arrange • compose • conduct
“What’s a good backup plan if you’re studying music?” A student asked this today during a really frank and positive conversation about music careers. Pursuing a career in the arts is scary, isn’t it? But my answer seemed to surprise them: don’t have a backup plan. For three reasons. First, […]
Most of the time, good writing is the natural outcome of more writing. A common refrain to my composition students (and to myself) is, simply, “More bars!” No adjectives necessary to describe the bars. Just more. We can always choose the best ones. We can always edit, revise, reimagine, or […]
Don’t give me a list of the things you don’t like. A long time ago, I was an early subscriber to the Believer, a magazine put out by McSweeney’s publishing. One of the things I loved about reading it was an editorial philosophy prioritizing positive reviews. I don’t have their […]
Sometimes, it’s enough in a rehearsal to not go backwards. In times of great busyness, I do my very best to maintain regularly scheduled rehearsals. Sometimes, of course, it’s impossible – dress rehearsals, exams, performances, etc. can encroach on rehearsal. But if possible, even if everyone is exhausted, I hold […]
Feeling stressed? The best thing you could do is head for choir rehearsal. Deep breathing is recognized as the only method for calming the fight-or-flight response; the breathing seems to stimulate the vagus nerve, which interrupts the stress response. (Dr. Laurie Santos has described this effect, which is well-researched.) It’s […]
Good ensemble teaching sometimes means completely relinquishing control. I’ve been doing a lot of riding in the passenger seat with a training driver; having completed his Driver’s Training, he now has to log dozens of hours of driving before he can receive his unrestricted driver’s license. The thing about this […]
Reflecting on a project when it’s fresh is the best way to improve the next one. I just built a new cast bio input form…for next year’s musical. Why do the work now when the need is eleven months away, and I’m neck-deep in work for next week? Simple. It’s […]
Is appearing mysterious as an educator a plus, a minus, or something in between? I used to admire and respect the distance certain professors maintained between their professional and personal lives. It made sense to draw a strong boundary and keep them separate. It was admirably mysterious. Later, I recognized […]
Is there a more precious moment in the year than the annual pivot? The pivot is the moment in the semester or the year when you transition from spending a majority of time on notes and rhythms to a majority of time on higher-order musicality. When you can step back […]
If you’re not a good leader, it doesn’t matter how polished your musical skills are. There’s a reason I spend so much time thinking, reading, and writing about leadership. I think it’s undervalued when we train music educators and conductors, and I think its value is far greater than your […]