arrange • compose • conduct
In everything I do, “build it to outlast me” is an organizing principle. I want the ensembles I have started or directed to continue after I finish leading them. I want the music I write to continue to be of use after I’m not conducting it. I want the words […]
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 […]
What’s the equivalent of quiet quitting in school? In the work world, we’ve seen a big increase in so-called “quiet quitting” – a decision to do the minimum required, rather than overtaxing yourself for the sake of your job. (There was a very interesting discussion of this on Dr. Brené […]
Take a deep breath, and consider what it means to be emotionally professional. Here’s Simon Sinek: “If you’re having a bad day, you can say, ‘Listen, I’m a little off my game today.” But you can’t sit in the meeting and be grumpy and give one word answers. That’s emotionally […]
It’s short. The most consistent block I find in my creative work is my self-judgement. I have a hard time objectively assessing the work I create, because all I can see and hear are the flaws. But I come with good news. The half-life of that self-judgement is so, so […]
Say you get excited singing vocal jazz, but never responded to singing Baroque or Renaissance choral music. There are two ways to say that. In my experience, most people tend to focus on defining what they don’t like; “I don’t like singing traditional choral music.” The second, and superior way […]
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 […]
When you have a different interpretation from someone else, when do you offer it? It depends on the situation, naturally. If I’m observing my students run a rehearsal or sectional, I’m likely to offer my advice right away. If I’m observing a respected colleague, I’m going to save it for […]
How do you get out of work triage? I have been in triage since August, when I got back from my week visiting with Alice Parker. Too many projects and too little time leads to spending every work moment just trying to “staunch the bleeding” of the most urgent project […]
My sons are out selling door-to-door right now. I have been an outspoken proponent of reducing sales-based fundraisers in favor of straight donation models; I stand by this approach: it takes pressure off of busy parents, and it lets kids focus on kid stuff, rather than being salespeople. But. But. […]