arrange • compose • conduct
Whenever I feel stress about succeeding in an upcoming project, I lean heavily on this self-reminder: “I’ve never not.” I’ve never not overcome a temporary block to finish writing. I’ve never not made it to the end of the concert. I’ve never not gotten caught up on sleep…eventually. I’ve never […]
My family adopted a dog this past autumn, and we soon discovered that she’s a walker. Big time. She needs a minimum four miles a day to be settled at the end of the day. Her upper limit for daily mileage? We haven’t found it yet. The magic of this […]
There are times when your students are learning, and you want to give all the knowledge to them. Here’s bitonal chords! Jacob Collier! Don’t forget The Mills Brothers! Ella Fitzgerald! Audra McDonald! John Cage! Einstein on the Beach! Alice Parker! Gene Puerling! Stravinsky! Rhapsody In Blue! Sondheim! Diminished Scales! Schenkerian […]
“Saying the quiet part out loud” is a description used for when a politician accidentally speaks their inner monologue, rather than the “official” line. In other words, they are revealing the deep inner motivations for their actions. You might buy that interpretation of a politician’s actions, and you might not. […]
It’s impossible to see beyond the horizon, and actually pretty scary to aim for something you can’t see because of the curve of the earth. The good news is that aging doesn’t just take place on a path through our lives – we age upwards, seeing ever more as we […]
I caught a little slack the other day for posting a couple pictures captioned “Checkmate” featuring my 9-year-old son in post-chess distress. In the end, I checkmated him four games in a row, though in the last week we’re roughly 50/50 and he has systematically eliminated the need for a […]
It’s long been my belief that you you shouldn’t wait for February 14 to express your love. It’s much better to celebrate Valentine’s a little bit every day. You don’t need to wait for a particular day to be romantic, and showing affection for the people you love should happen […]
You have to be playing two strategies at once when you play Scrabble. Of course you have to practice Rack Management. If you don’t have the right letters in your rack, you can’t play the right words. That’s the part most people are extra mindful of. But positioning is just […]
These insightful words from retired soccer legend Abby Wambach hit me during a recent episode of On Being: “If somebody breaks my record, that means the game is better. That means the game is growing. That means other people are achieving greater, bigger heights than me. And that is the kind […]
The arc of the year is long and every year has its own successes and setbacks. But here are a few signposts of success to let you know you’re moving in the right direction. Your arms get tired midway through rehearsal, because you’re conducting more and playing parts less. (This […]