arrange • compose • conduct
We’re not very good at assessing and categorizing errors, especially when it comes to differentiating between momentary mistakes and problems in need of our attention. More than once, I have directed an ensemble that freaked out about a sudden pitch problem – maybe they went significantly flat during an a […]
Teachers come with a lot of wishes for their students. They can wish for students to realize the dreams they themselves haven’t. They can wish for students to achieve success and so reflect back on them as teachers. They can wish for students to matriculate to particular schools, particular majors, […]
Don’t be afraid to make a deal with yourself. I have days in my creative work where my entire self – body/mind/soul – is screaming at me to just get up and walk away from the work. “Take a break!” “Check Facebook!” “Go make a cup of tea!” It’s so […]
If you want to be able to trust them later, you have to trust them sooner. This is a core tenet of my approach as an educator and as a parent: let your trust spread as wide and as deep as it possibly can. The key to making this work […]
Where these three overlap, is where you will do your most valuable work. There are skills you develop because you have an aptitude for them. There are skills you develop because you have a passion for them. There are skills you develop because you have a need for them. Some […]
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’m voting for candidates who embody love for their fellow human beings. For me, that’s a core value. We can agree or disagree about economic policy, about educational policy, about almost anything. But we need to agree on love as a core motivation for decision-making. Love is a cornerstone of […]
We all have the capability to do virtual meetings. Does that mean they’re always the best choice? Of course not. There are many values to meeting in person, particularly when new groups are working to build capacity and develop their relationships. But with a world fluent on Zoom meetings, the […]
When you’re the deep water of too much work, too many responsibilities, too little time to breathe, it’s easy to feel like it’ll be that way forever. I have been trying to remind myself daily – hourly! – that it’s too much, but only temporarily. In my conversations with Alice […]
Happiness is being able to say, “I still love doing this!” well into your career. Sometimes you get bogged down in the daily to-do lists and are just trying to stay on top of what comes next. But I hope that some part of your job, at least once in […]