arrange • compose • conduct
“Our job is to do it every day, and to do it consistently, and to promise things, which I think is the most difficult part of what we do. Promising something, and delivering on something, you cannot do with talent. You need craft, and you need experience, and just doing […]
Welcome to Week 14 of The Definitive Version, a new weekly feature of my website. You can read more about the project here and read all past entries here. Song: “Jingle Bells” Composer: James Lord Pierpont Lyricist: James Lord Pierpont Form: Binary Standard Key: It was originally published in A-flat major. 1857 seems a […]
Part of the conductor’s job is to be able to see from every perspective. See from the singer’s perspective. The composer’s perspective. The audience’s perspective. (Every audience’s perspective, from the grandparent to the 6-year-old granddaughter.) The advisory board’s perspective. See, too, from each singer’s distinct perspective. A new member of the […]
Sometimes the right reaction to an ensemble feeling like there’s too much on their plates is to say, “Here’s more!” We need to learn to juggle. We need to get faster at learning music. We need to learn how to be more effective participants in the rehearsal process. We need to feel our commitment to the ensemble is […]
“Is there anything I can do to make your life better?” I don’t know a more potent question to ask, of anyone, at any time. Ask out loud, ask silently with your attention. Ask it, and do what you can. It is, of course, the question medical professionals are always […]
The days grow short in two ways, as we approach the winter solstice and the end of 2018. But short days mean long nights to dream, and year’s end is a time to reflect on what transpired. Dream and reflect in equal measure as the days grow short.
I can go on at length about the value of commissioning, and I have. But at the premiere, we should zoom in from the big picture of commissioning, and focus on who the premiere is for. The premiere is for: The performers who have worked so hard to prepare the […]
Don’t underestimate the power of your regular space. There are always a couple of weeks in December when I have to forgo my usual rehearsal space because it is being used as a staging space for elementary concerts. Instead I use a nearby room and wheel in a piano. Same […]
Where do you find good ideas? Couldn’t be less important. Ideas aren’t the hard part. The hard part is finding the time to take good ideas and put them into action. Carve out the mental, physical, and emotional space to take your good ideas and make them a reality. Because […]
I hereby resolve to stop saying the more common phrase “notes and rhythms” and replace the phrase with “rhythms and notes.” In my experience, singers on their own focus far more on notes than rhythms – so we’re always fighting to get back to accurate, crisp, rhythmic singing. There are […]