Charming Notes

I once received an e-mail from a coach thanking me for my “charming note” that I had sent at the end of a summer program. I had sent all of the coaches and directors I had worked with a postcard from the picturesque Austrian city where I had studied thanking them for their work with me. The coach who e-mailed noted that of the 25 singers he had coached on a weekly basis for the summer, only two of us sent him thank you notes.

My mother-in-law, a delightful southern woman and talented pianist, has lamented the demise of the thank you note. And she is right to do so—thank you notes show consideration and express respect for someone else’s time. The “charming notes” I have sent over the years are a habit I learned from my mother, who stressed that “you always write a thank you note.” She meant that regardless of how much (or how little) I liked a birthday present I had received, the note that I sent meant that I respected the time it took for the giver to select and wrap it for me.

It is much the same in business relationships. Even when we pay for coachings, lessons, or summer programs, a thank you shows respect for the time and talents of the people who hear us as singers. It also has a personal benefit for the note writer: with fewer people expressing appreciation for the work of others in our business, it helps to make you memorable in a positive way.

What occasions should you write a thank you note for? Meeting with a new teacher or coach; coaches, teachers, and directors with whom you worked at a summer or young artist program; artistic and executive directors of companies that you were hired to sing for; helpful office staff at companies where you have sung; the conductor or artistic director who heard you in an audition . . . the list goes on and on.

A successful note should have several elements:

• It should be honest. This can be difficult, especially if you worked with someone for the first time and didn’t have a positive experience, or if you auditioned for a company and it did not go as well as you’d hoped. Regardless of any negative experience, you can still thank the person for his or her time and for providing you with an opportunity to sing. For those whose work you especially appreciated, it is appropriate to mention that you look forward to future opportunities to sing with them again.

• It should be pretty. This does not mean that you need to write each note out in calligraphy, but it should be hand written. If your handwriting is poor, take the time to make it as clear and legible as possible. The card itself does not need to be expensive—the postcards I mentioned above were very inexpensive (even more so on postage) and I received warm emails from each person I sent them to, as it reminded them of their time that summer. Try to select cards that express your personality, if possible.

• It should be sent in a timely fashion. If you audition somewhere, send it within a week—audition panels hear hundreds of singers, and a quick response is helpful for their memory. It would also be worthwhile to note what you sang and what you wore. For something like wedding gifts, a thank you note is expected within the first year. Our business moves much more quickly, and while dear old Aunt Sue may be forgiving of your taking your time with your thank you notes, in business expediency is key.

Much like singing, constructing good thank you notes gets better with practice. If you’re stuck, consult Emily Post’s Etiquette, a book on manners now in its 18th edition.

Here is a sample of how a thank you note might appear:

Dear Maestro,

Best regards,
Sally Singer