arrange • compose • conduct
Today was my first time delivering a new talk about jazz harmony and rhythm – the intent of the session was to provide the tools needed for choir directors to confidently tackle vocal jazz repertoire. I called it the “Next Session” – all the topics I hadn’t had time to […]
Tools, strategies, even particular pieces of art can have seasons in our lives. So it’s important to regularly ask, “Does this still serve me?” Does regularly programming this work still serve the intention of my ensemble? Does this vocal warmup still do what I intend it to do, as years have […]
Choral educators are some of the hardest working educators people I know. Emotionally, physically, intellectually – they give so much. It’s at gatherings like the MSVMA conference I’m currently attending that we all remember why we work so hard. We’re reminded through the stories our colleagues share, through their earnest […]
I recently worked on determining two core values from this list as part of my read-along of Dr. Brené Brown’s Dare To Lead. (I did so by making a list of about 20 words from this list she provided; then I determined which two I could think of as tree trunks from […]
“Braving Trust” is the third of four parts in Dare To Lead. I personally think of trust as one of the most important areas of work in a choral ensemble, so I was delighted to reach this short and valuable chapter. This article will unpack the chapter, discuss its implications specifically […]
A week spent in a cabin with no TV, no radio, no wifi, no cell service. It was beautiful in many ways – books, games, outdoor family fun. One unexpected beauty was the simple acceptance of not knowing. I woke up every day not knowing what the temperature was going […]
It’s the human condition to desire change. No matter how lovely the conditions, a little time is all it takes to start wishing for something different. As Anders Edenroth puts it in “The Grass Grows Greener, Some say the grass grows greener on the other sideStill I knowNo matter where […]
Often times when I start writing a piece, I’ll put it in a comfortable key, with the idea that when I’m comfortable with the piece, I can adjust up or down into the right key. The problem is this: the key has an opinion. If I’m writing in E-flat, my […]
I can’t emphasize enough how valuable it is to have a friendly discerning ear as you compose. If you can find a professional with deep discernment to give you some time as you write, you save yourself from the struggle of being too close to the work to really hear […]
Certain composers have such distinctiveness to their tool bag that you can recognize their style in one bar. Even if it’s not a composition but an arrangement. Even if it’s an arrangement of a composer as distinctive as Stephen Sondheim, and a song as recognizable as “Not While I’m Around.” […]