I organized, fundraised, and conducted a 15-day European Tour and it was a runaway success. 34 students and 57 total people had life-changing experiences in the Czech Republic, Austria, Slovakia, Hungary, and Latvia. In the World Choir Games, my Rockford Aces sang beautifully and earned two medals: one Gold and one Silver. In Michigan they were selected as one of the top-12 choral ensembles in Michigan for the second time in seven years. The Aces recorded their third album (release coming soon) and saw our commission of “Cindy” from Alice Parker go to print in the Randy Stenson Choral Series (SBMP).
3. Wrote
I wrote a total of 81 blog posts for jedscott.com, including a current streak of 58 consecutive days starting November 4. Additionally I wrote for and edited the RHS Choirs Tour Blog, and saw my work published for the first time in the ACDA Choral Journal. I started and have maintained a weekly Newsletter collecting my work each week. Plus, I wrote a number of press releases for the Rockford Choirs and maintained the weekly “Fine Arts Student of the Week” series between the RHS Fine Arts department and the Rockford Squire.
4. Served
I continue to serve the boards of both ACDA-Michigan and MSVMA. I am particularly proud of the 2nd annual MYAF Vocal Jazz Ensemble, which was an outstanding one-day experience for students from across Michigan under Greg Jasperse’s conducting. And in late July I enjoyed the success of the MSVMA Summer Workshop, which I helped plan and coordinate. I also presented a TED-Style talk to the workshop attendees.
5. Personal
Amid many professional commitments, I continue to do my best to prioritize my family and myself. In 2014 I learned to meditate, read more than 20 books and enjoyed several fabulous concerts including Ben Folds with the GR Symphony and The Real Group! I maintained my running habit and increased my yearly mileage by about 50 miles despite two months sidelined with knee and ankle pain. I baked all the sandwich bread we ate this year (58 loaves) as well as 28 loaves of crusty no-knead bread. We backed two Kickstarter projects and saw another from 2013 get a Grammy Nomination!
Books Read: 20
Favorite Book (Fiction): The Circle by Dave Eggers
Favorite Book (Nonfiction): Show Your Work by Austin Kleon
Favorite TV Show: The Newsroom
Favorite Movie: Into the Woods
Favorite Podcast: Seth Godin’s Startup SchoolFavorite Concert: The Real Group – Feb. 14 at Jenison Center for the Arts & July 11 at Arena Riga
Kickstarter Projects Backed
Murder By Meta by Matt Gaffney
Feel Better by Derek Fawcett
The Best Posts of 2014
To wrap up this year, here are some of my favorite posts from the last 12 months.
1. Looking Back at “Cindy”
2. A Cappella is the New Half-Step Modulation
3. Active Listening
4. Less Time Than You Think
5. Meditation Resources
6. Musical Stepchild
7. JKMF
8. You Don’t Have To Wait Anymore
9. Getting In Our Own Way
10. How You Know
I’m proud of the work I did in 2014 and so glad you’re with me on this journey.
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