arrange • compose • conduct
Let us pause in life’s pleasures, and count its many tears While we all sup sorrow with the poor. We started rehearsing at 1:30 and performed a concert at 7. It was my blessing to spend part of a day with these young men from throughout Southwest Michigan (MSVMA District […]
Last night we had our first quartet tests in my choir this year. I had forgotten just how much I love them. Not because of the abject fear in the eyes of the new members of the ensemble. I’m not villainous. I love quartet tests because they enforce accountability. They demand students to put in […]
I owe a big thank you to the women of Voca Lyrica and especially their artistic director and conductor, Ginny Kerwin. They commissioned me to write a setting of “The Merry Christmas Polka” for SSA & piano 4-hands. It’s the third Andrews Sisters Christmas tune I’ve set for that voicing, and they […]
There are few people as lucky as I in the parent lottery – and one of my goals as an educator is to teach the lessons I learned in my home. With that in mind, here are three lessons I learned from my dad. Let your curiosity guide you. If Dad said “I wonder” to […]
Choral conductors have a superpower. It’s easy to forget. You are busy dealing with dynamics, vowel placement, phrasing, intonation – to say nothing of bathroom breaks, choir couple breakups, and “when is the concert?” You have a superpower. It’s often easiest to see in December, when the world most wants to hear a […]
Get the explanations out of your rehearsal. When Robert Shaw wrote his famous “Dear People” letters, he would have to sit up late typing the letters on a typewriter, have them mimeographed and then mailed to his choir members. The work was significant. He did it anyhow because anything he could put […]
Facebook I love you, but you’re bringing me down. I work every day to live an intentional life, making positive choices and showing up. But social media creep into down moments and slowly grow and grow and grow. For December, I’m taking a step away. From Facebook, Twitter, Instagram. They are the […]
There has been a long and contentious debate in our community about the high school schedule. Eight years ago the switch was made from semesters to trimesters, which has enabled more individualization of schedules and elective options. (Most classes meet for only two trimesters, except AP Classes and music classes). With […]
Every year at retreat, my students and I talk about year-long goals. I ask each of them to bring three goals for the group, which we share late one night, and three personal goals, which they share individually with me. (I share my goals with everyone.) One of my big personal […]
A break! Today you haven’t heard your choirs for a few days. You’ve been relaxing, traveling, maybe overeating a little…. You can come into today’s rehearsal with fresh ears. Since the start of the school year, the longest you’ve gone has been *maybe* a long weekend. Your choir’s sound has remained […]