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We choral conductors, as a group, are guilty of a fatal bit of virtue signaling. Too often we use “difficult” as a synonym for “good” when describing music. Consider how many times you’ve described the repertoire of an ensemble as “really hard” as a measure of praise, or how often […]

For me, a well-designed game contains multiple elements that interact in interesting and subtle ways – giving you choices to make that influence the outcome. Nerdgames like Catan or Dominion or Ticket to Ride give you lots of different approaches that are viable. The same is true with classic card games from […]

Smart leaders build in unscheduled time to their schedules. They know that things will come up that require them to react, and they know that if they overbook themselves they will have to scramble to cover all of their responsibilities. (They probably learned this by dropping a few too many […]

We choral directors, as a group, are doers. One of the ways we most effectively understand the world is through interacting with it. So while the summer hiatus is great for recovery, inspiration, learning, growth, and balance…it’s not so great for doing. By the beginning of August, there’s an itch […]

If I had to start every sentence reacting to student singing in rehearsal with one phrase, it would be: “Good, now try it again with ______.” Three important messages in six words: Positive reinforcement. Adding one additional piece of the musical tapestry. Frequent repetition.

Welcome to Week 3 of The Definitive Version, a new weekly feature of my website. You can read more about the project here. Song: How High The Moon Composer: Morgan Lewis Lyricist: Nancy Hamilton Form: ABAB’, 32-bar Standard Key: G Major The song was composed for a Broadway variety show in 1940, but quickly adopted […]

I love Michigan’s farmer’s markets in August. It’s the perfect time to get the perfect heirloom tomato, local sweet corn, blueberries, peaches, and on and on. But in February that same location won’t have much of anything at all – maybe a couple of cheesemakers or some greenhouse cucumbers. Eating […]

When you really know a recipe, you know little secrets and tricks that aren’t written. Little things like, “I don’t add quite as much water as it calls for” or “It usually takes a few minutes longer to bake than the recipe says.” None of these are a big deal, […]

Yesterday I talked about quieting the self-doubting voice that rears its head right around the first rehearsal of the year. Today, a simple reminder about your students. Your students are experiencing the same self-doubt, the same anxiety, the same apprehensiveness. They aren’t sure they can do what you’re going to […]

I don’t know about you, but I find that even a few days out of my running routine – say for a trip, or a brief illness – and I almost immediately hear a negative voice telling me, “You can’t do it anymore. You don’t remember how. Your training is […]