arrange • compose • conduct
Any break comes with an “Oh, yeah!” moment at the end of it. The rhythms of my work life are such that breaks occur. I might not use Pro Tools for several months, or Dorico for a few weeks. (I hope it’s a long time before I am working in […]
It’s a question I get so often from guests, especially friends of my kids. “Do you, like, always have music playing? Well, yes. (And even when there’s no music playing, there’s music playing…in my head.) It’s always enlightening to learn the ways in which you’re not normal – clearly we’re […]
Don’t ignore the middle future. I’m pretty good at thinking about what I have to do tomorrow. I’m less good at thinking – at least in detail – about what I have to do in two months. The practice of taking a few minutes to think in detail about the […]
Stephen Sondheim lets you know how important he thinks talent is, in this letter to a young Adam Guettel. “I think you’re serious, literate, intelligent and talented — and, surprisingly, the last is the least because it means little without the others.” Stephen Sondheim, in a letter to Adam Guettel […]
This is the slowest and most painful way to learn. And yet, I hear many people insist on making their own mistakes – even fail at things they needn’t – because they feel they’ll learn better that way. There are certainly things you learn better by doing them wrong before […]
Want to achieve something down the road? Don’t look forward to. Work backward from. Say you want to sing a solo at your spring concert. Looking forward to standing onstage and singing isn’t nearly enough to get you there. You need to work backwards: performance >>> auditions >>> lessons/coaching >>> […]
Why do people go to football games? The answer, fundamentally, is simple. People go to football games because people go to football games. The history feeds into the present. At a big high school, there might be 5,000-10,000 fans in the stands for a Friday night game (or many more […]
How do you define “ready to perform”? One of the big challenges to helping young people develop their artistry is helping them move their definition of performance ready. I have had many students over the years who have considered performance ready to mean “I know the notes, rhythms, and words.” […]
The future of your program can depend on the smallest of nudges. Do great work all year, recruit, make beautiful music, connect with and relate to your students…still some might decide not to stay in choir next year. A give-back karaoke day and a solo that receives praise from peers […]
That’s how I describe the best times in my life, both professionally and personally. How did I do all of those amazing things in one week/one month/one year? The three days, for example when we hosted The Real Group in concert, had a celebratory court date, and organized a 150+ […]