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We embrace the picture of the free-spirited creative individual, following whims to make art. The reality, though, is that creativity thrives in routine. It is only in daily practice that creative ideas can be hammered into hard reality. I am reminded every August that the freedom of a routine-free summer […]

Solar eclipses have been predictable to astronomers for millennia. And yet, they feel decidedly strange to us as we experience them. Predictable and strange is an interesting pairing – we tend to think of predictable events as boring, and strange experiences as unpredictable. Yesterday I did a trust fall, and though I’ve […]

A choir needs many leaders – leading quietly or loudly from inside the group or in front of it. A choir needs one decider – one who can have the ultimate say on musical choices, among many other things. If you’re that person, make sure you make the decisions without doing all the […]

A message to students starting in new places: space is not a constant size. A building might seem huge, but in a month it will feel smaller because you know it better. The gaps in your knowledge in a new subject might seem huge, but with daily practice and study, you will […]

If you don’t pass through a stage of abject fear on your way to the first day of school, you are in the distinct minority. Here are three reasons I have that fear on a rotating basis: Trying something new – what if it doesn’t work? Repeating past successes – what […]

We are all more than what we look like on paper. If you compiled a perfect version of your own résumé for the job you hold today, what wouldn’t be on it? In other words, what do you bring to your job that can’t be clearly shown on paper? Don’t overlook those things […]

Spend a few moments in the next few weeks sending good vibes to the teachers about to start. The new teachers are feeling every emotion, often in quick succession. Fear – elation – joy – apprehensiveness – anger. The new teachers were overjoyed to get offered a job – I […]

Consider the old expression, “When all you have is a hammer, everything starts to look like a nail.” Almost always, my response to whatever challenge the world throws at me is, “Make music.” I am, of course, mindful that this makes me guilty of seeing every situation as a “nail” awaiting the “hammer” […]

No one consents to fit in their box anymore. Renee Fleming records jazz. Bobby McFerrin conducts symphony orchestras. Jim Carrey paints. We, the audience, like boxes – genres – because they help us decide what we think of art. When we say “I don’t listen to jazz,” or “every music but Country,” or, […]

Like many people, Blue (1971) is my favorite album of Joni Mitchell. It’s a work of art from beginning to end, and never fails to move me. But I think the best three song sequence she every laid down is the final three songs of her 1970 album Ladies of the Canyon. […]