arrange • compose • conduct
I had a quick National Anthem gig for the Aces, but I was double booked. They could be there. I couldn’t. What a great opportunity! A National Anthem performance is the perfect first chance to practice singing without your conductor, for leadership to step up. It’s low-stakes! (The crowd for […]
The best meetings I’ve led have been the ones when I’ve lied to myself. Let me be honest: I am always, always, always prepping for a meeting right before it happens. That time earlier to prep? I was in another meeting, or doing other work on a deadline, or prioritizing […]
There are three moments from my high school years that stand out for me as inspiring my desire for musical literacy, and specifically for the kind of musical skills I gravitated towards. Three musical professionals in my life offhandedly demonstrated their literacy in a way that resonates to this day. […]
Having a group of singers who can sing well together isn’t the special part. Thousands upon thousands of singers have learned to master vocal jazz and choral music over the decades, singing tight harmony in tune. As hard as it is, it’s not that special. What is special is finding […]
Is there such a thing as too many good things? As a general rule, I think no. I think that you should fill your life with as many good things as you can. My January might be filled to the brim with good things: concerts, conferences, dinners with friends, family […]
Learning to manage time and balance commitments can be difficult for high school and college students. It’s something I focus a fair bit of energy on, both with individual counseling and group conversations. Once in a while, the challenge is to empower students to manage their commitments when someone else […]
I find it helpful to envision a time horizon when I take on a project. Especially for gig- and project-based work, it’s valuable to know how long it’s going to take. An arranging project for a client? Depending on the time of year, I can anticipate first contact to finished […]
Why do we try to make decisions way before they need to be made? Put it another way: what will you be having for dinner 162 days from right now?* I don’t know, and I’ll bet you don’t either. Unless it’s a special event, there’s no earthly reason to know […]
You’ll never start. I’ve had a lot of students over the years who knew they were going to accomplish something specific – as soon as they were ready. “I’m going to be a composer, once I’ve taken all the classes to have the skills.” “I’m going to write a book, […]
It matters who you choose to listen to. As I wrote yesterday, when my students are learning a jazz standard, I work hard to impress on them the importance of targeted listening. This is, after all, an oral tradition, and we can only sing these songs well if we understand […]