arrange • compose • conduct
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 […]
A recent online discussion centered around vocal jazz ensemble singers losing track of their rhythmic accuracy when their rhythm section joined them. Assuming that the rhythm section is playing well in time, and that the singers have rehearsed thoroughly and are capable of the accuracy, here’s the most likely culprit. […]
In a recent episode of On Being, Krista Tippett interviewed science writer Erik Vance about some of the ideas around placebo. The wide-ranging and fascinating conversation included this insight: We need to have the theater around medicine. The white lab coat, for example. Why do you need that? People aren’t […]
Here’s something new I’m trying this year to encourage personal practice outside of rehearsal, based on some of my reading of Brené Brown this summer. The issue has been that personal practice is hard to maintain, even with an accountability group chat and a very reasonable goal (5 minutes x […]
I sometimes think about a really compelling moment in a student recital from grad school. The grad student a year ahead of me composed original music and conducted a concert of a 10-piece jazz ensemble. In the moment in question, he held soundlessly a chord on the piano, and a […]
I’m working on a little behind-the-scenes housekeeping of my website in spare moments, in anticipation of a big milestone coming up. As I’ve looked back at some of my writing from across the years, the message I’m taking away is this: No one has read it all. That might sound […]
It was the buzz of my corner of the social media world today – an official, meticulously edited songbook comprised of the entire set of songs from the first Take 6 album. The album is on many vocal harmony aficionados’ Top 10 lists, myself included. And now, we all get […]
Want more music? Want harder music? Want more interesting music? No problem… Master what you’ve got. The music you’ve got, you’ve got for a reason. It’s chosen to teach important lessons, to build important skills, to develop your ensemble. And once you’ve done those things, we’ll move on – to […]