arrange • compose • conduct
It’s time! All choirs in the state of Michigan are invited to join the Michigan Choral Commission Consortium (MC3) for our 2019 season. (Already ready to join? Click here. Or read on!) We already have 20 choirs re-registered for this year, and I’m actively working with three composers, with more […]
If we never stumble, we aren’t moving forward. That goes for individuals, and for ensembles, too. If your ensemble always meets expectations, with never a stumble, then you aren’t moving forward fast enough. Yes, it hurts to skin your knee or twist your ankle – and it hurts to get […]
How many times do you get one (or maybe two) public performances of a piece? It’s rampant in the curricular choir, when each quarter or semester is spent learning repertoire to be presented at the quarterly concert. Then, it’s the end of the semester, or it’s on to new repertoire […]
“I deal in real time.” So went a prized and oft-repeated expression of my mentor, Steve Zegree. Real time means I don’t cheat on how long things are going to take. Real time means I don’t arrive late or leave early. Real time means I don’t commit to a project […]
One of the hardest musical dances to perform is the dance of committed vs. exaggerated. We seek musicality with deep commitment, but often we end up with musical elements exaggerated, almost to a parody. Rarely do we really want that sort of exaggerated musicality – perhaps the occasional sforzando or […]
No one achieves excellence without sacrifice. Instead of going out with friends, you spend time in the practice room or in the law library. Instead of taking an extra shift at work, you spend time in rehearsal. Instead of turning completely off on vacation, you stay in touch with your […]
People love to share this memeified list of tempo definitions. I can’t say I agree with the sentiment, though. If my choir needs to watch me every second, I’ve done something wrong in the rehearsal process. If my choir watches me every second, they are seriously limited in their ability […]
More than any one concrete skill, more than any particular song or style or technique, here’s what I want my students to leave being able to do. Talk music. I want them to be able to “get the joke” – to be able see the big picture, understand what a […]
This morning, I answered a prompt from On Being for a “found haiku.” Sometimes you can say more with less, yes? Music Everywhere. I yearn for silence,But there’s music everywhereSince I learned to hear.
I love Austin Kleon’s map of “The Life of a Project.” Nowhere does the process move faster to the “Dark Night of the Soul” than when you pass out new music to the choir. You go from the excitement of getting new music in your hands to the hard work […]