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When I have trouble finding what I want to write, I often remind myself to make it specific. I am much more able to write if I’m writing to someone. Writing to a colleague, a student, a mentor. Writing a personal story, sharing advice or words of encouragement just for […]

I’ve developed the habit of creating a few secret signs I can give my singers to give a message that isn’t easily communicated with a conducting gesture. Agreed upon in advance, I can use these to encourage better performance – before or even during their singing. A couple of examples: […]

Traditions. Songs sung every year. Favorite memories shared, supporters honored, awards presented. Seniors saluted. Those are the hallmarks of a final concert, to me. The joy is in a little bit of predictability – the routine makes the goodbye a little more real, and a little easier to handle. Traditions […]

In the modern social-media announcement/event world, I like to remind my students that nothing beats an in-person invitation. I tell them that in the week before our end-of-year concert, I won’t have very many human interactions where the concert doesn’t come up. The bank, the grocery store, the dry cleaners: […]

One of the hardest part about teaching is this: you can’t choose when. You can’t choose when the big, overarching lessons are going to get learned. You can offer all of the tools, you can give lectures, one-on-one feedback, cajole, criticize, praise, and teach your heart out. You can accelerate […]

As I’ve worked hard to disengage from my ensemble, and allow them to take more ownership of the music, I realized something. Don’t make eye contact. The truth is, a conductor who has a strong a relationship with his or her ensemble can express much musical direction directly through the […]

If traffic is starting and stopping, you need to leave room to maneuver. Get too close to the car in front of you, and any sudden braking is going to cause an accident. It’s true with the traffic of your life, too. If you aren’t able to leave space to […]

Something I love about curious, driven, resourceful students is the way they live in Receive Mode. By that, I mean the way they can, day after day, pursue new information in their areas of interest. For music, that means listening, reading, conversation, watching, and more in their chosen genre. As […]

One of the reasons high school and college last a finite amount of time is because our brains are mature enough to develop a perspective. Perspective is great. It’s a little like driving on a dirt road with deep ruts. Your vehicle drives itself – no need to steer, as […]