arrange • compose • conduct
There are a lot of reasons for feeling unmotivated. Knowing the correct reason can help you take the correct action in response. Maybe you’re unmotivated because: You’re overcommitted and have no free time —-> carve out space for yourself and see if motivation returns. You’re no longer interested in the […]
I’m in a duet book club right now, reading the Aeneid in a new translation, for the first time since I read it in 1993-94, in Latin. My book club partner is a dear friend, was in that Latin class with me (and many others in both high school and […]
We think of growth as linear – a step forward, then another step, then another. Growth isn’t linear. There are long portions of the learning process when no growth may be evident, but much is invisbly happening. Then one day, the learner makes a seemingly sudden leap forward – the […]
One of the hallmarks of an ongoing musical education is that you keep building. What you learned last year helps this year’s music come more easily, and more quickly – enabling you to learn more and do even more next year. It’s a virtuous cycle. And one of the ongoing […]
I love playing chess, and in particular I love playing chess with my kids: the strategy, the opportunity for growth, and on and on. (I’m not very good.) Recently, I’ve been using an app to play a chess variant called blitz chess, in which each player has only three minutes. […]
I was asked today about a project, “If you had to do it over again, what would you do differently?” The answer was that there were no big pieces I would do differently. There are always 5% of the small details that I plan to do differently next time. But […]
The tone used in vocal jazz is generally lighter. (I use “lighter” advisedly: the tone is not “breathy,” “thin,” or “unsupported.”) It’s one of the most misunderstood aspects of the style, and something that is constantly under scrutiny by vocalists and educators not conversant in the style. Why is vocal […]
Christine Guter made a point to call the members of the All-State Jazz Choir “professionals” or “young professionals” this past weekend, and to hold them to a standard of professionalism that was likely well beyond what they were accustomed to. It’s a reminder to me that we become professional when […]
I’m always bringing back a few tips, tricks, or expressions from a conferences that I want to incorporate into my own teaching. A good warmup, a good mindset, a good new way of teaching a concept. This year, what I’m bringing back from the conference, more than anything else, is […]
The brain processes while we sleep. It can lead to miraculous results, in the right circumstances. I watched the Michigan All-State Jazz Choir start every morning having moved forward as an ensemble from where they were the previous evening. They literally got better in their sleep! Part of this was […]