arrange • compose • conduct
Don’t ignore the middle future. I’m pretty good at thinking about what I have to do tomorrow. I’m less good at thinking – at least in detail – about what I have to do in two months. The practice of taking a few minutes to think in detail about the […]
You only get one chance to make a first impression. That’s the expression, and it’s true. But maybe we overvalue first impressions. I’m much more interested in what I understand about you after several interactions. Because anyone can make a good first impression. Be gregarious, be friendly, tell a good […]
Why would a composer choose a career that minimizes new compositional work? I think this is true for many composers, but I thought about it the other day about Eric Whitacre. Eric is a celebrated choral composer, with a huge number of “hits” in the choral world. I have no […]
Studio recording is an entirely different experience from either performance or rehearsal. You’ll hear new things, have new reactions, and learn a ton. That’s why I love to take my students into the studio. But they’re almost always always new to the experience, so I start by giving a few […]
For most college students, and all high school students, school shouldn’t be about helping you become what you want to become. It should be about showing you all the things you could become. Especially including the things you never imagined existed. Yes, trade school exists, and yes, it is vitally […]
Stephen Sondheim lets you know how important he thinks talent is, in this letter to a young Adam Guettel. “I think you’re serious, literate, intelligent and talented — and, surprisingly, the last is the least because it means little without the others.” Stephen Sondheim, in a letter to Adam Guettel […]
This is the slowest and most painful way to learn. And yet, I hear many people insist on making their own mistakes – even fail at things they needn’t – because they feel they’ll learn better that way. There are certainly things you learn better by doing them wrong before […]
Want to achieve something down the road? Don’t look forward to. Work backward from. Say you want to sing a solo at your spring concert. Looking forward to standing onstage and singing isn’t nearly enough to get you there. You need to work backwards: performance >>> auditions >>> lessons/coaching >>> […]
Why do people go to football games? The answer, fundamentally, is simple. People go to football games because people go to football games. The history feeds into the present. At a big high school, there might be 5,000-10,000 fans in the stands for a Friday night game (or many more […]
How do you define “ready to perform”? One of the big challenges to helping young people develop their artistry is helping them move their definition of performance ready. I have had many students over the years who have considered performance ready to mean “I know the notes, rhythms, and words.” […]