arrange • compose • conduct
What is music theory for? Here are a few possibilities… A barrier to weed out insufficiently “studious” musicians from college programs. A set of “universal” concepts that all musicians need to understand to be successful. A set of tools for more efficiently describing the music we are working with. An […]
Are you swimming in reading packets? I know I am. They are a beautiful tool for discovering new repertoire, and an essential part of a choral conference (I know that when I helped organize a conference, the most consistent feedback we received was “more reading packets!”) And yet, they are […]
Do you have a someday list of repertoire? I don’t keep as long a list as many conductors I know – most of the time my repertoire choices comes as a response to the needs directly in front of my ensemble, and what I think will be most effective in […]
It’s a common lament that the proliferation of LEGO sets, and especially branded LEGO sets (Harry Potter, Star Wars, etc.) is a sign of the times – that we are systematically destroying creativity in the play of our children. I argue the opposite. For most LEGO kids, yes, LEGO instructions […]
It’s the rare individual who can be up-close, focusing on the details, and simultaneously have both eyes on the big picture (The so-called 30,000 foot view). But you need both. July is the month, for choral educators, to step way, way back. Of course, it’s time to put in 80-hour […]
In his marvelous book Incognito: The Secret Lives of the Brain, David Eagleman two related learning models. The first involves the determination of the sex of day-old chickens. It was based on very subtle visual cues, but the professional [chicken] sexers could not report what those cues were. Instead, they […]
What is the ethos of your choral institution? Merriam Webster defines ethos: The distinguishing character, sentiment, moral nature, or guiding beliefs of a person, group, or institution. Maybe there was a time when the ethos of a choral ensemble or institution needed no more specificity than “make music together as […]
Accomplished musicians are keen appreciators of good design. Musical design elements, of course. Form. Harmonic movement. Thematic development. Phrasing. Melodic framework. Orchestration. Visual elements are important to musicians–elements such as staff layout on the page, page turns, clarity of notation. Not to mention such design elements as programming, stage design, […]
I am so gratified to be able to announce results in the first ever Composition Competition from the Michigan Choral Composition Competition. We welcomed submissions from women composers and had fourteen entries in our no-entry-fee competition. There were two tiers of competition, for Established and Emerging composers, with cash prizes […]
If all were as we planned it, we would be at the Awards Ceremony for the World Choir Games today with 45 of our Rockford High School students. Of course, that wasn’t meant to be, and we cut our music-making tremendously short in March. But I deeply miss sharing this […]