arrange • compose • conduct
The practice of making your decisions and behaviors match your ideals is the work of a lifetime. We are all working on it. It’s why New Year’s Resolutions continue to exist and hold our attention. The desire of matching ideals and behaviors. Our students will repeatedly fail at this matching–just […]
Many of my artist and performer friends have been sharing articles about the apocalyptic present and gloomy predictions about the future of the arts post-COVID. Arts is often the last area to recover from an economic crisis, and the near-complete elimination of performances has exacerbated that. (It’s further exacerbated by […]
One of the things choir leaders will need to wrestle with in the coming months is students afraid of heartbreak. Last year, my students lost musical performances, a trip to Europe, all concerts after March, and so much more. So did everyone else, of course. But it’s easier for adults, […]
R&R is going to be the goal for next year for choir. Recruitment and Rebuilding. We need to reestablish the norms, the standards of excellence, the atmosphere, the spirit. And we need to counteract the loss due to these highly unusual months. It’s not just choir, of course. Every organization […]
Dr. Brené Brown launched two podcasts in 2020, including the wonderful Unlocking Us. On the very first episode, she introduced us to her idea of FFTs (the FT stands for “First Time”). She outlines the various ways that dealing with a first-time experience can affect our lives, and gives great […]
I think a lot about the concept of moral licensing. Malcolm Gladwell explained it clearly, and introduced it to me, in the first episode of his podcast Revisionist History. In brief: Past good deeds can liberate individuals to engage in behaviors that are immoral, unethical, or otherwise problematic–behaviors they would otherwise avoid for […]
In my experience, traditions can be both a great tool and a great challenge in choral programs. They are opportunities to build camaraderie and connection across generations of students passing through your ensembles. But sometimes they become the tail that wags the dog – driving decisions you make for the […]
I’m predisposed to look to the future, not the past. As such, with coronavirus vaccinations rolling out and a potential end to rolling lockdowns imminent, I think it’s time to start diverting some thinking away from mitigating the challenges of the pandemic towards planning for what comes after. And the […]
I’m playing nightly Scrabble games with two precocious young people these days, and I’ve been reminded of the most common trap in Scrabble. It’s focusing entirely too closely on the letters in your rack and not enough on fluidly reacting to the board and the words played on it. Of […]
Today I practiced saying, “I don’t know … but I think …” It’s a powerful statement to make, particularly to students. It’s powerful because acknowledging the real limits of our knowledge, particularly when we are in positions of authority is humanizing, builds connections, and empower students to recognize that their […]