arrange • compose • conduct
I’m restarting a project after a 10 month hiatus. It’s just a minor piece of arts education advocacy in my community, and one that I maintained successfully for about 1 1/2 years before I fell off a cliff with it and couldn’t pick back up. There were three steps I had to take […]
Here’s a Heartwarming Halloween Story, written by my wife. —– Our oldest came home from school Friday feeling disappointed that his classmates didn’t recognize his Percy Jackson Halloween costume. There were lots of tears and lots of hugs. After the boys went to bed, the hero of our family (Jed) posted an […]
Lambert, Hendricks, and Ross were the state-of-the-art vocal jazz group of the late-’50s and early-’60s. More than any other group, LH&R brought real jazz ethos to harmony singing. They swing. They scat. They collaborate with jazz masters like Count Basie, Joe Williams, Louis Armstrong, Dave Brubeck. It’s a revolutionary sound – you […]
It has never been easier for creators to put their work into the world. Seven-year-olds create Youtube channels, for heavens sake. Good ones. And yet over and over I see skillful, passionate future artists waiting. Teenagers with albums in their heads and Netflix in front of their eyes. To them, I say: Don’t wait. […]
I recently read a blog from a fellow choral conductor who wrote about his aversion to “networking.” I agree, but only if we can define the term better. I feel like networking is often defined pretty broadly as getting to know other people in your profession – peers and people ahead of you […]
I was reminded over the weekend of the value of having a basic vowel chart hanging in the choir room, for reference by the students and the conductor. Dr. Joe Miller highlighted its importance in good singing. He even took a moment to mock-shame all of us without one on our wall. And then […]
Like many, I was pleased to hear President Obama and Education Secretary Arne Duncan announce that limits are going to be placed on the amount of time spent on standardized testing. The most concrete piece of information released is that testing time will be limited to no more than 2% of classroom time. It sounds admirable […]
I’ve found there are two approaches to listening to a recording for the first time. Repeat. Begin listening, and as soon as you find something that resonates, repeat as often as necessary to feel fulfilled. For a really great album, it might take them weeks to get past the first three songs. Complete. Start at the […]
It’s something I haven’t done yet – bring an ensemble to perform at a conference. To me, the conductors who bring their choirs to a music conference such as ACDA-Michigan are heroes. They spend their time, energy, and money preparing and traveling to the conference. They present a program that may or may not be quite ready, without being able […]
The thing about music is it lives with people in the same room. This is something fewer and fewer of us are mindful of in an era of Youtube and iTunes – music is a commodity available at just one click. And when your favorite ensemble lives in Stockholm or London or […]