arrange • compose • conduct
It’s a problem. Winning short circuits our rationality. There’s something deep in our unconscious brain that want to win, and especially, I think, wants to feel the heightened connection that comes from being part of a winning group. Why is that a problem? Because artistry doesn’t come with winners. The […]
It can be hard to invite people to your thing. For a lot of different reasons. I start several months before the Aces Concert each year (it’s tomorrow, May 26 at 7pm – free admission!) letting my students know that the best way for them to get an audience to […]
I’m voting for candidates who embody love for their fellow human beings. For me, that’s a core value. We can agree or disagree about economic policy, about educational policy, about almost anything. But we need to agree on love as a core motivation for decision-making. Love is a cornerstone of […]
How do you convince a community to show up? Like many high schools, my own school has full parking lots and a packed stadium all fall for all its home football games. I love the way the community comes together to support the school’s pursuits, and to respect the hard […]
The battles worth fighting can take a lifetime to complete. That means you’re going to be fighting the same battles the entire time, over and over again. Battles of advocacy, battles for emotional well-being, righteous battles, battles against complacency. None of these are easily solved in a month, a year, […]
Over the years, I’ve learned the value – and some tricks – to collaborating with local news. Maybe your town, too, has a local weekly newspaper; it can be one of your best sources of publicity and advocacy for your choir! Over the last 15 years, I’ve provided as many […]
What’s your secondary purpose? Events have a primary purpose: a concert’s primary purpose is sharing music with an audience. A fundraiser’s primary purpose is to raise money. A meeting’s primary purpose is to make decisions and assign responsibilities. But a meeting can also be about getting to know your colleagues […]
How do you promote your concert? As I told my students tonight, posters are great. School announcements and promo videos are great. Social media is great. But the most powerful way to get people to come to your concert is to ask them yourself. Tell them when it is, and […]
I don’t think pointing out commonalities with other subjects is a good way to advocate for music education. Music is not mathematics. It is not science, it is not language, it is not history, it is not P.E. Music is music. I get rubbed the wrong way by the memes […]
Like many others, I struggle with the ethics of using [Popular Streaming Service That Underpays Musicians]. In the end, I stream music regularly because the convenience and educational advantages are too much to ignore. That said, there are several steps I take to ensure that the artists I love are […]