arrange • compose • conduct
I am so glad that music classes rarely focus on winning. Even at state adjudicated festivals, even at the World Choir Games, judgements are based on objective assessments, not on a true head-to-head competition. So any awards or “wins” can be filed under “reaching the ensemble’s potential.” The reason I’m […]
I spend part of most days writing music. And a small but significant portion of that time, every single session, is focused on musical clarity. Why focus on clarity? Alice Parker says that only 5% of the music you can imagine can be notated, so why worry so much about […]
I finished a small household plumbing project today, one that a plumber could have dispensed with in ten minutes. It took me the better part of the morning and three trips to the hardware store. The big cause of that extra time is that I don’t do plumbing projects regularly. […]
“A painting is never finished — it simply stops in interesting places.” -Paul Gardner (Scottish painter) So it is with all art. I could keep tweaking the audio mix I wrapped up today for weeks and weeks…but it was time to share it with the people I made it for. […]
It’s been a long dark nightAnd I’ve been a waitin’ for the morningIt’s been a long hard fightBut I see a brand new day a dawningI’ve been looking for the sunshineYou know, I ain’t seen it in so longAnd everything’s gonna work out just fineAnd everything’s gonna be all rightThat’s […]
Great songs don’t require rhymes. Great poetry doesn’t, either. So why do so many have them? From Shakespearean sonnets to the Beatles to Stephen Sondheim, rhymes have a massively important place in the creation of both song and poem. But none of it is required. The art form includes them […]
I’ve been working on virtual recording projects a lot this year, and pieces of these projects often trickle in over days and weeks. The result is that I’m piecing together recordings one part at a time, and often with major parts or voices missing. Generally, I’m familiar enough with the […]
There are two phases of skill growth. One requires solo work, the other requires help. There is a phase when you are developing a skill when doing it every day will lead to inevitable improvement. If you do sit-ups every day, you will get better. If you sing every day, […]
I last missed a daily post her on this day in 2014. Tomorrow begins year seven of my daily streak. (Wolfram Alpha tells me that’s 2,192 days) But it’s November 3 I remember. I remember where I was in 2014, why I missed posting. I commemorate it and move forward. […]
“The most costly disruptions always happen when something we take completely for granted stops working for a minute.” President Jed Bartlet in The West Wing Ep. 3.8: The Women of Qumar (written by Aaron Sorkin) It’s true. The disruption is incredibly costly. The disruption in how we teach, how we […]