arrange • compose • conduct
Gotta do the listening. I’ve written more than once about jazz being an oral tradition – to speak the language, you’ve got to fill your ears with the great recordings. That’s how you learn the language. The thing is, it’s not just jazz. Every style of music demands a massive […]
The difference between student and professional musicians is in how they react to surprises in performance. I am sometimes asked whether I could put together our Rockford Choirs Cabaret show with student players rather than professionals. The answer is, kind of. Could they learn to play the music? Certainly? Smart, […]
The more clarity you can give to the musicians reading the music, the better the reading will be. Nowhere is that more essential than when in a reading session like the Rockford Choirs Cabaret I do every year. We have a full band and allow just five minutes per song […]
I believe in the value of the D.S. It can save space in a score, making it easier to print; it can make it easier to learn a piece, because you don’t have to notice that a section is identical – it’s the actual same measures. It is also a […]
Wait, scores doesn’t always mean the same thing? No, the traditions around interpreting scores can be radically different depending on context, and we don’t do a great job of making that clear to students. We tend to treat the score as an encyclopedia of interpretation – all information for interpretation […]
I’ve found an unanticipated gift in my increased commitment to preparing sung part recordings for my students. I’ve written before how they have positively impacted my students, and why I came around to a tool I was initially opposed to. It’s certainly not the time and effort – I wasn’t […]
Should you spend more time studying a language, or studying linguistics? We talk about learning music theory as if it’s learning a language. It isn’t. Music literacy is language-like – it’s learning to read, and translate music through eyes and ears. Music theory is much more akin linguistics: the study […]
Those are my favorite words in rehearsal. When you make room for that, there are several great benefits. You empower your ensemble members to have a creative voice. You show that experimentation and discovery is at the core of artistry. You get the chance to show that failure is on […]
Knowing whether to start with rules or whys is a key to effective teaching. I love starting with why in my teaching. “This is a problem we had. Here’s how we solved it.” It’s a great way to get engagement and investment in our students. When I teach the story […]
I could write volumes about what I have learned spending time talking music with Alice Parker. Actually, I hope someday to do just that. But what struck me most on my most recent visit, when we set aside an hour or two every day for little musical projects, is her […]