arrange • compose • conduct
Choral educators interact with their students on many levels. Lecturer. Conductor. Director. Accompanist. Parent/Surrogate Parent. Counselor. Listener. Disciplinarian. Advisor. Cheerleader. But we must interact with each student as a human first. We cannot be effective at any of those other roles until we see our students as human beings, worthy […]
When balancing a chord, it’s important to take into mind tessitura, dynamics, chord note function, vowels, and any number of other possible challenges. But there’s a particular issue that clarifies the challenge. When you have two voices a half-step away as part of a chord, it’s important to make sure […]
Fred Rogers famously was a lifelong vegetarian because, as he said, “I don’t want to eat anything that has a mother.” As I wrap up Mother’s Day, I am reflecting on the intention to greet each human interaction with the understanding that the person I’m talking to has a mother. Perfect […]
What about next year? When is the time to start thinking about next year’s programming, events, calendar, fundraising, logistics, and so on? The Monday after school gets out? Nope. That day is a day of well-deserved rest and human re-connection. The time to start thinking about next year is now. While you’re […]
We tend to want to watch the superstars. Often, we’re better if we observe our peers. The superstars are amazing, and do remarkable work. But sometimes their work can be so seamless that we can’t see how they do it. If you take some time to watch your peers at […]
In his new book You, Your Child, and School, Dr. Ken Robinson describes three kinds of knowing that are facilitated by various kinds of learning. Knowing that is what we might call factual learning: the memorization and recall of facts. There are many things that are very important to know if you want to […]
How I make sense of the world is through . How do you complete that statement? I do it in many ways: through music, through reading, through conversation with people I love and trust. Through good food and running. How do you make sense of […]
Don’t tell your singers to be in the moment. If you’re in the moment, you’ll lose your place, miss your next entrance, forget about the modulation. If you want to have a truly revelatory performance: Be in the next moment. It’s TIP JAR week! Once a year I open my tip jar […]
The biggest impediment to interesting arranging is imagination. The arranger must imagine a new version. A great vocal arrangement can surprise, delight, and even exceed the original version of the song, but only when the interpreter has an active imagination, and the tools to execute their imagination. For me, Kurt […]
In his new book You, Your Child, and School, Sir Ken Robinson references research into parenting styles, and lays out four distinct approaches: “Authoritarian parents present a set of rules that their children have to follow, without offering either wiggle room or much explanation about why the rules exist.” “Authoritative parents have rules for […]