arrange • compose • conduct
Two ways people in power fail: Failing to use their power to make things better. This can be because they don’t see a problem, because they’re busy and distracted, because they aren’t hearing demand for change, or any number of other reasons. Claiming their progress. If you make progress, but […]
“I was reminded that aesthetic beauty is as much about how and whether you look as what you see.” John Green, in The Anthropocene Reviewed In this quote, John Green is describing being captivated with the beauty of an oak leaf, thanks to his young child. Children are great at […]
There are almost always many different ways to notate the same thing. As simple a change as 4/4 vs 2/2, to more complex metric changes (3/4 in 1 vs 6/8 in 2, e.g.), enharmonic notation, even notating a rubato vs. just using fermatas. When you have to decide how it’s […]
I saw a social media post a while ago listing the various technical and educational hurdles they cleared to create a virtual concert. One of them included the phrase “yelling at kids to […]”. That’s where you lost me. I believe in the importance of musical excellence, of motivating students […]
What is your new normal going to be? My students are primed for a return to normalcy in the fall. Concerts are on the calendar, retreats are being scheduled, and we’re anticipating a full menu of the statewide events we usually enjoy being a part of. But with over a […]
I am completing what I sincerely hope is my last virtual choir video editing project. (It’s one more recording from Shades of Blue, to be premiered soon!) What’s been pleasing is how much more quickly this one has come together. I was able to come up with a vision for […]
I attended a sixth grade band concert Tuesday night – the first and last time this year that these brand-new instrumentalists could share music with an audience. My friend, the band director Ms. Kilgore, did a wonderful job teaching the students. And she did two things in the concert that […]
In an excellent Michigan Radio interview with U of M Lecturer Margot Finn, Finn talked about her experience teaching this past year, and especially focused on the open letters she’s been regularly writing to her students. She shared this insight about a change she’ll make going forward as a result […]
Yesterday we had our first (and last) Rockford Choirs concert of 2020-21. The Farewell Concert was also the get-to-know-you concert. I feel incredibly lucky we got to have it at all. I hope beyond hope that I’ll never again take for granted the chance to make music with an audience. […]
I’ve had several conversations recently looking to the future in which the other person had a default plan of continuing with livestream or digital stream as a standard practice for future concerts and performances. I sincerely hope that this doesn’t become common practice. There is value in archival recording a […]