arrange • compose • conduct
The journey to mastery is the same, whether you’re seeking to make music, poetry, good science, or hand-pulled Japanese noodles. Listen to chef Peter Song talk about his journey to achieving excellence in hand-pulled noodles (and watch his mesmerizing technique!) and you’ll agree that his process of acquiring the skill […]
It’s not always possible–because conductors and singers alike want to do as much repertoire as possible, and that’s a good thing!–but I always love it when I’ve saved time to experiment. Time to experiment with tempo, with key, with phrasing, with hundreds of small and large musical choices. I love […]
I’ve sung for directors who love the music more than they love the people singing. And I’ve sung for directors who love the people but don’t care very much about honoring the music. Neither is an ideal situation. The best situation, for a conductor, would be to have the singers […]
Yesterday’s interview on NPR’s Fresh Air With Terry Gross is a must-listen. A long-form conversation with leading countertenor Anthony Roth Costanzo, the interview includes great information and demonstrations on vocal production, the history of countertenors and castrati, musicality, practice, and much more. COSTANZO: So it takes a lot of practice. […]
Sometimes, as your toolbox gets more full with more varied tools, a valued tool might slip to the bottom. And then you use it less, because it’s not at-hand. As you use it less, it gets even more buried, and then forgotten. It isn’t less useful, but you don’t use […]
I loath the idea of networking, because it implies something so transactional – meeting people for the sake of building a network that you can use in the future. What I love is having a network. I love being able to, on short notice, find a sub bassist for a […]
It’s easy to get traction starting around a week before a concert, give or take. Suddenly, the looming public performance helps your students get into gear and make big leaps forward. The challenge is to get traction further ahead of the concert. If you can gain traction when the concert […]
I’m about to embark on a months long preparation to compete in the World Choir Games with my ensemble, the Rockford Aces. I’m very insistent about establishing a healthy competition attitude upfront, to deal with these competing ideas. I want my students to earn a gold medal when they perform […]
The balance as you seek to grow, evolve, and improve the work you do with your choirs is important. Innovate: try new things, experiment (with the singers’ knowledge!), change things you think can be improved. This promises the risk of failure. Know that up front. Retain: keep what has worked, […]
If it’s written, especially on paper, it’s real. I was reminded that tonight when my kids were doing their night-time checklist. The sign reads “lunch boxes on counter” – and no matter how many times I remind them, “Dining table, not counter,” they end up on the kitchen counter. When […]