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At least half of the U.S. states have some sort of vocal jazz honors choir; for whatever reason, Michigan isn’t one of them. This is of course, surprising, because so many leaders in vocal jazz have been Michiganders: Steve Zegree, Duane Davis, April Tini, Greg Jasperse, and Sunny Wilkinson, to […]

There are amazing young artists everywhere in the country. But Michigan is the only place where they celebrate and are celebrated all at once. Roughly 1,000 Michigan Youth Arts Scholars are gathered right now on the campus of Western Michigan University for a weekend of rehearsals, performances, exhibitions, masterclasses, and […]

We all have pie-in-the-sky dreams. Most of the time, we look at them for a minute and then toss them aside. Not possible. But I’m here to say that a good dream, expanded to a plan of action, shouldn’t be ignored. If you can’t do it yourself, ask for help. […]

It’s Teacher Appreciation Week, and while I still haven’t had time to fully process the loss of Steve Zegree, today is the perfect day to begin reflecting on his massive influence on me and so many others as a mentor. Steve taught me to give generously, and privately. In February […]

In 1968, Andy Warhol famously claimed, “In the future, everyone will be world-famous for 15 minutes.” At least in our current version of Warhol’s future, it’s not quite accurate. I think a better expression would be, “famous for fifteen people.” I know a lot of people who lead normal lives […]

I spent a long time in a hotel pool yesterday, ferrying my 3-year-old around the perimeter. At first, he kept flailing and begging to go back to the steps; until I turned around and let him see where we were heading. He immediately started laughing and talking about the experience. […]

Sooner or later, you are going to miss one of your choir’s gigs. It could be illness, a double booking, or an unavoidable meeting relocated across the state. Whatever your reason, it’s important to have done the work well in advance to ensure that your choir still gives its best […]

A tale of two responses: In response to the violence in Baltimore, the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra played a free public concert on Wednesday at noon. In announcing it, they shared one of my favorite quotes from Leonard Bernstein: “This will be our reply to violence: to make music more intensely, more […]

Alice Parker’s book “The Anatomy of Melody” is remarkable in its conciseness. She has distilled a lifetime of knowledge into something so condensed and insight-rich that it proves difficult to take notes. (I am taking notes and will share them here soon.) How did Alice get to such clarity? By […]