arrange • compose • conduct
A month from right now, I’ll be sitting at a table with Alice Parker, studying scores, singing, and talking music. Over nearly seven decades of writing, Alice has developed a clear and compelling perspective in her music. She is a champion of counterpoint – in the pre-Baroque way of thinking […]
You have lived and breathed your teaching job for the last 9 months. On most days, the first thought you had when you woke before 6 was about a student. On most days, you were thinking about students until the moment you fell asleep. You organized, volunteered, planned in every […]
At the stage door of Kinky Boots last night, we visited with a performer who studied with Mandy two summers at Interlochen All-State. She’s in the ensemble and understudies the lead female roles. She reminisced about picking music theatre songs instead of art songs in her voice lessons. She talked […]
Success at Festival is momentary; if you aren’t enjoying the days, weeks, and months leading to it, then you need to change how you view it. Choir Festivals are over – you went home with ratings perfect or developing. How long was the joy or disappointment present in your mind? […]
Today I’m happy to share a guest blog from a wonderful Chicago-based musician, James Abud. James is a deep thinker and a profoundly funny (or is it comically profound) performer. The other day he posted on Facebook a brief comment on the difference between modesty and humility, and I asked […]
Yesterday marked the last event for my Rockford Aces this school year – an end-of-the-year party. To celebrate a successful year with them, I’m sharing here our rep list from the year. The Aces endeavor to sing in as many musical styles as possible each year, with no discrimination except […]
In my farewells to students, I urge them to keep singing no matter what. But not just keep singing. Always have your best musical experience ahead of you. You may have achieved great things in high school. Some of my students graduating this year performed at two World Choir Games, […]
US Department of Marriage MAY 31, 2015 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: New Marriage Testing Program Implemented Effective immediately, the US Department of Marriage will begin phasing in comprehensive, regular testing of candidates for marriage. According to USDoM Director Rena Canndu, “This is an important step in our No Marriage Left Behind […]
How much am I responsible for? What is the minimum I get away with doing? The truth is: very little. Don’t do the minimum. Do a little more. If each kid only picks up the LEGOs that he left out, my floor soon becomes impassible. But if they all do […]
Can you remember the first sentence of your favorite book? How about the quadratic equation? There is so much of our lives that we experience and leave behind, remembering for a short time or not at all. Twice this week I’ve seen the power of music to transcend the limits […]