arrange • compose • conduct
The good years are now. Yes, even amidst a pandemic. Yes, even when you made outstanding music with your ensembles a decade ago, preferred the educational system thirty years ago, even if you think the social mores were better 75 years ago. The good years are now, because now is […]
From Dr. Brené Brown’s conversation with Jim Collins, this gem about a trusting mindset. Collins is describing the mindset of his mentor and co-author, Bill Lazier. He said, “There’s this fundamental fork in the road in life, and it is your opening bid to trust or does somebody have to […]
I remember my aunt being an expert at touching the tip of her nose with her tongue (as my daughter is, now). Her advice for learning the skill? Your tongue needs to sneak up on your nose. Now, of course our tongues can’t actually sneak up on our noses. But […]
In this excellent podcast conversation, Brené Brown and Adam Grant discuss the difference between pursuing success and pursuing mastery. Success is an external motivator – its focus is in how you are received by the world. Mastery is an internal motivator – its focus is in how you interact with […]
Real artists are generous. Even as they work to make a living at their art, they give as much as they collect. This month, our family ordered some chocolates from a Belgian artisan that we believe makes some of the finest anywhere (and which figured in our early dating, while […]
It was awfully cold here in Michigan, but my dog is a winter dog, so she was delighted to go on a 2 mile walk this morning at -3ºF. Over the last two years, she has drilled home this important lesson to me: winter is a lot better if you […]
What is one thing you canceled due to the pandemic that you don’t want to bring back? There are so many things – singing without masks, concerts, hugging friends, family trips, and on and on – that I’m looking forward to doing again. But there are some things I am […]
I learned to luge today. (Wow, that’s a funny sentence to type.) The thing I learned about luging is that the right choice is highly counterintuitive. You need to lean back, and tuck your legs in, when your instinct is telling you to sit up and use your legs to […]
I love a good Snow Day Reflection … And there was a concern that, with the explosion of skills in remote synchronous teaching, there might never be another one. The good news is that many school districts seem to have committed to maintaining the status quo, at least for now.* […]
I’ve written about Singing Brook Days – our family’s screen sabbath – a few times before, but in the wake of a month of consistent commitment to the practice from our whole family, I wanted to write an update and say: it’s the best day of the week. Inspired by […]