Uncategorized

Maybe you’re starting a New Year’s resolution that involves more consistent practice. It’s certainly a common one, and a worthy goal. It’s important to maintain this mindset as you set off towards more regular practicing: don’t expect results. I mean, of course expect results. But don’t be tied to them, […]

There are several ways for teachers to make their students stronger. (That’s the goal, isn’t it?) You can push down on your students. They will either crumple or push back, getting stronger along the way. You can have a tug-of-war with your students. Drag them towards your hill – they’ll […]

Owing to a quirk of copyright laws in the 1990s, no works have entered the public domain in the U.S. for twenty years. That ended yesterday, when all works created in 1923 became public domain. While these works aren’t exactly new, they do offer new material for composers and arrangers […]

Seth Godin has pointed out that no marathon coach can promise, “I can teach you how to run a marathon without getting tired.” No, a marathon coach’s job is to teach you how to manage the tiredness. It’s important that vocal music educators understand that that’s our job, too. It’s […]

Consider these 2019 dates: January 14 (Orthodox New Year)February 5 (Chinese New Year)July 1 (Fiscal New Year)September 2 (Labor Day – School New Year)September 29-October 1 (Rosh Hashanah – Jewish New Year) Those are just the ones I googled in a couple of minutes – not to mention the college […]

2018 was a year to remember with much happening on many fronts. It hasn’t been without its failures or missteps, but I also saw some pretty spectacular things happen for me both professionally and personally. Here’s an overview of my work year: Writing I published a new post on this […]

I published a post here every day in 2018. Here’s a favorite post from each month. January: The Two Chords BeforeFebruary: Favorite In The WorldMarch: Inspiring Women MusiciansApril: Leadership is in Step 2May: Three Kinds of KnowingJune: How Many Listens?July: Secret SchoolAugust: The First CrêpeSeptember: Thirty TimesOctober: LogisticsNovember: Tell Them I […]

Books remain at the heart of the media I consume – not perhaps the most significant by volume, but certainly by the effect they have on my life. I completed 27 books in 2018; I think a book every two weeks is a solid total, but I do hope to increase […]

My listening habits are fairly diverse, and fairly heavily rooted in revisiting music I love. That said, there are plenty of things I discovered this year – either new or new to me. Here are some that I loved. The Questions (Kurt Elling) I’ve written before that I think this album is a career […]

The British holiday of Boxing Day is a secular holiday traditionally held Dec. 26 or the first weekday after Christmas. It seems to have come from a tradition of giving tips or “Christmas Boxes” to servants and various workers. The way I see it, Boxing Day has two big reasons […]