arrange • compose • conduct
A long time ago, I created a mnemonic for teaching the order of whole-steps and half-steps in a major scale. We Were Happy When We Were Here. (I usually couple it with a joke along the lines of, “Hopefully you’ll say this about your time in this class…”) When, last […]
A prepared, but not perfect, performance early in the year can be a great springboard. Nothing gets passionate music-makers committed to the cause like success coupled with failure. They want to fix their mistakes, they want to move forward from their success. Program early performances just for that reason: to generate […]
Show respect for your singers in every way you can. One great small way to show respect: always start and end on time. Respect their time as a way to show how you respect them.
A choral conductor might joke, “learn to read my mind” when an ensemble is a little slow catching up to them. But the truth is, every ensemble learns to read their conductor’s mind. They know where you’re going back to, they know what piece you’re going to rehearse next, they […]
As you begin to build a new skill, you often hit a point where you feel like you’re getting worse. You feel as if things you once could do well, you no longer can. New materials take longer to learn, and you don’t seem to be able to reach the level of […]
Do you remember the term “limiting reagent” from high school chemistry class? When you were calculating the output of a chemical reaction, the amount of substance formed would be determined by the limiting reagent. Every chemical reaction has at least one limiting reagent. So does every group. In every group […]
Advocacy is among the most vital aspects of arts educator jobs that doesn’t get enough attention. Effective advocacy at every level is essential to the future of the arts, and yet arts educators are too busy and overcommitted to attend to it themselves. If you’re an educator too busy to […]
Every year, we debate the value of this skipped hour. (I’m in the abolish it camp….) Which are you going to focus on? (A) How tired you will be when Monday morning comes. (B) The extra hour of sunlight you’ll have for evening rehearsals. Every experience, whatever you feel about […]
There’s a lot of fun to be had in being a “hired gun” – a guest clinician invited to coach an ensemble, or offer feedback and insight. It’s fun to work with no strings attached and fix what you can without being on the hook for the long-term stress, logistical […]
When I try to queue posts for my website, I often have trouble getting ahead – writing for a far away deadline is tough when I have a daily deadline to deal with, too. It’s easy to put off the less urgent piece, get busy doing other things, and only […]