arrange • compose • conduct
Seth Godin recently wrote: The second time you rewire a system after finding a hum, it might take two minutes. The first time, the time you figured out what the problem was, it might have taken two hours. It’s true! My second virtual choir project was much faster than the […]
Reading the instructions is the worst way to learn a new game. Way better is when the game maker creates a 4 minute video that teaches the game to you: it’s more engaging, interactive, and concise. But better still is to learn it from a veteran who knows the game […]
My family spent some time recently with a good self-taught musician. He plays a number of different instruments, and can communicate intelligently about music; but to my knowledge he never received formal musical training. I think he is deservedly proud of his hard-won musical skills, but I think some self-taught […]
A recent multi-interview article from Chorus America considered the post-COVID future for virtual performances. I want to go on record in saying that I think it’s a bad idea to lean into streaming and posting of concerts long-term. I think it’s bad because it undermines the choral art, which must […]
Here’s a way to put your pre-concert nerves in perspective. Think about your own performance. Are you nervous about it? (Of course. Yes.) Now think about every other ensemble member. Are you nervous for their performance? (Probably not.) The other members feel about your performance the way you do about […]
A 4-bar phrase might take me half an hour to finish, if I’m working carefully and meticulously. it might have taken me twice or three times as long when I started writing. That same phrase will only last 5 seconds when performed. When we’re writing, time loses clear meaning, and […]
My bread comes out almost exactly the same every time. Even when I take photos of my bread loaves fresh from the oven, they look the same as they did 6 or 8 years ago. It got me thinking about creative voice. Is my bread consistent because I have a […]
In his new podcast, Lightning Bugs, Ben Folds sets aside time between interview segments to answer a question from a listener. On a recent episode, he answered a question from someone who was feeling nervous about putting his work into the world. Here is part of Folds’ response: I think […]
When we differentiate between foreground, middleground, and background parts in vocal music, the shorthand tends to be about dynamics – volume. Louder for the foreground, quieter for the background. But there is more to differentiating these parts than just pure decibel change. Volume change. Naturally. Timbre change. Brighter, more core […]
A popular new philosophical idea is the “Shopping Cart Test” which holds that putting shopping carts back where they belong is a perfect test of a human’s ethical framework, because: There is usually an obvious right choice to make with an empty cart (like a cart corral). Making that right […]