arrange • compose • conduct
My dad loves sailing – from his youth in Rhode Island to sailing his J35 on Lake St. Clair in my youth, he’s always made time to sail. When he owned the Cross Check, he had with him the most wonderful crew of friends who regularly crewed with him on races. They were […]
A quote from our current choir booster president, on a very busy day a few years ago: We all have busy days. Like every one of you, I am 10% too busy. But it’s important to step past that and recognize how blessed I am to have that problem. It’s […]
In 1942-43, Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra conductor Eugene Goossens led a commission program of eighteen Fanfares to open each orchestral concert series. He apparently intended them to be an artistic call-to-arms during World War II – he had embarked on a similar project in England during World War I. Seventeen of those Fanfares […]
I feel like I’ve entered Bizarro World – where the judgement of Grammy voters actually bestows artistic merit on recordings. Let me be clear: Grammy Awards are never consistently about the best music among the nominees any more than the Emmys or Oscars award the best television or movies. It’s about […]
Last Valentine’s Day I got to spend the day and evening with my very favorite vocal group, seeing the first time since 1997. Sweden’s a long way away. I got to see The Real Group again in Latvia during my trip to the World Choir Games with the Rockford Choirs […]
When you’re talking to one of your student’s friends, do they ever say something along the lines of, “Choir sounds like a lot of fun, but I can’t sing.” How do you respond? Here’s what we’ve been around Rockford lately. “Good news, we teach singing! I bet you couldn’t do […]
Producing creative works isn’t about having better ideas than anyone else. It’s about writing down more ideas than everyone else, then trying as many as you need to until you find a good one. Edison tried 1000 light bulbs before he made one work. Bell worked for years to invent […]
Today I made my 4:30 writing time for the first time this week. I have perfectly justified reasons for not getting up to write at 4:30; those reasons don’t help me feel less frustrated at my lack of writing momentum. It took all my willpower to get out of bed […]
30 years. That’s how long The Real Group has been singing together. During that time they’ve made many albums, countless performances and world tours. They make art and have forever changed the landscape of vocal jazz and a cappella singing. One of the things that strikes me most about their […]
Yesterday I baked my 17th loaf of bread in 2015. I love making bread because it’s a way to be of true service to my family. I know I’m putting delicious, nutritious food into their mouths. It’s a concrete way of showing my love. We all need to find more ways […]