arrange • compose • conduct
Can we talk about last minute decisions? There is value in taking all the time you need to make a decision. Perhaps new information will come in and change the outcome. Perhaps the information will help a large majority come to a consensus on the right decision. But waiting until […]
I love the way that literally every member of a choral community can be a leader. One thing all leaders do is anticipate. Choral conductors anticipate – they give cues to their ensembles before they come in, not after. Choral ensemble leaders anticipate – they turn the pages before they […]
This is the year to practice abundant grace. Everyone I know is experiencing emotional upheaval – on their own timeline. And in times of emotional upheaval, what we need more than anything from the people around us is grace. We need patience, support, guidance, and unconditional love. Some needed it […]
My friend Fred retired this year after several decades brilliantly teaching Calculus. While we didn’t get to interact as often as I would like while he taught (we were both occupied with reaching our own students) he has become a perfect example to me of what a great teacher looks […]
Here’s a core philosophy I hold about the groups I conduct: This group doesn’t belong to me. I’m just its caretaker. This group belongs to you. The members of the group have primary control of the trajectory of the group, of the sense of ensemble, of the progress from week […]
The longer I teach, the more I see ghosts. I see teenagers in my rehearsals who are now in their thirties, raising kids and in established careers. I rehearse pieces and can hear other groups from other years with their own interpretations. I don’t talk about these shades of the […]
The most we can achieve together in an ensemble are the lowest aspirations of any one member. I refuse to use the phrase the “only as strong as the weakest link” because someone with low aspirations isn’t weaker than anyone else. It’s just that their aims are different. It’s okay […]
There are skills I’ve built already as a teacher during the pandemic. There are skills I hope I never have to use again. And there are skills and tools I’ve tried and said, “I’ll keep using this.” I’ll keep using remote one-on-one mini-lessons. These have been a great way to […]
Some people look for assuredness. In a leader, in a collaborator, in a parent. They look for people who say, “I know the answer.” I say, anyone who is 100% sure they know the answer is someone that I can’t 100% trust. I know that might make me seem weak […]
We rehearsed together today–I and the next generation of The Rockford Aces. It wasn’t like any other rehearsal we’ve ever had. Between the masks, the distance, and the September wind, we could hardly hear each other. None of us had sung in a group in a solid six months. But […]