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Measuring changes how we behave. We recently got a cork world map – it’s now got dozens of colored pushpins charting our travels around the country and world. I love it! I also noticed that almost immediately, I started imagining trips that would let me put some extra pins in […]

Point it out. The thing about personal growth is that it’s often hard to see. Hardest, most of all, to see in yourself. Students work hard, day after day, to develop their skills, but the incremental growth is either invisible, or so gradual that it goes unnoticed. That’s part of […]

Singing isn’t the most important thing to happen at a choir retreat. In fact, I called it the fourth most important thing at my recent Rockford Aces Retreat. (We’ve been holding them since at least 2012.) What’s more important than singing at a choir retreat? Team building (developing the trust […]

We are all complicated, with lots of different skills and interests that we can choose to display or conceal in our audition. Once you get past the question of performing well, you get to a much more interesting questions. Young singers focus almost exclusively on making their audition sound the […]

I’ve enjoyed Jonathan Fields’ work as an author and podcaster for a long time. He’s an engaging thinker and consistently asks mindful and deep questions of his podcast guests. He’s just released a new book, Sparked, which is a framework for thinking about “the work that makes you come alive.” […]

I like getting better and faster at putting away my tent. I like to be the first to have everything packed up at the end of a campout. Same thing when I’m striking a sound system, or cleaning up after a big dinner. I like to finish my job well […]

Playing games is the most important way to get great at chess, but they are more effective paired with different other practice strategies. The same is true for performance repertoire in the choral rehearsal. Part of the tradition of learning chess is to play puzzles that require you to force […]

[a day off of gathering posts] Honey comes in all sizes, flavors, consistencies – and qualities! On one side, you have the packets of “honey sauce” to dip chicken nuggets in. On the other side, you have raw, organic, unpasteurized, sustainably-harvested single-flower honey. (Full disclosure: I am pretty picky with […]

“The desire to keep doors open–to not offend, to maintain a future opportunity–is a thereat to gathering with purpose.” (p.35) Auditions. Auditions are at the core of how many ensemble directors deal with the question of inclusion/exclusion. Musicals, advanced ensembles, even solos – these are all opportunities to wrestle with […]