arrange • compose • conduct
I’m working on a MIDI guide track for part-learning, and am heeding the advice of Anders Edenroth, who suggested moving beyond a simple clave-style click track. Even though the final track will be a cappella, there is value in giving a rhythmic foundation that helps singers feel the groove as […]
I listened to a couple of young men talking about their favorite games the other day. “How many hours do you have in-game?” one asked. “1,100 hours,” was the reply. “Oh, I only have 650.” On it went, and it became increasingly clear that in addition to knowing the games […]
I like to ask myself this question sometimes, as a self-reminder. In my mind, sheet music was invented to help us recall more and more difficult music. The sheet music isn’t the music, it’s a short hand for us to be able to sing or play the music well. Certainly, […]
What is one thing you canceled due to the pandemic that you don’t want to bring back? There are so many things – singing without masks, concerts, hugging friends, family trips, and on and on – that I’m looking forward to doing again. But there are some things I am […]
I learned to luge today. (Wow, that’s a funny sentence to type.) The thing I learned about luging is that the right choice is highly counterintuitive. You need to lean back, and tuck your legs in, when your instinct is telling you to sit up and use your legs to […]
I love a good Snow Day Reflection … And there was a concern that, with the explosion of skills in remote synchronous teaching, there might never be another one. The good news is that many school districts seem to have committed to maintaining the status quo, at least for now.* […]
A student mentioned that he’d been having trouble memorizing music recently. In particular, he’d been struggling with memorizing the words. He’s a fine young musician; learning melodies or even tricky harmony lines comes quickly for him. But he was puzzled over why the words weren’t staying in his memory more […]
For singers brought up in a “classical” mindset, the first chance to interpret in a jazz idiom can be disconcerting. Do I need to sing the exact rhythms on the lead sheet? Why are there chords in parentheses at the end? (Either it’s part of the piece or it isn’t, […]
How do you balance creative work and rest? How do you know when to push yourself into creative work, and when to rest and wait for inspiration? I really subscribe to Seth Godin’s idea of professionals vs. amateurs. Professionals show up. Amateurs wait for inspiration. So I work when the […]
We get to pause in warmups to answer a musicianship question that would otherwise eat up too much of rehearsal. We get to devote time to our team, with formal and informal team building. We get to learn how to be successfully internally motivated by the love of music-making, rather […]