arrange • compose • conduct
I don’t know who invented the pithy lie, “Those who can, do…those who can’t, teach.” But I do know that it’s time to stop repeating it. Teaching is a skill that takes years of practice – it isn’t a matter of simply knowing the subject matter. I’ve been around my share of […]
All right, choir teachers. Many of you are returning to school today after Spring Break. After a week of re-centering, relaxation, and reflection on the year so far, it’s time to jump back in and sprint to the finish. It’s easy to relax just a little here at the end […]
I’m in the middle of mixing the Rockford Aces‘ third studio album. It’s an exciting and mentally exhausting process. That’s a lot of tracks to mix… This time around, I’m thanking myself for being more demanding in the studio. Even though time is money during the tracking sessions, every minute […]
In the introduction to Alice Parker’s groundbreaking “The Anatomy of Melody: Exploring the Single Line of Song, she writes, Western music is the only society to list harmony right up there in the trinity of msical greats. But I don’t think it belongs there. If melody (tones) and rhythm (time) […]
We know there are glass-half-empty and glass-half-full people. People who focus on the good there is, and those who focus on what could be better. I think there are two more types to consider: Bigger Glass People (BGP) and Littler Glass People (LGP). They are a step beyond the types above. […]
I have a student working on becoming an arranger, and we’ve been meeting occasionally to review his writing. On our last meeting, I recommended he sing through all the other parts of every piece of music in his choir folder. It’s not enough to know the theory and build chords […]
The nature of the voice means it’s important to not start private lessons until much later than most instrumentalists begin – middle school at the earliest, if not later. The problem is, the practice habit that is so important to build in the early years of studying is far harder […]
When they grow up, my sons want to be Percy Jackson, Spiderman, and Leonard Bernstein. I’m sure there are lots of conductors, composers, educators who feel the same as Danny. Bernstein’s shadow is long for all American musicians. Consider his accomplishments. I’ll highlight a few: Longtime visionary music director of […]
Okay, so you’re going to build a tall pile of snow. Where do you want to build it? Giant Steps? Conducting Gesture? Sprechstimme? I want to argue in favor of building meta-skills. Learn how to learn. Practice effective practice. Get better at getting better. If you can build a massive […]
The grass is liberated in my part of Michigan. I went for a run a few days ago on a 65º day and saw the beginnings of new green shoots coming up in many lawns. But in a few spots, piles of snow remain. When some people shoveled or plowed […]