One-Sentence Manifesto

On Saturday, Sam and I walked out of our neighborhood coffee shop with overworked brains that had liquefied and started to dribble out our ears. We had just wrapped up an intense mission statement brainstorming session. 

Especially as a growing organization, we are constantly revisiting our mission statement. Are we fulfilling the mission statement that our donors are supporting? Does our mission statement reflect our current values and goals?

Our three-fold mission is built on the core belief that choral music is relevant and - with creativity and innovation - can captivate a wider audience. As we progressed through our first season, we saw that core belief grow deeper as we enacted it more effectively every concert cycle. 

Watching this organization grow over the past year, we had a clear sense that our mission statement must grow with us. When Sam and I emerged from the coffee shop after several hours of brain-busting writing, we had conquered only the first arm of the threefold mission. It was exhausting. We could both write manifestos about the fervent confidence we have in the importance of this choir’s mission to the hearts of audience members and the future of the art form. Distilling a passion that could fill pages into a single sentence forces the writer to carefully weigh every word chosen.

As I wrote this blog post, Sam sent me a text with that sentence we spent several hours crafting, and we shared an electronic moment of “Dang! That’s good.” Yes, we’re learning to take a step back and give ourselves a hearty, Texas-sized “congratulations” every once in a while. 

Improved mission statement coming soon. Same core, we’re just cutting the apple a bit differently. Once our brains grow back.

Erinn Sensenig