Choir Notes

Teamwork

From Music and the Spoken Word

Delivered By: Lloyd D. Newell

When we think of good teamwork, we often think of championship sports teams who work together to accomplish great things. But a community can also be a team, each citizen joining in common causes for the betterment of society. A workplace is a team, each worker contributing to the success of the company or organization. And then there’s the ultimate “home team”—the family, with each member helping the others to achieve more than they could ever do alone. In all aspects of life, we need each other. We need people doing their best and giving their best for the benefit and progress of the whole.

Some may prefer to “go it alone”—to move independently through life and not rely on others. But that’s impossible. We all eat food we didn’t grow, we wear clothes we didn’t sew, and we find it easier to reach our goals because of the efforts of a team. For example, an author may write a compelling book alone, but a team of people gets it published and on the shelf. A composer can create a masterpiece alone, but it often takes a team of performers to bring it to life.

Not long ago, a series of canyon fires over the summer caused mudslides and flooding that ravaged a small town. One homeowner, who for many years had prized his fierce independence, was especially hard-hit. His yard was flooded, leaving a mess too massive and too expensive to take on alone. As he wondered how he would recover, a large team of neighbors and volunteers, without being asked, set to work to repair the damage. The man came to realize that he needed others—and others needed him. That’s the value of teamwork: together everyone accomplishes more than they could ever do alone.

Just as teamwork wins championships, teamwork also builds strength and character, teaches leadership and cooperation, and develops discipline and trust. Nothing builds closeness and camaraderie like joining together in a good cause.