My Christmas Favorites
Here’s my top Christmas album list.
Christmas
Posts about Christmas-related topics
50 Years Ends Tonight
Let us all salute the vocal harmony juggernaut that is The Manhattan Transfer.
Leave The Tunnel
It’s kind of essential for choral musicians to have tunnel vision in December. But leave the tunnel when you can.
December Days
Isn’t it funny that December days are the longest even as the daylight is the shortest?
December Mantra for Choir Directors
It’s that season again…when all the choir directors I know barely have time to sleep. Here’s a little prayer/mantra to use on the way through.
A Few Christmas Playlists
How are you choosing what you listen to this Christmas? I’ve long advocated for ditching the radio when it comes to Christmas. That goes for the popular playlists on streaming services, too. So for this Christmas morning, if you’re looking for some listening that ditches the songs you hear too […]
First Day of Break
Your only job on the first day of break is to stop. Stop. STOP! For all educators, and especially music educators, the sprint between Thanksgiving and Winter Break has been unrelenting. Concerts, dress rehearsals, deadlines, spirit days, and increasingly stir-crazy students are just a few of the many challenges you […]
Christmasy
What makes a song Christmasy? A few years ago, someone wrote an article arguing it was a mi7(b5) that made a song Christmasy. That’s just silly. Sure, there has to be a lyrical connection to Christmas…but I admit there are some Swedish-language songs that feel very Christmasy to me, even […]
No Time For Reflection
‘Tis the season. The season of no reflection. We’re talking dress rehearsals, back-to-back (or overlapping!) performances, holiday parties that call for caroling, end-of-semester grades, Christmas shopping, weather challenges, and more. Amidst that, there’s no time for reflection, taking the time to consider what happened and what’s about to happen. Now, […]
One Song, Two Lyrics: Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas
A few years ago, Terry Gross got songwriting team Hugh Martin and Ralph Blaine to talk about writing their classic “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas,” and in particular about the various versions of the lyric. They began by sharing the original penultimate lyric, which Judy Garland refused to sing: […]