arrange • compose • conduct
Posts discussing education, both in and outside of music
When a portrait artist starts work, they start with clear shapes and bold lines. Over time, those shapes and lines are softened with shading until the picture becomes clear. But the artist can’t just start with the shading: they build to it. I think experienced professionals are sometimes hesitant to […]
Seth Godin recently wrote: The second time you rewire a system after finding a hum, it might take two minutes. The first time, the time you figured out what the problem was, it might have taken two hours. It’s true! My second virtual choir project was much faster than the […]
My family spent some time recently with a good self-taught musician. He plays a number of different instruments, and can communicate intelligently about music; but to my knowledge he never received formal musical training. I think he is deservedly proud of his hard-won musical skills, but I think some self-taught […]
In his new podcast, Lightning Bugs, Ben Folds sets aside time between interview segments to answer a question from a listener. On a recent episode, he answered a question from someone who was feeling nervous about putting his work into the world. Here is part of Folds’ response: I think […]
It seems to me there are two mindsets in the choral classroom. You can be student-focused, or you can be music-focused. A student-focused choral educator will always prioritize the mental and emotional needs of their students. They create a safe space for student expression, teach leadership, collaboration, and trust as […]
There comes a time when we all have to become specialists. Time is maybe the biggest cause – there simply isn’t enough time for us to be generalists about everything. Also the demands of a specific job or career path tend to focus us into specialization. But I think it’s […]
It’s birthday month around here – 4 out of 5 birthdays fall within 30 days in our house. So, I get a lot of practice making cakes this time of year. I get pretty good at it by the end of June! But then again, for 11 months out of […]
My wife, Mandy, is a brilliant conductor. She regularly makes magic happen in concert and in rehearsal. She has wonderful musical instincts, impeccable training, and makes visual poetry with her conducting. But even as she makes the music come alive, she puts the people first. In the course of her […]
For a long time, I haven’t been very interested in endings. I’m almost always looking forward to the next concert, the next year, the next project. I’ll celebrate in the moment, but pretty soon I’m on to the next thing. This school year feels like something I need to sit […]
Just like that, it’s June. It’s the last week of this impossible, interminable year, at least here. (Some ended last week. Some have a week or two to go.) Of course, it wasn’t just like that. Every year is a marathon, but this was an ironman triathlon if ever I […]