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“The more that we listen to each other, the more wonderful the sound is.” – Alice Parker, to Krista Tippett during On Being I just transcribed that insight on a re-listen to their unedited, 80-minute conversation. If there is one lesson we must teach our students in choir, perhaps this is it.

Sooner or later, you’re going to have to get out of crisis mode. Can you imagine living without it? We are trained to operate in crisis mode. The pace of movies, of television news, of our very days invites a constant sense of crisis. Certainly drinking from the fire hose of social media is a constant crisis-mode. […]

Does your middle or high school offer prizes for perfect attendance? Many do, and it’s a prize that bothers me on a number of levels. It works at cross-purposes with the goals of education, puts fellow students at risk for illness, and gives students praise for something utterly un-praiseworthy. If a student receives a medal for Perfect Attendance, […]

Note: this is the seventeenth of a series of posts investigating the leadership style of John Wooden and its applicability to choral music education. We have reviewed the fifteen traits John Wooden included in his Pyramid of Success. Throughout, I felt there was a universality to his selected traits as applicable to all disciplines, despite his developing them as a basketball […]

Jerome Kern and B.G. DeSylva wrote this song nearly a hundred years ago, in 1919. I was revisiting Chet Baker’s beautifully understated singing today and was knocked off my feet by his interpretation. Look for the silver lining, Whene’er a cloud appears in the blue. Remember, somewhere the sun is shining, And […]

After a conference, you’re tired but energized. You’re full of new ideas you can’t wait to try with your class. And most of all, you’re inspired by the educators you heard present, and by the ones you chatted with in the hallways and over meals. Why not bring a bit of that […]

Imagine if conference performances afforded you a chance for collaboration beyond the confines of your ensemble. Conference performances are high-stress, high-profile opportunities, and as such can be perceived as ego-driven. For me, the best performances are the ones that subsume the ego and put genuine music-making at the core of the performance. […]

It’s important to realize that the behavior leads to good learning isn’t necessarily fun – or even pleasant – to be around. The most effective practice is short, profoundly repetitive, detail-oriented work. This is also the least fun to listen to. It can be deeply frustrating to be in earshot of 30 or […]

I’ve been a part in planning the brand-new “Alternative Choral Hour” that will be presented tonight as part of the Michigan Music Conference. I think it’s a great start towards inclusion of all types of choral singing as part of the Michigan Music Conference tapestry. Next year, there will be the first-ever […]

Both proficiency and growth are important. In kindergarteners, growth is far more valuable than any proficiency. On college graduation day the potential for growth should be intact, but it’s more important that the graduate has some finished skills. At a professional level, the growth achieved must be on top of current proficiency. In educators, in orchestra […]