arrange • compose • conduct
Everyone always talks about the work on Thanksgiving Day. I’m much more interested in the work on the day before. The day before is when the pies are made, the stuffing is prepped, the turkey is brined (if you’re making a turkey. I’m happy to not.) The day before is […]
We tend to close ourselves off to things we can’t do. I know there are choral professionals who won’t let others visit their rehearsals, or who avoid hearing other choirs, because they don’t want to be exposed for what they can’t do. But opening yourself up to what you can’t […]
I had the great good fortune to get to have one of my favorite humans work with Shades of Blue today. The inimitable Duane Davis. He reminded me of an important mindset to repeatedly offer to students. As he said to Shades of Blue, “The only difference between you and […]
Pieces need time to breathe, too. What happens between notes and rhythms and performance? Sometimes, not much. Sometimes, an efficient polish and development of musicianship. But there’s something else that can happen over time. I’ve found that the pieces we’ve polished, made musical, and even performed continue to develop with […]
Do you find time to watch experts do your job? When you were in college, you observed experts teaching and rehearsing. Every rehearsal I’ve ever sung in included ample opportunity to watch the conductor do the work of running a rehearsal. Every well-taught class I’ve been in was well-taught, and […]
Drop some balls today so you won’t have so many to juggle tomorrow. The only way to stop feeling like you’re triaging your work life, day after day, is to turn away from today. Drop everything, for a little while, and look further ahead. Two days, two weeks, a month […]
…you’ll never get close. I think this is true regardless of where you’re headed. It’s not enough to say “I want to be a musician” or even “I want to be a vocal performance major.” That’s nowhere near precise enough of a direction to aim. Some vocal performance majors are […]
20-year-old me would be terribly impressed by all the things I know today. That’s the magic of time: spend long enough diligently studying something, and you’ll find you’ve made a lot of progress. Maybe that’s not reassuring to young people hoping to master something big, but I find it so […]
Milestones are a good time to reflect on all you’ve accomplished and learned, and I’ve certainly done that in the past. But maybe it’s just as worthwhile to think about what you haven’t learned yet. I haven’t learned yet… …to choose to read (which I’d prefer) when there’s a phone […]
This is the most hopeful warning to give to students heading into the world. You’ll never be done learning your craft. You’ll never be done fighting the good fight. You’ll never be done rediscovering truths you thought you knew. You’ll never be done trying to live up to your own […]