arrange • compose • conduct
If you think you’re only capable of one vocal style or technique, your minad is lying to you. Sure, you may have an affinity for one vocal tone, or even an aptitude for it. But our voices are infinitely flexible, and when I hear someone say, “I can only sing […]
Waiting for the right moment doesn’t always work. It’s nice to think you can just wait for inspiration, for the door to open, for the right signs to conspire…but that’s not usually going to work out. Unless you’re fine with waiting a lot. It’s better, most of the time, to […]
The studio has taught me that a tiny drift over enough time can lead to big problems. It’s important to revisit your recorded mixes the next day after a mixing session. The reason is that in long mix sessions, you can tend to drift away from your sonic ideal – […]
There’s a moment with a young ensemble when they change gears. In the early gear, the singers approach each new piece as a separate mountain to climb, unconnected to what comes before or after. They change gears when they recognize, at least subconsciously, that the pieces only seem unconnected, and […]
Teachers need more tools to help students grapple with mental and emotional wellbeing. I’ve recently begun listening to The Happiness lab, a podcast hosted by Dr. Laurie Santos, a professor of psychology at Yale. It’s a compelling look at how our brains cultivate – or undermine – happiness, and how […]
“What’s a good backup plan if you’re studying music?” A student asked this today during a really frank and positive conversation about music careers. Pursuing a career in the arts is scary, isn’t it? But my answer seemed to surprise them: don’t have a backup plan. For three reasons. First, […]
You’ve got plenty of time to build the skills you want to have. I was reflecting recently on all the things I’ve learned to do since I finished formal education. Musical skills, life skills, cooking skills, hobbies, parenting, and on and on. It’s a lot. It’s a lot for you, […]
Writing a piece “without thinking” is a good sign you’ve done a lot of thinking for a long time. Every piece I wrote used to take my entire brain, and hours of work crafting the perfect solution to the musical challenge at hand. Today I wrote an entire arrangement for […]
Coming out of the profoundly complex, anxious, confusing, continuity-breaking last two years is going to take time. It’s going to take persistence, imagination, and a commitment to rebuilding the traditions that our students have become decoupled from. I say that because just in the last week, I’ve seen glimmers – […]
There are a lot of reasons for feeling unmotivated. Knowing the correct reason can help you take the correct action in response. Maybe you’re unmotivated because: You’re overcommitted and have no free time —-> carve out space for yourself and see if motivation returns. You’re no longer interested in the […]