arrange • compose • conduct
It’s Alice Parker Week: In addition to being a living legend as a composer and arranger, Alice is a beautifully polished author. Her writings exhibit the same clarity and parsimony of her music. I’ve selected some quotes from her books as meditations for this week. In today’s reflection, Alice writes about her experiences developing her […]
It’s Alice Parker Week: In addition to being a living legend as a composer and arranger, Alice is a beautifully polished author. Her writings exhibit the same clarity and parsimony of her music. I’ve selected some quotes from her books as meditations for this week. Our tape decks and CD players repeat the same […]
I’m in love with this newer song from The Real Group. My first time was hearing it this winter when they toured the U.S., and since I’ve pulled it up on YouTube and Spotify many times. (There are plenty of musical highlights, but listen for the great duet between alto & […]
In the heat of the moment, I often turn to common metaphors. But this often leaves me using sports analogies that don’t really fit my personality. So I’m taking time to intentionally learn some musical substitutes to those expressions. You might enjoy them, too: Made it to the one yard line : Made […]
It’s easy to find good band music for fireworks. Sousa comes to mind, and any number of others. Orchestral music for fireworks isn’t hard, either: Tchaikovsky tops the list, certainly, but there are plenty of options. It’s harder to find choral fireworks. Ours is a subtle art. Even the most energized, excited, […]
The day of the concert is like the day before a long trip. At last, details you’ve been ruminating about are upon you. Time to finalize, pack, organize. In the beginning, it can feel overwhelming, this final rush. So much that couldn’t be done earlier, and must all somehow be packed into this one […]
In the news yesterday, Adele announced she was canceling the rest of her tour due to a recurrence of the vocal cord hemorrhage that required surgery in 2011. I have several thoughts on this, many shaped by friends who are experts in teaching healthy non-classical singing technique. First, a blind spot for pop singers. Every […]
I just opened a new bottle of honey today for my tea – we buy it locally, from a beekeeper who also happens to be a science teacher colleague at the high school. And I was reminded of why I love local, unpasteurized honey. He must have recently harvested a new batch – it […]
There’s something about weddings and music. Most of my fondest wedding memories (and I’ll bet many of yours) have a musical element. A pickup choir, the live band, a favorite song that brought everyone to the dance floor. Nat “King” Cole for the mother-son dance and so many performance of Ave Maria […]
My sons are participating in immersive art camps this week – architecture for the older, clay work and drawing for the younger. One of the biggest lessons I think they’re taking away from this experience (beyond the specifics of their curricula) is the iterative nature of art. In elementary art class, students don’t have […]