arrange • compose • conduct
Yesterday marked the last event for my Rockford Aces this school year – an end-of-the-year party. To celebrate a successful year with them, I’m sharing here our rep list from the year. The Aces endeavor to sing in as many musical styles as possible each year, with no discrimination except […]
In my farewells to students, I urge them to keep singing no matter what. But not just keep singing. Always have your best musical experience ahead of you. You may have achieved great things in high school. Some of my students graduating this year performed at two World Choir Games, […]
US Department of Marriage MAY 31, 2015 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: New Marriage Testing Program Implemented Effective immediately, the US Department of Marriage will begin phasing in comprehensive, regular testing of candidates for marriage. According to USDoM Director Rena Canndu, “This is an important step in our No Marriage Left Behind […]
How much am I responsible for? What is the minimum I get away with doing? The truth is: very little. Don’t do the minimum. Do a little more. If each kid only picks up the LEGOs that he left out, my floor soon becomes impassible. But if they all do […]
Can you remember the first sentence of your favorite book? How about the quadratic equation? There is so much of our lives that we experience and leave behind, remembering for a short time or not at all. Twice this week I’ve seen the power of music to transcend the limits […]
If you do the work, you rarely regret committing to a project. The problem is that this can be very tough to remember in the thick of the work. While you’re doing the work, you’ll be thinking, “should I have done this?” Every idea worth doing comes with doubt. From […]
My ensemble, The Rockford Aces, has been working hard to build to today. These twelve young men, ranging from 9th to 12th grade, will present a full-length concert tonight in Rockford. They have built the stamina and the repertoire to perform sixteen pieces in four sets, with music ranging from […]
This is a challenging time of year for choir directors. Because we have well-defined endings and beginnings to our year, we have clear endings and beginnings. But because of the immense advance planning necessary for a school year, we are already fully invested in the next year before this one […]
I hope, like me, you’re taking time to call to mind loved ones who have left us – especially those who served the country. One of the most potent ways to honor the spirit of America is with song, and so I share with you this amazing bit of Americana, […]
A video has gone viral in the last week showing a man learning to ride a backwards bike. The bike has been adjusted so the handlebars work opposite of a normal bicycle. It took him months of practice for his brain to learn to ride it without falling, and then […]