arrange • compose • conduct
I came up through the Kostka/Payne theory textbooks in high school and college; a generation earlier and I’d doubtless have been a Piston student. The first two semesters of college theory, you’ll remember, are mostly devoted to chorale-style part writing. Learn to write a Bach chorale, the thought goes, and […]
One of the high points of the Rockford Choirs 2014 European Tour was undoubtedly a stop en route to Vienna. One year ago today, on the Fourth of July, we 57 Americans stopped at Mauthausen Concentration Camp. It had been liberated by American forces on May 5, 1945. This camp is recognizable for […]
I’ve been visiting a home surrounded by books. Floor-to-ceiling bookshelves across three stories hold easily 10,000 volumes on every subject imaginable. There are paintings on the walls and several thousand CDs of great music. How would it affect someone to be surrounded by books, by music, by art when they’re growing […]
I just finished developing a new version of my website: take a look around!
“Ah, music! A magic beyond all we do here!” – Albus Dumbledore in Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone The value of reading aloud to your child is well-documented. And the joy of sharing books like the Harry Potter series with your kids can’t be overstated. Just as important, […]
Piano. Reading. Yoga. We learn to practice the skills that we value in life, but many think of compassion as a trait, not a skill. What if it isn’t? What if compassion is a muscle we can exercise and build? Who would then argue that we shouldn’t teach, exercise, cultivate […]
I’m in the midst of writing sight reading exercises for MSVMA 2016 Festivals; here are my top-5 criteria in composing the exercises. 5. Appropriate intervallic material. MSVMA designates three levels of sight reading at the high school level, each with specific permitted intervals. 4. Appropriate rhythmic material. Same as 5. […]
Sunsets draw people in almost without fail. Why? What is it about a five-minute daily occurrence that transfixes us and nourishes our souls? For me, it’s a primal connection – it’s the same sunset that my ancestors have experienced; it connects me to a constancy in the world. Further, it’s […]
My friend Steve runs an excellent board meeting. One of the things he always sets aside time for in the meeting is “capacity building” – activities that on the surface don’t seem to have much to do with the business of a state board. They are crucial, though – they […]
High school students: you aren’t going to like the easy jobs in life. Easy jobs are dull. Easy jobs don’t let you be creative. Easy jobs don’t provide advancement. Get good at hard jobs now. Get good at doing more than what is asked. Get good at spinning many plates. […]