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I have a student working on becoming an arranger, and we’ve been meeting occasionally to review his writing. On our last meeting, I recommended he sing through all the other parts of every piece of music in his choir folder. It’s not enough to know the theory and build chords […]

The nature of the voice means it’s important to not start private lessons until much later than most instrumentalists begin – middle school at the earliest, if not later. The problem is, the practice habit that is so important to build in the early years of studying is far harder […]

When they grow up, my sons want to be Percy Jackson, Spiderman, and Leonard Bernstein. I’m sure there are lots of conductors, composers, educators who feel the same as Danny. Bernstein’s shadow is long for all American musicians. Consider his accomplishments. I’ll highlight a few: Longtime visionary music director of […]

Okay, so you’re going to build a tall pile of snow. Where do you want to build it? Giant Steps? Conducting Gesture? Sprechstimme? I want to argue in favor of building meta-skills. Learn how to learn. Practice effective practice. Get better at getting better. If you can build a massive […]

The grass is liberated in my part of Michigan. I went for a run a few days ago on a 65º day and saw the beginnings of new green shoots coming up in many lawns. But in a few spots, piles of snow remain. When some people shoveled or plowed […]

I am three months away from a journey I could hardly have imagined two years ago. With the help of MSVMA and the Carolyn Leep Scholarship, I will head out on July 4 for a week of intensive study and work with the amazing Alice Parker. She will celebrate her […]

I can’t think of many things I’ve done for 150 days in a row. I haven’t practiced for 150 straight days, I haven’t run 150 straight days. Not even writing music, the activity I most crave when I miss a day or a few. Brushing and flossing. But today I […]

According to convincing research over decades from Carol Dweck and others, it’s far more educationally effective to praise kids for effort than for intellect. The entire “gifted” terminology is a trap for kids: it creates a “fixed mindset” in people that convinces them they can only succeed at things they […]

If you wonder whether it is really that important to have a fully engaged face when singing, consider the McGurk Effect. According to Wikipedia, The illusion occurs when the auditory component of one sound is paired with the visual component of another sound, leading to the perception of a third […]

I realize I memorialized Gene Puerling only last week, but today would be his 86th birthday. I don’t need a special day to celebrate the creative genius of Puerling, but I will take advantage of it every time I can. Today, let’s turn to a wonderful live recording from 1978. […]