arrange • compose • conduct
We are in the era of Youtubers, remix culture, and pop a cappella. It’s clear that the concept of copyright needs to be debated and changed to reflect the way we’re using culture. Here’s how I started my choir thinking about the ramifications in just a few minutes. Listen to Cecilia by Simon and Garfunkel. […]
There are two ways to procrastinate. I used to procrastinate with my mind. What I mean is: I would have a deadline, and then ignore the project, task, responsibility until the last possible moment, when I would furiously finish the job, giving it as much thought as I could in […]
The “January Blahs.” There is a point in any activity when you’ve been marching forward for so long enough that you’re feeling “all kinds of blah”, as a friend put it. She asked colleagues, “Where are your favorite places to turn for inspiration or motivation when you’re feeling burned out?” I […]
I know a high school choral conductor who said, “My job isn’t to train future church choir members.” She meant community choir, even college choir, too – her goal was to put her most talented students on Broadway. I know another teacher whose goal was clearly to make her room a safe […]
In the end, the most important reminder from most conferences is, “I am not alone.” Music teachers almost invariably work in isolation: the only music teacher in your building; the only choral teacher in your district. I am almost always alone in the studio. At a music conference, you’re around your people. Hundreds of musicians […]
Last week I finished my setting of “Once More A-Lumbering Go”, a Michigan lumberjack song, for the Michigan Educators Male Ensemble. They’ll be premiering it in March at the Intercollegiate Men’s Choruses Centennial Seminar. In light of my recent work reading and studying with Alice Parker, I decided to incorporate some of her […]
You spend the first third of your career hustling for more work. Trying to do more and fill the spaces between gigs. At a certain point, the “work more” mindset becomes a hindrance, though. I don’t want to be busier. I want to keep doing the kind of work I do, but better. A […]
Creating, encouraging, and enabling self-direction in my ensemble is one of the best things I did. It was accidental. When I wanted to grow the performance level of my choir, I knew Monday nights alone wouldn’t cut it. But I couldn’t be at a second after-school rehearsal. My family commitments […]
Yesterday we got the news that Katarina Henryson, founder and 30+ year alto for The Real Group, is leaving in July to pursue other musical journeys. Meanwhile, a fellow music teacher told me recently that after 35 years of teaching, and a plan for 5-10 more as recently as last year, he’s now […]
Is music education important? It’s a question that demands cognitive dissonance. We’re big people; we can hold two thoughts in our head at once. On a list that includes global climate change, nuclear deals, human trafficking, presidential elections, gun violence, and all the other stories that make news headlines, music education doesn’t make the top-50. In […]