arrange • compose • conduct
My middle son is in his fourth level of piano books. He has recently been sight reading from his younger brother’s level one books. He can’t sight read from his own books, though he can play the songs with practice. The fact is, we can all perform music at a much higher level than our […]
When you leave salt out of a bread recipe, it looks pretty much normal. But take a bite, and you find the loaf bland, flat, and un-bread-like. With the salt, the bread doesn’t taste salty – it tastes bready. It taste like it’s supposed to. Be the salt of your choir. Contribute […]
I’m not running a marathon today. It wasn’t for lack of trying – I registered at the end of 2016 for today’s Grand Rapids Marathon. It felt like the right big goal to help me maintain a strong focus on my own health as I approached 40. I was confident that my […]
One of the slowest-building, and most worthwhile, aspects of conducting in the same place for awhile is the development of a choral culture. The traditions, the special songs, the running jokes, sure….but more important is the self-definition that you can help build. It boils down to an expression that Seth Godin uses a lot: […]
Students react strongly to the music they’re learning – both positively and negatively. They will give you a variety of reasons for why the love it, or why they hate it. The reasons to love any piece of music are many, and the given reason is usually honest and heartfelt. But when you […]
We like things that come in groups of ten – decades, fingers, that whole decimal system. And of course, top ten lists. It felt appropriate today to make four top ten lists, for a total of forty items. They’re all alphabetical because I don’t have favorites: just a collection of artists I lean on […]
There are two costs involved in performing any task: The work: the time and effort it takes to complete. The reaction: the mental and emotional energy surrounding it. To be efficient at doing what you want to do, you have to ensure that the second cost does not also involve significant time and […]
I find the major art I practice relies on the minor art I practice in the small moments. Notes to my kids, a lovingly prepared meal. Even a well-made bed or a clean kitchen counter. Tackling these small tasks with the same detailed attention I give to my art doesn’t deplete me – […]
When it’s time for a concert, you should know what your goals are. It might seem self-evident: give the best performance possible of the music you’ve prepared. But there are more and subtler possibilities to consider. For example: my group, The Rockford Aces, are preparing to perform at the ACDA-Michigan Fall […]
As I write this, my son is trying to sound out “Shave and a Haircut” at the piano. He’s six, and has a fine ear, so it won’t take him too long. But listening to all the wrong attempts isn’t easy. I could show him. It would take me twenty seconds. But […]