arrange • compose • conduct
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, […]
There’s something special about the bonds we form in choir. That’s true whether it’s the friends you return to, year after year, or the songs you can sing a quarter century later, in 4-part harmony, or in some special occasions, the couples who forget lifelong bonds in their choir. If […]
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 […]
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, […]
In my experience, traditions can be both a great tool and a great challenge in choral programs. They are opportunities to build camaraderie and connection across generations of students passing through your ensembles. But sometimes they become the tail that wags the dog – driving decisions you make for the […]
I’m playing nightly Scrabble games with two precocious young people these days, and I’ve been reminded of the most common trap in Scrabble. It’s focusing entirely too closely on the letters in your rack and not enough on fluidly reacting to the board and the words played on it. Of […]
The Rockford Aces have been working hard, under difficult circumstances, to learn music and be an ensemble this year. With the switch to remote learning several weeks ago, we made the difficult decision to work on a virtual recording for the holidays. I say difficult, because I’ve been promising them […]
I talked with my students about a specific type of vertical awareness today. I think it’s really essential to train ourselves as choir singers to be able to see beyond our own staff – it’s one of the gifts of being in a choir rather than a band or orchestra, […]
I’ve been thinking about a scale of interpretation that ranges from accurate to expressive. So often, so many ensembles, conductors, and academicians focus on accuracy. They focus on composer’s intent, historically-informed performance practice, and ensuring that each ensemble member correctly reproduces what is in their score. But I think that […]