arrange • compose • conduct
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 […]
Trans Day of Visibility falls on March 31 every year. It’s a day to put the needs and challenges of our trans family members, friends, students, colleagues, and neighbors to the front of our minds. In the lead up to TDOV, there are many events that fall under the category […]
Many of my artist and performer friends have been sharing articles about the apocalyptic present and gloomy predictions about the future of the arts post-COVID. Arts is often the last area to recover from an economic crisis, and the near-complete elimination of performances has exacerbated that. (It’s further exacerbated by […]
I am committed to doing better as a leader, educator, composer/arranger, and choral musician to address systemic racism and white privilege in the choral world, and specifically in the work I do. I was moved to sign the Black Voices Matter Pledge after seeing its tenets shared yesterday; it was […]
Rhiannon Giddens wrote yesterday, on Juneteenth, This song, “Build a House”, came knocking a week ago and I had to let it in. What can I say about what’s been happening, what has happened, & what continues to happen, in this country, in the world? There’s too many words & […]
Today, take a minute to read the wise words of the elder stateswoman of song, Alice Parker, as she reflects on the COVID-19 pandemic, and, relatedly, the overdue steps to right systemic wrongs. No one can take away from us the ability to sing. Remember that it is always present […]
In recent days, I’ve been doing a lot of listening. George Floyd’s murder ignited a broad conversation about systemic racism in our country, and I am deeply committed to being a part of that conversation, listening deeply, and amplifying the reality. I have been quiet for three good reasons and […]