arrange • compose • conduct
Assumption of Positive Intent is hard to practice. It’s easy to assume malicious intent – that people are out to get you, or don’t have your best interests at heart, or just don’t care enough about what you care about. In Dr. Brené Brown’s Dare To Lead, she writes, “Daring […]
The golden rule of improv applies well beyond comedy. The most famous dictum of improv comedy is “Yes, and.” When someone adds something to the scene, you must accept it and work with it as you continue. Only through that open collaboration can you create something all the improvisers share […]
I’m an irrepressible forward thinker. I’m always looking ahead to the next things. Today, though, I’m fighting hard to not look ahead. I’m working to stay present and relive the moments of an incredibly special concert last night. The 15th Annual Aces Concert was an amazing experience – my students […]
Overprepared is a myth. There is prepared and there is unprepared. Any preparation beyond the baseline of prepared simply moves you farther beyond the average level of preparation and into excellence. Come see my students tonight at 7pm (or if you’re not in West Michigan, watch online) as they show […]
It can be hard to invite people to your thing. For a lot of different reasons. I start several months before the Aces Concert each year (it’s tomorrow, May 26 at 7pm – free admission!) letting my students know that the best way for them to get an audience to […]
This concert will be one for the memory books. One of the things I’m most excited about for Friday’s Rockford Aces 15th Anniversary Concert is a world premiere. With the help of the Rockford Education Foundation and the Rockford Choir Boosters, The Aces were able to commission a brand new […]
The best leaders I know lead like conductors. If the word leadership did not exist, what alternative word would you use? Adam Grant, to Brené Brown and Simon Sinek on his podcast ReThinking (The answers they gave were “facilitator” (Brown), “parent” (Sinek, jokingly), and “coach or guide” (Grant)) The word […]
Pity it happens at the end. One of the great tragedies of school ensembles is that they end just when the group locks. My ensemble learned new notes and basic choreography in mere minutes today – things that would have taken much more time in September. They lock because they […]
How high do you prioritize an activity? Does it change from week to week? “Most of the time, I don’t ask you to make this your top priority. But for one week, you must.” That’s part of what I said to the Rockford Aces in the lead to their concert […]
It’s my end-of-school-year tradition to publish the repertoire my ensemble sang over the year. With my sixth year at GRCC in the books, here are the pieces Shades of Blue learned and performed. This is the first year in which the ensemble stayed intact across both semesters – same four […]