arrange • compose • conduct
Books remain at the heart of the media I consume – not perhaps the most significant by volume, but certainly by the effect they have on my life. I finished 16 books in 2022. It’s a step forward from my 12 in 2021, but nowhere near the 30-40 I want to […]
It’s poetry time. Let the prose wait for a week. A celebrate quote from former New York governor Mario Cuomo states, “You campaign in poetry. You govern in prose.” I don’t know about the work of politics, but I do think that prose and poetry do have seasons. The week […]
How are you choosing what you listen to this Christmas? I’ve long advocated for ditching the radio when it comes to Christmas. That goes for the popular playlists on streaming services, too. So for this Christmas morning, if you’re looking for some listening that ditches the songs you hear too […]
Playlists in music streaming services like Spotify and Apple Music are powerful tools for curating the music you listen to. They can also be of great use in creating passive and active learning. Here are three ways to advise students to more effectively use the playlists you create. (For example, […]
Great new vocal harmony recordings are few and far between. We’re lucky to get a handful in any given year. Even rarer for them to come from a brand new group, as opposed to an established leading light such as New York Voices, The Real Group, or Take 6. What […]
I remember when I first spent time in my college’s music library. The sheer magnitude of music available was a jolt of electricity and a continued revelation throughout my time there. Now, of course, a physical archive of commercial recordings is utterly pointless. The magnitude of music available on any […]
I had my reservations about his music. It’s too hard, too complex, too musically dense. But after the concert on Saturday night in Detroit, I can unequivocally say, the critics are wrong. That includes me. I don’t doubt that Jacob Collier’s music will continue to evolve, grow, as he matures […]
I spent the week listening to music I appreciate but don’t always love. To be clear – I appreciate it deeply. I think it’s brilliant, and I totally allow for the fact that the reason I don’t always love it has to do with my own biases and experience. Certainly […]
“For those who have been trained by it, no discipline seems pleasant at the time but painful.” These words, this tune, sing in my ears whenever I’m struggling to find the discipline to do the work I intend to do. “I’m tired.” “I don’t feel like it.” “I can do […]
The vocal harmony world missed an important golden anniversary last year, and today is a perfect day to make up for it. Just over fifty years ago, in 1971, The Singers Unlimited released their first record, In Tune – a collaboration with the Oscar Peterson Trio. They would go on […]