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Freshness is a passing things. A fresh bunch of bananas turns brown in a week, and a fresh batch of cookies is gone in a few days. (At least, around my kids it is…) The opposite of fresh in the kitchen is pantry-safe. Staples, we call them. Dry beans, pasta, […]

I would ask for a moment of silence to remember the storytelling singer Nancy Wilson but I can’t stop listening to her beautiful recordings. She brought to her interpretations such sophistication, such compelling artistry and connection to the story inside the songs. Making the rounds today is her stirring, utterly […]

When you are doing warmups, try to get out of your usual rehearsal standing arrangement. I’m particularly interested in using a “zipped circle” to focus on vowel and timbre matching. Have the choir form a circle, and then, like a zipper, come together into two rows facing each other. Now, […]

Most music students I’ve known go through and intermediate phase on their way to being musically literate. During this phase, they know what the middle line on treble clef is, but fail to take into account the accidentals or key signature. “What note are you singing there?” “B.” “B….?” “Oh, […]

The group chat is full of students reporting their 5 minutes of practicing – their personal goals are 5 min X 5 days/week. Here are five ways to make mini-practices like this more effective. Don’t try to practice the whole song. Circle spots when you’re in rehearsal, and return to […]

“Our job is to do it every day, and to do it consistently, and to promise things, which I think is the most difficult part of what we do. Promising something, and delivering on something, you cannot do with talent. You need craft, and you need experience, and just doing […]

Welcome to Week 14 of The Definitive Version, a new weekly feature of my website. You can read more about the project here and read all past entries here. Song: “Jingle Bells” Composer: James Lord Pierpont Lyricist: James Lord Pierpont Form: Binary Standard Key: It was originally published in A-flat major. 1857 seems a […]

Part of the conductor’s job is to be able to see from every perspective. See from the singer’s perspective. The composer’s perspective. The audience’s perspective. (Every audience’s perspective, from the grandparent to the 6-year-old granddaughter.) The advisory board’s perspective. See, too, from each singer’s distinct perspective. A new member of the […]

Sometimes the right reaction to an ensemble feeling like there’s too much on their plates is to say, “Here’s more!” We need to learn to juggle. We need to get faster at learning music. We need to learn how to be more effective participants in the rehearsal process. We need to feel our commitment to the ensemble is […]

“Is there anything I can do to make your life better?” I don’t know a more potent question to ask, of anyone, at any time. Ask out loud, ask silently with your attention. Ask it, and do what you can. It is, of course, the question medical professionals are always […]