arrange • compose • conduct
Monitor your performance. Aim for incremental improvement. Focus on repetition. I’ve been thinking a lot about the growth I achieved during school, and the growth I have achieved in the time since school. I think that the algorithm above is the biggest contributor to the fact that my post-academic growth […]
An expert musician synthesizes and uses a variety of information at once. I was watching several work together tonight, and was especially struck with the pianist, my old friend Dave, who really “gets the joke” at the piano. Among the things he was synthesizing: fully notated piano parts when needed. […]
There is a deep confidence that comes with experience. I saw it in at least three moments this week. The guest clinician who was able to assess and effectively rehearse music he hadn’t seen or heard in months, years, or ever. My own work in preparing for our high school’s […]
The Broadway performers who succeed, long-term, again and again, don’t just love performing. They love the practice. If you can’t find joy in the day-to-day work of honing your craft and improving you performance, you might succeed. But you won’t enjoy 90% of the job. That’s not sustainable. If you […]
You want to be able to do everything possible: all the potential good things. But you can’t, because there isn’t enough time. Do what you can. Do enough. Consider today’s midterm elections. Today, some people volunteered and drove neighbors to the polls. Some donated to candidates, went to rallies. Others […]
It might seem logical, given the choice, to solve a problem once rather than repeatedly–but so often we miss the mark. Page turns are a consistent problem in choral rehearsals. They are the most predictable place for a choir to falter, as they briefly lose their spot. As a composer, […]
If I want to make a project ongoing – of indefinite length – here are the most important aspects it needs to have. My passion. If I’m not passionate about it, I won’t be able to keep going. Passions change over time, and so do the projects I work on. But […]
A sage, as I mentioned the other day, is a great method of curation. You can glean insight from their experience and knowledge. An algorithm can be an effective method of curation – it uses machine learning to suggest new media or ideas to you. Another method of curation I […]
After his service in World War II, Tony Bennett used the GI Bill to study bel canto singing – probably many of the same songs and techniques we ask young voice students to learn today, including art songs in multiple languages. At age 92, he is still performing, touring, and interpreting songs […]
We’ve gained so much from easy access to musical recordings. I can sample thousands of recordings as I seek to expand my own knowledge and appreciation. A student can immediately find and impeccable recording of whatever song I assign her. A neophyte can immerse himself in an entire musical world […]