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I’m renaming my fall choir retreat. The Rockford Aces spend Friday-Sunday at a local camp, singing, team building, sharing, and getting to know each other better. The ~44 hours we spend together is worth 2 months of rehearsal in the way they become an ensemble, both musically and socially. And retreat just doesn’t […]

What do we want from the future leaders of our society? Overwhelmingly, we are hearing attributes like the following: Self-starter Flexible and able to learn new skills on their own Creative problem solver Insightful with a grasp of the larger world Technologists, scientists, engineers: certainly they will be an important […]

In a recent parent-teacher meeting, the teachers urged us parents to give our kids the opportunity to grapple with failure, and learn that making mistakes is an important part of having success. (They referenced this article about the Growth Mindset research of Carol Dweck.) I don’t know a better way […]

This is what I said to my son the other day as he was groaning about piano practice. “You’re going to be sitting there until your timer goes off. You get to decide whether you want to be better at the end or not.” It’s a question each of us faces every single day, […]

I have to leave my main blog focus to insist you listen to Hamilton. The record comes out on Friday, but meanwhile NPR has the entire album streaming at their website. Hamilton, the brainchild of Lin-Manuel Miranda, is a biographical musical of Alexander Hamilton, using various forms of popular music, most particularly […]

I’ve sung in choirs that spent a solid 10% of rehearsal with warmups, and in choirs where I was told to come warmed up and ready to rehearse. Here is why we vocalize in my rehearsals. Vocalizing brings all the singers into the same musical space. Vocalizing offers a passage from the bustle of their […]

In a recent interview, Seth Godin answered the question, “How do you get so much done?”, in this way: I don’t watch TV, I don’t go to meetings, and I do things that I’m afraid of. That’s all. I have never met someonewho does those three things who can’t get a lot done. […]

A recent active Facebook discussion in the Vocal Jazz Educators group centered on “Favorite Vocal Jazz Chart.” I said, “it’s like being asked to pick your favorite child!” but in the ensuing comments, a clear pattern emerged. The favorite by a large margin is Gene Puerling. Among the 50+ comments, arrangements he wrote […]

There are certain mile markers that I use to know where I am in a school year. A big part of remaining motivated, excited, and inspired are a series of yearly conferences/events I attend. In calendar order… January: Michigan Music Conference May: Michigan Youth Arts Festival August: MSVMA Summer Workshop And […]

What is it I want to do? Is _____ helping me get there? (an activity, a job, a project, a person) Answer them honestly and the “tough” choices seem a lot easier.