arrange • compose • conduct
I often say to my students that they are all starters. In the world of high school sports, there are starters and there are bench warmers. A popular no-cut team might have four players at every position…some of whom barely ever get to play in a game. It’s meant, and […]
Start with the impact you want to make. I’m in the middle of figuring out whether I want to take the leap on a new project I’ve been dreaming of. I think with any project, you have to start with the question, “What impact do I want to have?” Want […]
You’ll never see me praying with my students, for one simple reason.
The further advance notice you can give, the better.
My goal is to develop an ensemble’s autonomy until there’s no difference when I’m not in front of them.
I read the room, and I said confidently, “You’re going to read and learn this entire piece today.”
Do your auditions and interviews give too much weight to skill sets and not enough to value sets?
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 […]
Learning to manage time and balance commitments can be difficult for high school and college students. It’s something I focus a fair bit of energy on, both with individual counseling and group conversations. Once in a while, the challenge is to empower students to manage their commitments when someone else […]
I find it helpful to envision a time horizon when I take on a project. Especially for gig- and project-based work, it’s valuable to know how long it’s going to take. An arranging project for a client? Depending on the time of year, I can anticipate first contact to finished […]