Idol Dreams

YouTube - Ysgol Glanaethy: O Fortuna - Last Choir Standing Final - BBC One


So what does "Idol" have that these young people don't? There are things they may have in common... a love of music, singing and performance. But what this choir has that I haven't seen in the idols is a depth to their music and performance. Singing in a choir means they're not just imitating someone else's style or sound, but they're really learning music, developing an ear, a sense of pitch, a total musical understanding -- styles, repertoire, and a sense of teamwork. Knowing that each one of them is a part -- a vital part -- of a whole choir, a community.

There's comeradery, responsibility, energy and love in that community. These singers raise their own bar, daily, not to make themselves stand out, but to make the whole group better. There is power in this. And there is humility in this.

Our nation worships idols on many levels. The castles of pop stars and their producers speak volumes. We tithe billions to the temples of sports teams. Parents push their kids from the earliest ages to "participate" in sports. I use the word "participate" loosely here because really, it is all about winning. We've been conditioned to want the victory and nothing else. Admit it. It's just not fun if you don't win.

But what if we enter a world where the boundaries of victory are stretched as wide as the equator. Where subjectivity rules, and decisions (favorites) are based on a whim, a mood, a smile, a look, an emotion. Scary thought? Yet this is the world of music and art -- a world that has moved and inspired populations, eras, regimes.

Yet our culture denies its importance.