arrange • compose • conduct
Like many others, I struggle with the ethics of using [Popular Streaming Service That Underpays Musicians]. In the end, I stream music regularly because the convenience and educational advantages are too much to ignore. That said, there are several steps I take to ensure that the artists I love are […]
I’m in love with the mental challenge of working on two versions of the same song. Currently, the Aces are learning a TTBB version of the Star Spangled Banner, while each of them is learning an SATB version in their curricular choir. It’s hard. It’s especially hard if you’re singing […]
I am much more interested in New Year’s Reflections than Resolutions. It’s universally accepted that those resolutions don’t usually stick, and even if they do, it’s hard to wait a whole year to assess the outcome of a resolution. A month is a much more realistic time for a resolution. […]
In a podcast interview, Seth Godin was asked some details about his early work and journey to the present. His response was insightful: “I’m just very uncomfortable talking about this journey of mine, cause I don’t think it’s that interesting cause I was there. […] But I do think the […]
“When will I use this?” is the common refrain. Whether it’s obscure knot-tying in Boy Scouts, SOH-CAH-TOA mastery in trigonometry, or the 18th Century voice leading that contemporary music majors are asked to learn. I understand the question. We want to understand the applicability of the skill before we commit […]
For many of the things in our lives, there is something holding us there. A paycheck. A graduation requirement. A life commitment. When I look around the room of my ensemble in rehearsal, I think, “There is nothing holding them here.” No obligation, no law, no requirement. The only thing […]
As I see it, there are four types of people for a game like chess: Non-playerBeginnerPlayerObsessive You can’t be a chess grandmaster unless you fall into the Obsessive category. Come to think of it, you can’t be a grandmaster at anything without being an Obsessive. All professional athletes. High-level music […]
I regularly solve crossword and other word-based puzzles – it’s one of my favorite distractions for downtime. And at least three times in the last few months, I’ve solved them by turning to a spreadsheet. I’ve rearranged the puzzle as a spreadsheet, organized my thoughts, or just compiled information. In […]
Humans tend to think of hard borders between things. Binary. Black & white. But the world is more nebulous than that. Think about a the Mississippi River flowing into the Gulf of Mexico. You might want to draw a line and say, “This side, river. That side, ocean.” But the […]
It turns out, you can go back again. Thirty years later, I successfully and cheerfully finished a backpacking trip with a Scout troop, much like the one I remember on Isle Royale when I was thirteen. This one was through the Porcupine Mountains in the UP of Michigan, and it […]