arrange • compose • conduct
It’s very simple. Your students started reading in kindergarten. By first grade, most could get through a moderate picture book. By third grade, a straightforward children’s novel. Many don’t start seriously trying to read music until middle or high school. At that point, their taste is at the musical equivalent of “The Hunger […]
After a 3-year hiatus since my wife returned to full-time teaching, I’ve elected to take on a few private students this summer. I opened a limited number of slots, and offered lessons in voice/repertoire, audition skills, theory, composition/arranging, etc. I recently finished first lessons with most of my students. First lessons are […]
How do you tune into that quiet voice? The one that guides you, and is so hard to hear, especially with the noise of the world coming in from all sides. Here are some actions I’ve found reliable for getting in touch with it. Write. Write whenever, whatever – eventually I can hear […]
Not long ago, I had the luck to be visiting family when my dad took part in an interview rehearsal with a conductor candidate for one of the community choirs he sings in. I joined my dad in the baritone section and got to spend an evening singing music next to him […]
I met an old friend at Blissfest yesterday. He’s a big music lover and supporter of the arts – volunteers for the festival, runs his own smaller festival, and knows many of the best musicians on tour in Northern Michigan. My friend told me he plays bass and guitar and has had several […]
I know a lot of choir directors–a lot of professionals in general–who every year try to do a little more. Add one more educational activity, add one more community-outreach performance, add one more piece to the repertoire. What if, instead of more, you focused on better? Make the moments more […]
A high school student asked me through Facebook, “When you start writing a piece, do you start with the melody line, a form of accompaniment, a thematic concept, a short musical idea to elaborate on, or something different all together?” Here’s my reply. What a big question! When I start composing, […]
And? If we win our independence? Is that a guarantee of freedom for our descendants? Or will the blood we shed begin an endless Cycle of vengeance and death with no defendants? From My Shot in Hamilton: An American Musical by Lin-Manuel Miranda Let ours be the generation that ends that endless cycle.
What is your highest priority lesson? What is the sine qua non – the lesson that, if students graduate without learning it, you have failed at your mission? Now is the time to readjust your future day-to-day teaching to emphasize it. While you aren’t in the daily grind, look back at where you de-emphasized it, and […]
The other day I had an illuminating conversation in interruptions with my 10-year-old as he was reflecting the differences between himself and his friends, academically and socially. (X is better at math than me, but I’m better at puzzles than Y, and so on) “You know, schools are very good at making students […]