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You don’t really know a piece until you know it “even when” well. I can perform it well… even when I’m tired. even when I’m sick. even when my neighbor is missing. even when it’s a different time of day than I usually perform it. even when there’s a car alarm going off. even […]

I’m not a morning person, but the thing is that I never regret getting up early. I never regret having a few moments of silence and a cup of tea. I never regret having time to plan my day. I never regret the morning run or walk. I never regret […]

Dream big dreams; they won’t all work. You might not get the fellowship, but you’ll get to take your students across the world. Your dream job might be in a place you can’t live, but you’ll make other jobs into your dream jobs through passion and persistence. You might not […]

I’m happy to share a newly available publication from Pavane Publishing‘s Jo-Michael Scheibe Series. Available now, “Once More A-Lumbering Go” for TTBB a cappella voices. The piece is lots of fun to sing, and while it has some interesting challenges, it is accessible for the typical high school ensemble. It […]

The Chiesa di Santa Maria dei Servi, a Gothic cathedral in Bologna, is a lovely place for an impromptu concert. The Rockford Choirs sang there on Saturday, March 31. Over the altar hung three large chandeliers full of what must have been dozens CFL light bulbs (not genuine Gothic, perhaps, but […]

There’s a long and storied tradition of vocalese in jazz – the writing of new lyrics to recorded jazz solos. It gave singers the opportunity to tackle first bebop, and then more current, instrumental phrasing without scatting, and gave us many beautiful lyrics courtesy of Eddie Jefferson, Jon Hendricks, Mark […]

I designed an ongoing recording project for my students with a fundraising feedback – so the next project will always be funded. After kickstarting the costs for the first record, we were able to use sales from the first CD to cover costs for the second. We’ve recorded and released […]

Choral educators: no one else is going to let the world know the value of what you do. You’re too busy? Guess what, so is everyone else: your principal, your superintendent, your colleagues, your booster board, your students, your accompanist. They’re all too busy to get the word out, and […]

Being an April Fool means being gullible. There’s certainly an argument to be said that having childlike innocence and trust is a liability in dealing with other human beings. But overall, I think the benefits of being an April Fool outweigh the drawbacks. Cultivate trust. Believe the people you love. […]

Today would be the eighty-ninth birthday of master arranger Gene Puerling. Gene grew up in a golden age of harmony singing, and he synthesized every innovation that preceded him into his work in two amazing groups, The Hi-Lo’s and The Singers Unlimited. His particular harmonic language, his sensitivity to melody […]