arrange • compose • conduct
In the hours before I begin my choirs annual retreat this afternoon, on the forefront of my mind will be that I have only one chance to make the beginning count. As all teachers proceed into a new school year, it’s vital to remember: the tone of the year can be profoundly affected […]
Recently, I’ve been working with several students on interpreting jazz standards: beyond words and melody into a personal expression of the song. That kind of personal expression is a voyage in discovery and necessitates a lot of falling. Interpretive ruts, wrong notes improvised, out-of-tune passages, inconsistent swing, inelegant lines…the list of […]
A 2 1/2 hour meeting to plan fundraisers and organize events. Many more hours preparing for the meeting, particularly from the co-presidents, co-treasurers, and attire supervisor. Constructive support, feedback, and idea-sharing among the group. This was my Tuesday evening: watching ten adults sacrifice a beautiful summer evening to a volunteer position whose only benefit […]
I finished a commissioned vocal arrangement yesterday, start-to-finish. A 4:45 minute piece, in one day. Well, actually, no, I just did the easy part yesterday. Before the one day of work to write it down, I had to: find the right piece. obtain legal permission to arrange. discuss specific ensemble needs […]
There are lots of possibilities when something isn’t working they way you expect it to. You’re doing the right thing at the wrong time. It’s the right time, but it’s the wrong thing. It’s going over people’s heads. It’s not meeting people’s needs. It’s too expensive. It’s not expensive enough. The world […]
Go see Florence Foster Jenkins. As a music educator, I was so moved by the loving portrait of this singular woman. I had long known her for her terrible singing, of course, but this movie goes far beyond the comedy of unintentionally bad singing to her passionate, musical, tender heart. Early in […]
It was news recently that a nearby high school banned cell phones in school. To many educator friends, this was a slam dunk: “I wish they’d do that in my school”, “It’s about time!” Personally, it’s a place to lean heavily on my love of cognitive dissonance. Obviously, cell phones are […]
A brief note to all choir teachers about to begin their first, second, or third year teaching. You cannot do it all this year. You. Cannot. You can’t program all the repertoire you love, teach sight singing perfectly, create the most welcoming classroom, connect with every student, offer all the extracurricular […]
I haven’t heard enough praise of the new Shakira song premiered as part of Zootopia. It has an amazing message that we can all stand to hear more often. A few excerpts: Birds don’t just fly, they fall down and get up Nobody learns without getting it wrong. I’ll keep on […]
There are two ways to tackle a new skill. You can teach yourself, or you can be taught. Our schools overwhelmingly rely on the second, but I’ve watched children learn both ways, and I think the first is far superior. A child who knows how to teach herself will boldly attack a […]