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A client called yesterday because the Soprano 1 section was having trouble with a certain dissonance in measure 105. She was trying to figure out how to adjust it to make it more singable. It only took a few seconds for me to make the change – to the Soprano 2 part. […]

You can follow the timing of choral festivals and contests around the country by the posts in groups like I’m a Choir Director asking about how to curb student anxiety ahead of their performance. Usually the right answer is: don’t be anxious yourself. Students pick up on your emotions in rehearsal, pay attention to your […]

My note to students this morning: “Hey, you want to get to school a little early and have a quartet practice? We could sing through May with the metronome at 110!” – Aces Leader “Nah, I’m going to stay home and run through all my music and hit my personal trouble […]

I love breaks because they mostly let me live only today. Looking ahead can come in small bursts, balanced by hours of playing with my kids, reading, cooking, traveling. Today I am excited to spring back into work with preparations for the many events coming up on our choir calendar. But I want to […]

I recently saw a list of phrases used to diminish women conductors, alongside translations. (e.g. “you are enthusiastic” = implied histrionics). I was moved by the list and remain troubled by the way we marginalize women conductors. (Another example used: in an introduction, “finest women conductors” = unconscious othering.) There was one I disagreed with in […]

Underlying every lesson we plan, every rehearsal we lead, every hour we spend fundraising, trip-planning, run-out organizing is a meta-lesson about values. In many communities, you are the most prominent arts professional. YOU are who your students think of when they think of musicians. By valuing choral music and education enough to pursue it as […]

What meta-lessons are we teaching with our concert programming? Let’s face it, most Americans are going to get their idea of “the canon” from high school arts classes. Our students’ long-term concepts of what is important in music will come directly out of the music they experience in choir. Their favorite pieces, sure, […]

I’m a firm and outspoken believer that commissioning new works should be part of a thriving choral program. What is the meta-lesson students get from being a part of this process? There are many. New art is created because we participate in its creation. Music is fluid – the draft we start with might not […]

Nitty-gritty rehearsal: you know ’em, you love ’em. At least I do. What better than to tackle a beautiful piece two measures at a time, shape it into something extraordinary, then move on to the next phrase, applying lessons and continuing to shape. Spend 45 minutes in deep work on one piece, […]

A few weeks ago I was filling some risers with chairs during strike from our musical. About three quarters of the chairs were situated when the cast started congregating; I found the last couple racks, wheeled them in and started unloading them and sliding them into place (asking students to move from their […]