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It’s International Pronouns Day, which is a perfect time to encourage anyone who conducts an audition to ask for pronouns on an audition form. It’s an easy question to ask. I use four options on my forms: She/herHe/himThey/themOther (Please Specify) Asking this question empowers your auditionees, informs you, and creates […]

What’s the cause of the intonation troubles your choir showed today in measures 39-43? They needs to learn the notes more carefully. An alto leader had a rough night caring for a sick sibling. Vowels need to be unified. Everyone is in various stages of getting or getting over a […]

With first concerts of the year happening for school choirs everywhere, it’s important to remember that before your first concert, you haven’t practiced performing. You can practice performance behavior – eye contact, facial engagement, stage deportment, etc. But you cannot practice performing until you’re in front of people who there […]

Dynamics in the score tend to appear like terraces in hilly farmland. A phrase marked piano followed by a phrase of mezzo piano. There might be crescendos or diminuendos, but these might seem to be the paths from one terrace level to the next. However, picture yourself walking along an […]

“All right,” said the computer, and settled into silence again. The two men fidgeted. The tension was unbearable.“You’re really not going to like it,” observed Deep Thought.“Tell us!”“All right,” said Deep Thought. “The Answer to the Great Question…”“Yes..!”“Of Life, the Universe and Everything…” said Deep Thought.“Yes…!”“Is…” said Deep Thought, and […]

The journey to mastery is the same, whether you’re seeking to make music, poetry, good science, or hand-pulled Japanese noodles. Listen to chef Peter Song talk about his journey to achieving excellence in hand-pulled noodles (and watch his mesmerizing technique!) and you’ll agree that his process of acquiring the skill […]

It’s not always possible–because conductors and singers alike want to do as much repertoire as possible, and that’s a good thing!–but I always love it when I’ve saved time to experiment. Time to experiment with tempo, with key, with phrasing, with hundreds of small and large musical choices. I love […]

I’ve sung for directors who love the music more than they love the people singing. And I’ve sung for directors who love the people but don’t care very much about honoring the music. Neither is an ideal situation. The best situation, for a conductor, would be to have the singers […]

Yesterday’s interview on NPR’s Fresh Air With Terry Gross is a must-listen. A long-form conversation with leading countertenor Anthony Roth Costanzo, the interview includes great information and demonstrations on vocal production, the history of countertenors and castrati, musicality, practice, and much more. COSTANZO: So it takes a lot of practice. […]

Sometimes, as your toolbox gets more full with more varied tools, a valued tool might slip to the bottom. And then you use it less, because it’s not at-hand. As you use it less, it gets even more buried, and then forgotten. It isn’t less useful, but you don’t use […]