arrange • compose • conduct
Does your audition process have accidental selection bias? In recent, fascinating podcast episodes of Revisionist History, Malcolm Gladwell shows pretty clearly that the LSAT isn’t a great predictor of eventual success as a lawyer – but it is a very good predictor of whether you’ll get in a top-tier law school! […]
I’ve been trying all week to think about how to salute an amazing leader on today, as she retires after 20 years. Ginny Kerwin has been a transformative, visionary leader of MSVMA as Executive Director for the past two decades. Her leadership is seen in the quality of the singing […]
Hearing this beautiful song from Dear Evan Hansen is always moving, and there’s a reason it has become such a frequently performed piece by high school choirs in the last couple years. This version is particularly moving – the 86 nominees for the Jimmy Awards (including one of my former […]
“I wish I could just ease in to the next level of responsibility.” So said my son recently, but so says everyone at one point or another. The problem is, that’s not how trust and responsibility work. Once you’ve attained the next level, all of the weight of the next level rests […]
The second chapter of Dare To Lead is called “Call to Courage” (it’s the second of five sections in Part One, “Rumbling With Vulnerability”). I think the purpose of this chapter is to compel us to act by convincing us of the value of adopting vulnerability in our leadership. As she […]
Don’t miss your chance on Monday night to see some amazing young performers in a performance to remember. The Jimmy Awards brings together dozens of high school performers from across the country for a week of rehearsals, masterclasses, meetings, and more. It culminates in a performance on Broadway at the […]
It helps to know people who are on the same journey as you. Whatever the journey is – parenting, composing, teaching music – it makes a difference to know others going the same way. It’s less important whether they’re ahead of you or behind you. They can mentor you, you […]
I was moved by this article about a recent revocation of admission from Harvard College. Kashuv has a shot at redemption because Harvard revoked his acceptance. Consequences and redemption are not in tension. In fact, they go hand in hand. Forgetting the specifics of this situation, I’m more interested in […]
The great science fiction author Arthur C. Clarke is known, among other things, for this adage, the third of “Clarke’s Three Laws.” Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic. I think of this often when considering the magic at our fingertips daily – smart phones being the prime example. […]
The first question I want to ask each of my singers when we get started this August is this: Why do you sing? It will be a part of the one-on-one meetings I have with each of them at our retreat, alongside personal goal-setting and general conversation about our year […]