arrange • compose • conduct
Posts discussing education, both in and outside of music
I had lots of opportunities (six concerts this week with me directing) to be reminded of why I do what I do. I do it to see students flourish. I watched my high school students flourish with new ideas, new commitment, new professionalism in every one of their four performances […]
I love introducing singers to the studio. I love it for three reasons. It’s educational. You can learn so much from the work you do recording and listening back to what you’ve done. It’s fun. Being effective in the moment, reactive and consistent, can be such a thrill. It’s lasting. […]
I was in a recording studio I don’t regularly work in today, and I was reminded: the best studio engineer, entering a new studio, might be unable to even turn on the system and get started. There is a lot to a studio that is particular to that space and […]
I arrange vocal jazz because I love it. I sang in vocal jazz ensembles throughout school and listen to vocal groups all the time because I love it. I teach it because I believe in it. I believe that learning to sing the close harmony we encounter in vocal jazz […]
There are a few times of year when a choir director can’t hope for work-life balance, and one is between Thanksgiving and Christmas. The commitments come non-stop, and the most you can hope for is a single quiet day with your family, or a few moments of peace between school […]
There seems to be an ever-growing list of people offering to “teach” you things – Masterclass, Skillshare, and dozens of other learning platforms offer a space for online learning. Of course, those people aren’t actually teaching. They are performing a public game of “Know and Tell.” It’s simple: they know […]
I want my students to graduate with the same constellation of skills, regardless of the year they graduate. There needs to be some consistency to the experience, year after year. I want to have novelty – I am teaching between 15 and 20 pieces per year to each of my […]
Part of the draw of board and card games is that they serve as a microcosm of life. “Here’s how skill is important, but here’s how luck plays a role.” “Here’s capitalism around a card table.” “Learn how much you can trust people as stakes get higher.” “This game starts […]
Thanksgiving, while an American holiday, is in family of festivals from across the world that celebrate the harvest. It’s a time of gratitude, and a time of family. Sometimes I think it’s my favorite holiday; setting aside the American additions of televised athletic conflicts and impending consumerism, the holiday, at […]
Hiring a pro band for our annual Cabaret is certainly not the cheapest way to put on the show. Particularly with the availability of good quality karaoke tracks as well as skillful student musicians, it might seem hard to justify. It never is for me. For a lot of reasons. […]