2017 Roundup: Recordings

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. Elements (The Real Group) The Real Group’s 21st album is a diverse collection of originals, along […]

2017 Roundup: Books

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 22 books in 2017: short of my 2016 total, but a respectable number. Here are a few books I read this year […]

Mixed Meter Christmas

Are you ever concerned about approaching odd-meter pieces with your ensembles? As long as they’re treated well, there’s no impediment to us learning them – 4/4 is no more innate to us than any other metric feel. Consider this pattern: A tune of four measures of 4/4. On the second verse, […]

The Spirit of Christmas

If you believe the true spirit of Christmas is in generous giving, then I’ve got the story for you. When McNally-Smith College of Music abruptly closed ten days ago, my friends Jen and Shon learned about it in an email that said they wouldn’t be receiving that week’s paycheck – […]

Gratitude

As you breathe a sigh of relief over the end of the holiday musical rush, take a moment for gratitude. You get to… …make music every day. …inspire young people. …provide a desperately needed respite from the challenges of modern academic life. …create a safe space for your students to be themselves […]

Background

Singing in the background can be disconcerting when you’re used to being the sole focus of attention – as most choirs are. However, there are several lessons you can learn from being “background music” in performance. This is how many musicians work all the time. Performing their best, while knowing they are […]