arrange • compose • conduct
“There is no such thing as song without human beings to sing it.” Alice Parker, in conversation with Krista Tippett Paintings are still there when the museum is closed. The building stands when there is no one inside. A play exists on the page, even when the production has closed. But there […]
Not every word you say will be insightful. Not every word will mean what you intend. Not every word will be clear, not every word will be necessary. Not every phrase will be parsimonious, not every idea will be fully elucidated. But the alternative is silence. Say what you think, every […]
“You can use any source of fuel to power your craft, right? Rage is a fuel source. Joy is a fuel source. Anger is a fuel source. Love is a fuel source. I find that love burns slower and longer. I need it to write musicals – they take a […]
Liking to talk isn’t the same as having something to say. One of the challenges of education is encouraging the introverts with something to say, instead of encouraging the students who are “good in front of a crowd” but don’t add anything to the conversation. Not everyone who is silent has something […]
I like to program difficult music for my ensembles. Here’s why. When an ensemble sight reads something difficult, you will often see a look of doubt on their faces. They don’t think it’s hard: they think it’s impossible. Too hard for them at their current level of skill. I program hard music […]
I’ve grappled for years in trying to figure out the fascination with Halloween. I’ve long been relatively immune to its charms, though in recent years I have had lots of fun dressing my kids up. Last year I revealed a new understanding of how Halloween relates to untapped creativity for people. Halloween […]
I had a lovely conversation this weekend with three valued choral colleagues about work-life balance. Each had different solutions that worked to find balance. One moved farther from campus, so she was less likely to run back to work after dinner. One thought of the balance in the context of a […]
I’ve been having trouble putting words around how proud I am of my wonderful students in the Rockford Aces. They sang their hearts out for an audience of friends, colleagues, and heroes at the ACDA Michigan Fall Conference. They worked so incredibly hard, and have made such remarkable strides in nine short […]
An excerpt from a note I sent this week to my students, who are giving a performance today at the ACDA-Michigan State Conference. I’ve never given a perfect performance. Not as a performer, not as a conductor. I don’t think I’ve ever attended a perfect performance. Every performance is a chance […]
I remember one of my college mentors describing a performance she gave as a young singer with a big band: at the end, she wasn’t sure how it went, because she was so focused on the moment-to-moment music-making that she hadn’t been able to create memories. It took effusive praise from audience […]