arrange • compose • conduct
Great leaders aren’t born. To become a great leader requires practice, repeated failure, study, and, yes, training. Just like great teaching, leading is not something you just wake up being able to do. I’m wrapping up my third of five days of intensive leadership training today. Twenty years into a […]
I’ve never put someone in a group. In a recent conversation, a parent thanked me “for putting my son in your group.” I brushed aside the thank you, focusing on the son and his qualities and skills. What I should have said was, “I didn’t put your son in. He […]
I don’t mean, “What’s on the agenda today?” I mean, what detail should you include in the agenda you send out? A rehearsal agenda can be as detailed as a rehearsal plan: with specific targets, timing, and strategies. It can be as vague as a list of the pieces you […]
There is a time before you’re good at anything when you’re trying it for the first time. Here’s a word for the feeling that goes with it. Trying something new – putting yourself out there – is scary and exciting. Our family has adopted the Glennon Doyle portmanteau of scited […]
Celebrating a 15th Anniversary comes with some difficult opposing forces. On the one hand, I want to celebrate the successes of the past, looking backward and even programming favorite repertoire from the past. That, of course, adds onto my routinely performed “Aces Standards.” On the other hand, I want to […]
Singing isn’t the most important thing to happen at a choir retreat. In fact, I called it the fourth most important thing at my recent Rockford Aces Retreat. (We’ve been holding them since at least 2012.) What’s more important than singing at a choir retreat? Team building (developing the trust […]
I’ve never directed a group with just one on a part. To start: I feel incredibly lucky that I am able to run a class with this few number of singers; I am thrilled to be able to program quartet repertoire for them. We’re exploring great vocal jazz quartets from […]
Those are my favorite words in rehearsal. When you make room for that, there are several great benefits. You empower your ensemble members to have a creative voice. You show that experimentation and discovery is at the core of artistry. You get the chance to show that failure is on […]
How do you execute needed change most effectively? I’m embarking on the Aces Retreat this weekend. We’ve had some form of retreat every year since 2008 (except for 2020) and have been going to the current location every year since 2018. The challenge is always to balance traditions – things […]
Last year, psychologist Adam Grant introduced us to the idea of languishing – a feeling he describes as “a sense of emptiness, stagnation and ennui.” He called it “‘the neglected middle child of mental health’ and […] suggested it might be the dominant emotion of our time.” (You can watch his […]