his ability, and the singer, most of all, will not be able to sing to the best of his ability if he is not confident in what he is about to do.

The best way to build this confidence, of course, is to become truly excellent at what you do, to practice your craft until you truly are the Best in the Room. There comes a point, though, when bravado takes over, and you have to believe it even if you are like me and constantly worried.

The trick, though, is to put down this facade as soon as you are finished with the piece. When someone approaches me after Mass and compliments the choir’s offertory piece, I don’t continue to beat my chest and act like the diva. It is the time for humility, for “Thank you; this choir is a joy to work with” (which, if you have my choir, is easy to say). That is the time to give thanks to God for what he has given to you, and for the opportunity to serve him in song. Allowing any meekness, faux- or otherwise, to creep into your performance doesn’t serve anyone.

Giving your best in your performance of your job is the only way to do this job. There is no halfway. When the downbeat comes, believe you are capable, relax into your competence, and take command.

It’s the only way to perform.

Opinions by blog authors do not necessarily represent the views of Corpus Christi Watershed.

Filed Under: Articles Last Updated: January 1, 2020

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About Andrew R. Motyka

Andrew Motyka is the Archdiocesan Director of Liturgical Music and Cathedral Music for the Archdiocese of Indianapolis.—(Read full biography).

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Corpus Christi Watershed

Quick Thoughts

    William Byrd • Simple “Agnus Dei” Canon
    Time flies! Back in July, I posted a PDF setting of a perfect canon by William Byrd (d. 1623) arranged as an AGNUS DEI for three voices. Last Sunday, we sang that arrangement with our volunteer choir. To hear a ‘live’ recording of it, click here (Mp3). In my humble opinion, this would be a perfect piece for a choir just beginning to experiment with polyphony.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “Glory To God” • (For Choir + Congregation)
    I wish to thank everyone for the nice comments I received vis-à-vis my Glory To God setting for Choir & Congregation. A gentleman with a musical doctorate from Indiana University wrote: “Love this setting so much. And I will pray, as you asked, for your return to composition more fully. You are very very good.” A female choir director wrote: “I love your harmonizations, your musicality, and the wonderful interplay you have with dissonance and consonance in your music. So fun to listen to, and great for intellect, heart, and soul!” A young woman from California wrote: “Thank you for releasing your new Glory To God in honor of Saint Noel Chabanel. I'm enjoying reading through the various parts and listening to your recordings.”
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    William Byrd • “Mass for Five Voices”
    Our volunteer choir is learning the “Sanctus” from William Byrd’s Mass for Five Voices. You can hear a short excerpt (recorded last Sunday) but please ignore the sound of babies crying: Mp3 recording. We still have work to do—but we’re on the right track. Once we have some of the tuning issues fixed, I desire to use it as an example proving volunteers can sing complicated polyphony. — One of our volunteer choirs also sang that SANCTUS on 24 September 2023, and you can listen to how that came out.
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Random Quote

“Partly on account of these alterations, and partly because I have been unable to ascertain the authorship of many compositions—which have come to me either in manuscript or through other collections—I have thought it right to publish the volume without appending the names of writers to their works. This, however, I confess to be a defect…”

— Benjamin Hall Kennedy (1863)

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