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Some consonants obviously have multiple sounds. “J” can be hard as in my first name, or soft as in “Bijou.” “Th” has soft and hard versions, and so do many other consonant sounds. Others are less obvious: “D” has multiple versions, though stemming from the same sound. And the one […]

It is my opinion that singers are, inherently, rhythmically lazy. I think instrumentalists spend too much time counting to be rhythmically lazy, but something about singing words gets in the way of counting numbers. Witness the career of Robert Shaw, whose many achievements included the “accomplishment” of getting singers to […]

Welcome to Week 12 of The Definitive Version, a new weekly feature of my website. You can read more about the project here. Song: “Lullaby of Birdland” Composer: George Shearing Lyricist: George David Weiss Form: AABA’ Standard Key: F Minor/ A-flat Major George Shearing, the blind British jazz pianist, penned this classic tune […]

When you’re a new driver, you can’t have a conversation. The radio should be off limits. Anything out of the ordinary – from weather to traffic – is too much of a distraction. That’s because when our brains are learning a new skill, they are working far harder than when the […]

Wondering what to do tonight? Stay in and celebrate the 30th anniversary of one of the most important and influential vocal groups currently working. The New York Voices – Kim, Lauren, Darmon, and Peter – have advanced the art in so many ways, and they are continuing to break new […]

Personal Bibliography: Music Click here for my complete Personal Bibliography.   Bernstein, Leonard. The Joy of Music. The great communicator and towering figure of American 20th Century music. This book expounds on various subjects in short imagined dialogues. Blocker, Robert. The Robert Shaw Reader. Shaw was, among his many skills, a […]

A choir director’s skill set is diverse and includes many strengths that might be forgotten on résumés and other skill lists. For example, consider: logistics. Human logistics and institutional logistics form a huge part of what you do. Transporting risers, keyboards and attire to and from performances. Making sure singers […]

Good teachers make detailed plans for their lessons. It’s necessary to use the time as efficiently as possible. Great teachers know how to read a room and chuck the plan out the window. Sometime you have to read your students’ faces and pivot away from the plan. Your students are […]

I have no trouble looking at any of my students and seeing that far more unites us than divides us. No matter our differences, we are the same. So it’s my challenge, sometimes, to look at the people around me and remind myself that we’re not the same. Let me […]

Welcome to Week 11 of The Definitive Version, a new weekly feature of my website. You can read more about the project here. Song: “But Beautiful” Composer: Jimmy Van Heusen Lyricist: Johnny Burke Form: ABAB’ Standard Key: G Major “But Beautiful” is a relatively late jazz standard, having been composed in 1947 for […]