arrange • compose • conduct
Who marks their scores most: the most sophisticated musician, or the beginning chorister? In my experience, the smarter the choir member, the more they use their pencil. Young musicians need to be told what to mark. Mature musicians make marks as they read or rehearse, without being told. Professional musicians can […]
In rehearsal this week a student asked about some musical moment – a decision yet to be made. “Is it going to be A, or B?” “I don’t know,” I answered. “But we’ll figure it out.” Another student said something about it all working out if we trust the process. I think that’s […]
Note: this is the third of a series of posts investigating the leadership style of John Wooden and its applicability to choral music education. John Wooden’s third block in the base of his Pyramid of Success is FRIENDSHIP. Wooden says, “Respect, esteem, and camaraderie are characteristics of Friendship necessary for a high-performance team.” He adds, “Think […]
I am writing this while watching Cantus and Chanticleer perform Gabrieli’s Litaniae Beatae Mariae Virginis in their first-ever joint concert. Well past 10:00pm, and after a sixteen hour day wearing many different hats, I ought to be in bed. Sometimes the best thing you can do is lose a little sleep for art. […]
It’s the first school day of a new month. A great time to reflect and adjust. The first month of school is in large part about establishing routines and baseline standards. My guess is you, like me, have strayed from your intentions as the routines have settled in. A new month, a new opportunity to […]
I had a superstar on my hockey team when I was 10. (This was my last year playing hockey.) Geoff could skate circles around most opponents and handled the puck well. I’m pretty sure he ended up with more goals than the rest of the team-combined. We had a winning season […]
Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has. Margaret Mead What is your choir but a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens? Do you doubt they could change the world? Did you ever consider that they could? What […]
On belief in God, Blaise Pascal reasoned thusly: I have never put much stock in that particular argument – I’m not sure you can reason yourself into faith. But Pascal’s Wager can definitely be applied to plenty of other scenarios. You might use it to justify studying in case of a pop […]
As conductors, one of the traits we most seek from our singers is teamwork. But there are many different ways to induce that teamwork into being. Strong, positive leadership. Team bands together because they genuinely want to please the leader. Strong, negative leadership. Team bands together as a reaction to the leader’s negativity. Weak, positive leadership. Team bands together to attain […]
Note: this is the second of a series of posts investigating the leadership style of John Wooden and its applicability to choral music education. John Wooden made ENTHUSIASM the second of two cornerstones of his Pyramid of Success. Here is where John Wooden differentiates hard work from INDUSTRIOUSNESS. Wooden says, “Hard work is transformed into Industriousness when […]