arrange • compose • conduct
Note: This week I’ve selected words I think we should consider removing from usage for various reasons. When we talk about people making a living creatively, let’s stop using the word creatives. Creativity is our most unique trait as human beings. I agree with those who say it’s what makes us human. So when […]
Note: This week I’ve selected words I think we should consider removing from usage for various reasons. When we talk about payment, let’s stop using the word compensation. When Merriam-Webster’s dictionary defines compensation, the definition that relates to payment is the fifth and final one (2b). I think when we use […]
Listen, I’m going to keep it short today. Click here and listen to Mary Oliver on the radio show On Being. A remarkable poet in a remarkable interview about poetry. (iTunes/Podcasts here.) I first heard it en route to Alice Parker’s home last summer – and I can say that the parallels between Mary’s […]
In which I draw a connection between Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Hamilton (2015 AD) and Virgil’s Aeneid (19 BC)… Chiasmus is a literary term roughly referring to parallelism in reverse – an AB-BA form. It’s named for the Greek letter chi, which looks like an X. The word order in Ancient Latin was very flexible – […]
Isn’t it enough just to do the practice? Why take the extra time to keep a log? (After all, I’ve already admitted that we know when you haven’t practiced….) You can show your mentor how you’ve been practicing. Every day when you start practicing, you have a reminder of where you ended. A physical object […]
“Unused creativity is not benign. It metastasizes. It turns into grief, rage, judgement, sorrow, shame.” So says researcher and storyteller Brené Brown. And I believe her, because my experience has been a gradual but consistent rise in anxiety and depression in the high school students I see. Make no mistake, this is […]
It’s a superstition in the theatrical and musical worlds that a bad dress rehearsal leads to a good show. I am not one for superstitions, but I understand the logic. If you have a crummy rehearsal, and know it, you’re going to be focused, determined, and a little on edge when your […]
Sometimes being first with the right idea can look the same as having the best idea. When Spotify first released the soundtrack to Hamilton the musical, it was difficult to find. It didn’t come up if you searched “Hamilton”. You had to search for an artist, click through two or three things, and […]
For my birthday, I chose to make a list of 38 things I know with my heart. I’ve divided them into four categories: Love, Work, Play, and Learn. Love. 1. Love is the bottom line motivation for everything I do. 2. My family is the center of my heart. 3. Love isn’t […]
One reason we’re afraid to start projects is that we know the tough part is after we start and runs right up until we finish. I was reminded of that as I was preparing for my rehearsal Monday night with the Rockford Aces. We had now had our newly commissioned piece, May by […]