A metaphor

1. with pulse, breath, head, hands, heart and muscle

2. Singers
• Soprano 1
• Soprano 2
• Alto 1
• Alto 2

3.  Strengths
 It is familiar.
 It has gotten us where we are today.
 Challenges
 Communication between entities is inconsistent.
 Few people do lots of work.

4. Meet Anna
She has many parts that need Her head – giving
care and nourishment.
purpose and ideas to her
music.
Her breath - making
wonderful music. Her heart – energizing
her to sustain her music.
Her hands – connecting
her to her musical Her pulse - feeding and
sisters. connecting each force.
These things are all part of her.
Her muscle – giving They are utterly interdependent
strength to her music. and one is not more important
than another. One part cannot
exist without health in all the
other parts.

5. The Body of Anna
Breath – Musical Excellence
Head – Social Justice
Hands – Feminist Community, Membership Development
Heart – Board of Directors
Muscle –Production
Pulse - Operation and Communication

6. The Body of Anna PREVIOUS nomenclature
Breath – MuComm, Artistic Direction, Auditions, Select Repertoire, Concert Themes
Musical Excellence
Social Justice, Archives, VOX
Head –
Social Justice
Membership Development, Care and Concern, Volunteers, Nominations
Hands – , GALA coordination, Attendance, Dues, Librarian, Snacks, Morale, Conflict
Feminist Community, Members Resolution
Heart – Board of Directors, Fund-raising, Financial, Community Outreach and
Board of Directors Visibility, Themis, Grants, Raffle, Personnel [HR] Committee,
Muscle– Marketing, Promotion, Childcare, Venue, Accessibility, Sound, Green
Production
Room, Receptions, Concert Programs and Ads, Concert Liaison, Store
Pulse –
Operation and Communication Day to day management, Database, Website, Communication between body
parts

7. The Body of Anna The Functions of Each Body Part
Breath – Artistic direction, auditions, select repertoire, concert themes, venue
Musical Excellence considerations
Head – Being the steward of our mission for social justice, preserving our written and oral
Social Justice legacy
Hands – Take care of each other, provide musical leadership for each section, housekeeping
Feminist Community, tasks around rehearsals and singers [ie attendance, sectionals, snacks, dues etc.]
Members connections between singing and non-singing volunteers, nominations, conference
coordination
Fund-raising, financial considerations, community outreach and visibility, Themis,
Heart – grants, raffle, personnel [HR]
Board of Directors
Muscle – Marketing, promotion, childcare, venue coordination, accessibility, sound, green
Production room, receptions, concert programs and ads, marketplace, concert liaison
Pulse – In more frequent meetings than the other parts, day to day management,
Operation and database, website, communication between body parts
Communication

8. The Body of Anna Optimal Members
Breath – Artistic director, Section Leaders, Singers
Musical Excellence
Singers, Non-singers
Head –
Social Justice
Singers, Non-singers
Hands –
Feminist Community, Members
Heart – Board Members, Artistic Director
Board of Directors
Muscle – Non-Singers, Singers, [collaborates with Artistic Director]
Production
At least one member from each other part, Artistic Director
Pulse –
Operation and Communication

9. Compare and Contrast
What is different?
• Simplifying the structure
• Flattening the hierarchy
• Adding a conscious
communication element
[Pulse]
What is the same?
• The mission
• The vision
• The work

10. The Body Parts
[Committees]
Each Body Part
• Each Anna sister can put
energy toward at least one
body part
• Varying levels of involvement
by individual members
• Charged with specific tasks
•Interdependent with the
other parts
• One member of each part will
also sit on the Pulse

11. The Pulse
Pulse is the only “new
element”
• Meets twice a month
•Consists of at least one
member of each other part
•Charged with coordinating Head Breath Muscle
and collaborating within the
body
Heart
•Nudges each part to
complete tasks
Hands
• Communicates with the choir
about operation and forward
movement of our mission

12. One Body –
Many Caregivers