arrange • compose • conduct
2020: Inconceivable. Unprecedented. Unpredictable. But not without work, not without growth, not without successes. (Let’s be clear: my 2020 was not without failures, disappointments, sadnesses, confusion, frustration, and more. This is just a snapshot of a very complex year.) Here’s an overview of my work year. Writing I published a […]
I published a post here every day in 2020. Here’s a favorite post from each month. January: Three Goals For RehearsalFebruary: DisputableMarch: Do The Right Thing & Permit Yourself to GrieveApril: The Best We Can…Is Pretty GoodMay: Form Goes DeepJune: SaltingJuly: Not For Me Right NowAugust: Don’t Be A Game ChangerSeptember: […]
2020 was not a great year for listening to new recordings. For me, anyway. It’s a combination of a few things. The pandemic. I didn’t want to listen to new music. I was strongly motivated to listen to comfort music, and new music rarely starts out at comfort music. There’s […]
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 read 26 books in 2020. I would have thought that number would be higher, given the state of 2020, but it turns […]
I think a lot about the concept of moral licensing. Malcolm Gladwell explained it clearly, and introduced it to me, in the first episode of his podcast Revisionist History. In brief: Past good deeds can liberate individuals to engage in behaviors that are immoral, unethical, or otherwise problematic–behaviors they would otherwise avoid for […]
A math educator friend posted a fun 3-minute math puzzle on Facebook yesterday – it was fun for me to play, though I only got close to the right answer. (If only I was still calculus-adept…). Of the responses, several were by musicians/music educators, and in his replies, my friend […]
Wishing you a day filled with music. Including this, which for me exemplifies Christmasy music. Gene’s writing is complex, original, beautiful, and always compelling. But more than that, in this case, is the heartfelt delivery of this piece. You feel it when they sing it. Right down to the spoken […]
The three ideas I most closely associate with Christmas Eve are Family, Singing, and Anticipation. Family, because you’re hopefully with the people you love–blood family or adopted family. Singing, because caroling in general and Silent Night in particular feel particularly connected to Christmas Eve. Anticipation is overwhelming, especially for children, […]
What is the best Christmas album and why is it Ella Wishes You A Swinging Christmas? It has the perfect selection of classic American Christmas songs. Ella sings flawlessly. (It’s my favorite period of her recording – around the same time she was recording the Songbook series, her classic Ella […]
In my experience, traditions can be both a great tool and a great challenge in choral programs. They are opportunities to build camaraderie and connection across generations of students passing through your ensembles. But sometimes they become the tail that wags the dog – driving decisions you make for the […]