arrange • compose • conduct
Posts specifically about choral music
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 […]
It’s a good thing to make great music with a group. It’s a better thing to make great music with a group of friends. It’s the best thing to make the best music you’re capable of with a group of friends. For the first, you need a good choral leader. […]
I’m in the background watching my son discuss a merit badge he’s working on with a counselor, and thinkng about the motivation that comes from discrete, earnable achievements. Of course, concerts are the ultimate discrete achievements – specific pieces are brought from unfamiliarity to performance in a limited amount of […]
I like to imagine myself ready to answer this question at any moment in my rehearsal. Why are we doing this particular warmup? Why are we singing this particular repertoire? Why are we spending ten minutes on this particular 4-bar phrase? Why are you taking time away from singing to […]
Challenge: record yourself singing to a quantized MIDI, track, but make it breathe with musicality…without making any rhythm inaccurate, strictly speaking. The best way to get a consistent MIDI guide track is to quantize the heck out of it. When you quantize the MIDI, you take out all the small […]
One of the things choir leaders will need to wrestle with in the coming months is students afraid of heartbreak. Last year, my students lost musical performances, a trip to Europe, all concerts after March, and so much more. So did everyone else, of course. But it’s easier for adults, […]
R&R is going to be the goal for next year for choir. Recruitment and Rebuilding. We need to reestablish the norms, the standards of excellence, the atmosphere, the spirit. And we need to counteract the loss due to these highly unusual months. It’s not just choir, of course. Every organization […]
I woke up thinking about how much I like a nice spicy chai latte. The top layer is the most delicious foam – cinnamony and gingery with a hint of cardamom. It’s almost like tasting a pumpkin-spice cloud. But I wouldn’t enjoy a mug filled entirely with spiced foam. It […]
Wishing you a day filled with music. Including this, which for me exemplifies Christmasy music. Gene’s writing is complex, original, beautiful, and always compelling. But more than that, in this case, is the heartfelt delivery of this piece. You feel it when they sing it. Right down to the spoken […]
The three ideas I most closely associate with Christmas Eve are Family, Singing, and Anticipation. Family, because you’re hopefully with the people you love–blood family or adopted family. Singing, because caroling in general and Silent Night in particular feel particularly connected to Christmas Eve. Anticipation is overwhelming, especially for children, […]