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Last night I asked the six seniors in my ensemble to share some wisdom that would be useful for future members. They’ll graduate on Tuesday and head off to new and different musical experiences. Here are the six insights they shared: RJ: Cherish every moment that you have. The music making will move fast. […]

It takes a different kind of energy to perform for children. If, say, you are performing for a gymnasium full of elementary school students, age 5-11, you need to adjust more than your programming to reach them. Your facial energy, your physical energy, tempos, interaction – all need to adjust to […]

I have been part of an amazing team for the last 5 years planning and facilitating the most expansive choral conference in Michigan. It feature dozens of sessions from choral experts, including plenty of reading sessions, clinics, headliners, and more. I’m especially excited this year because we’re devoting an entire day […]

Your choir had thirty rehearsals this year: 60 hours together to work on making music, making art. That’s not enough time. It’s not enough time for artistry. It’s not enough time to cover all the subjects you want to cover, or learn all the music you put in their folders. It’s certainly not enough […]

When you start a project, the end seems impossibly far away. Whether time is crunched or stretches off for years, it’s hard to see the end. That’s why I warn my students at our first rehearsal in September: it will be June tomorrow.  Because it seems impossibly far away in the future; but in the present, it […]

Some of the best days I’ve had were the ones I had to talk myself into starting. The best practices, the best walks, the best runs, the best dinners, the best conversations, the best experiences. Sometimes it takes talking yourself into walking out he door, talk yourself out of hitting […]

If I increase my running mileage too quickly, I’ll injure myself and never be ready for my race. If I don’t increase my running mileage quickly enough, I’ll never build enough stamina and be ready for my race. These are the twin rules guiding me right now. In between is […]

“Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive and go do it, because what the world needs is people who have come alive.” -Howard Thurman This is what I wish for my students more than anything. Every year as May turns to June, we all say […]

When I start teaching standards to my private students, I make sure to give a brief overview of the history of fake books and The Real Book. It gives a good perspective on the history of this art form, and is a perfect lead-in to a conversation about jazz singing being […]

When you give more than you can recover, you end up with a deficit. Run deficits long enough, and your stores are depleted. Your savings gone. It’s true in finance, but also true for physical exertion and emotional labor. At the end of May, the many outstanding teachers I know have a debt-ridden look in their eyes. […]