arrange • compose • conduct
The way I see it, for the last two years we’ve been at sea with our ensembles. We were out on our voyage when we were becalmed by the pandemic. When the winds picked back up, the students I was leading needed to be led to a harbor. Any harbor. […]
There’s a moment with a young ensemble when they change gears. In the early gear, the singers approach each new piece as a separate mountain to climb, unconnected to what comes before or after. They change gears when they recognize, at least subconsciously, that the pieces only seem unconnected, and […]
The three facets I think most important in a performance worth giving: Focus. Stay in the moment, paying due attention to the many details required for excellence in music-making. Connect. Forge a connection between you and the people in your audience. Have Fun. Music-making should be a joyous activity. There […]
A key question for conductors to ask themselves is, “Have I prepared my ensemble so that they achieve even when I’m not there?” My students are performing tomorrow at State Solo & Ensemble. I won’t be there, nor am I at their rehearsal tonight. It is profoundly difficult for me […]
You can’t remember anything without directing attention to it. Dr. Amishi Jha: But what happens is that what we pay attention to is the doorway, it’s like the conduit by which we remember information. So, if you were not attending to your environment, you were not encoding it to get […]
Knowing you’ve done something before is a great help when you want to do it again. I’ve been writing daily for years now. Long enough to start to notice a pattern or two. For example, there are some times – maybe a month or so a year – when I […]
We have to stop asking schools to be responsible for 100% of the things we want our kids to learn. I often see memes going around that suggest replacing or revising high school curricula. Suggestions might be along the lines of “Instead of trigonometry, teach personal finance.” Setting aside the […]
It’s time to send yourself an email to arrive in July. This is the time of year when you are able to see what worked and what didn’t, while you’re still in the middle of it. In the summer, this will all seem like a foggy memory – the struggles […]
I spent plenty of time as a kid in music class learning how long notes last. A quarter-note lasts 1 beat, a half-note lasts 2 beats, etc. But that knowledge, on its own, obscures and possibly undermines more sophisticated approaches to music-making. The important questions are “What beat does this […]
Ted Lasso reminds us to lead with a personal touch. “Every person is a different person.” Ted Lasso, Season 2, Episode 2, “Lavender” It’s never bad to remind yourself that “every person is a different person.” Even when leading large groups, teaching full classes, or interacting with someone who “reminds […]