Old Habits
They say old habits die hard. That’s a good thing!
Human Nature
What We Procrastinate
Pay attention to what you procrastinate.
Left Handed
If I had been born 100 years earlier, I would have spent my school days with my left hand tied behind my back. Societal pressure would have sought to prevent my handedness from being expressed. We cared more about conformity than about sense of self. When this pressure decreased, there […]
First Day Jitters
I’m not someone to get school anxiety. Several of my nearest and dearest have “Sunday Scaries” pretty much every Sunday, but that’s not my demeanor. The one exception is the first rehearsal of the year.* For as long as I can remember, I enter that day absolutely convince that I’ve […]
At The Mercy Of Your Calendar
Being at the mercy of your calendar can be a great gift – if you only choose to see it that way. As summer ends, teachers ramp up. I don’t know any choir teachers who aren’t at the mercy of their calendar from August to June. Concerts, rehearsals, trips, personal […]
Disposable/Recoverable
Failure isn’t a sign to quit. It’s a sign to rebuild. I found a rusty cast iron skillet on the street a while back, by a trash can waiting to get picked up. Knowing the way to fix it, I carried it the rest of my walk; not very long […]
Dream Big & Don’t Get Disappointed
Dreaming big comes with failure. If I dream of commissioning ten new pieces in the next 2 years, but only commission six, is that a failure? It is inarguably a success – I’ve helped bring six new pieces into the world. But if I measure it only against the metric […]
Kinds of Smart
My son said, “You’re smarter than me.”
Lie To Yourself
The best meetings I’ve led have been the ones when I’ve lied to myself. Let me be honest: I am always, always, always prepping for a meeting right before it happens. That time earlier to prep? I was in another meeting, or doing other work on a deadline, or prioritizing […]
Not The Special Part
Having a group of singers who can sing well together isn’t the special part. Thousands upon thousands of singers have learned to master vocal jazz and choral music over the decades, singing tight harmony in tune. As hard as it is, it’s not that special. What is special is finding […]