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Personal Reflection/Anecdote

Lesson #4: Becoming More Musical

The Festival provided two workshop sessions with an international maestro, one exclusively for VMC
and one for the combined choirs. This training taught us to incorporate percussion sounds, specifically
Latin rhythms, and movement into our singing. It opened a whole new dimension of musicality for me.

Recommendation #4

The best workshops, seminars,
and training sessions are ones that
afford the participant a whole NEW
way of doing or being.

The five concerts in Costa Rica
allowed us to work alongside other
cultures, to share our national music
and our talents, and to learn before
returning home. Yes, we had a good
time . . . it was definitely pura vida
[a very common expression in Costa
Rica, meaning pure life. The author’s
preferred translation is: Isn’t life
great?].
But when travel can also be an
exercise in reflection, summarizing
what one personally has learned and
how one’s various skill sets have
developed, then that travel becomes
true personal and/or professional
development. The ideas garnered can
be generalized to other situations.
Costa Rica had been wonderful for A Costa Rican toucan surveys his kingdom. Photo courtesy of choir
me; it led to unimagined personal member Charlie Zhang.
growth and, in addition, gave me
professional development ideas to
share with DKG!

Dr. Claire G. Smith is a member of Mu Chapter in Washington State Organization (WSO). Following a three-decade career teaching
Spanish, German, and ESL, Smith keeps busy in retirement by coaching languages, singing in the Vancouver Master Chorale, and serving
as secretary of the WSO Executive Committee. clairegsmith@outlook.com

Collegial Exchange · 21