Do you have strong opinions or funny anecdotes about choral music, conducting, rehearsal techniques, or whether or not “concert black” is becoming passé? You should blog about it!
ChoralNet is seeking new bloggers to either become regular contributors or to contribute to our “From Our Readers” blog section. If you’d like to write something for the “From Our Readers” post, send your column to with “ChoralNet Guest Blog” in the subject line.
We want to hear from all types of musicians, from the professional conductor to the “just for fun” community singer, composers, church musicians, students, and everything in between.
Can’t wait to hear from you. Happy writing!
Bart Brush says
If you think it might be helpful, I would be willing to write a series of perhaps 6-10 blogs about how I became a K-6 public school music teacher and choir director in 2000, at the age of 51, despite having no training in music education. My experiences educating myself and learning how schools work might be of interest to other music teachers just starting out. Some possible topics, titles, and experiences I’ve had—
How to survive and excel at teaching music without training—-Professional Development everywhere but not a session is relevant—-My promised mentor with 30 years experience gets reassigned before we even start—-Why one district offered me a job, then put me off for two weeks, then finally offered it again, one week before school started—-What I learned at a series of choir director workshops in NYC and why I drove 7 hours round trip several times—-How I squeezed in extra rehearsals before school, after school, and during lunch recess—-How to reschedule your school’s lunch schedule to benefit your music program—-How I discovered Helen Kemp, Doreen Rao, Mary Goetze, and Nick Page, and what I learned from them—-The twin pillars of classical music and folk music—-Religious music in the public schools? Of course; and I’m not even a believer—-Don’t be desperate: watch our for these pitfalls in your first job—-Why you should interview your interviewer and what you should ask—-Why spending my own money for instruments, music, supplies, and a piano helped me succeed—-How I survived on a teacher’s salary by living for eight years in a $6000 condemned house and my van—-The myth of those terrible, dangerous inner cities—-My misconceptions about music education, despite being a life-long musician—-Why I don’t teach music reading—-Which is more important in your district: your program, or the preparation you provide for the MS and HS choirs?—-Simplify your life by admitting that you can’t do all you’re expected to do—-Multicultural singing, World Music Drumming, Global Voices in Song, and modern school music textbooks—-Why your use of published choral music may be holding your choir back—-Similarities and differences between music programs in two states—-What’s missing in the education and training of our principals and superintendents.
Sincerely,
Bart Brush
will duchon says
Dear ChoralNet,
I recently published a book titled “Musical Whimsy: The (In)complete Edition of Music Notes”. The book contains dozens of weekly “Music Notes” which I write for my church bulletin, giving history of the music/composers, etc. heard in that particular service. The “Music Notes” are part fact, part fiction, and written to amuse as well as educate. Here are a couple of recent examples:
Praise the Lord! Traditional Cameroon Melody
“C’est magnifique!, exclaimed the ever-witty Scott Messran, editor of the popular UCC songbook Sing! Prayer and Praise. Messran was speaking of the dynamic song Praise the Lord! The song comes from a French-speaking region of Cameroon in West Africa. Although Praise the Lord! did not meet the dizzyingly high musical standards necessary for inclusion in Sing! Prayer and Praise, Messran and the UCC Committee for the Promotion of Really Good Service Music (UCCFPRGSM) ordained this rhythmic and vibrant song to be “worthy of future consideration”. Having conceded this, we asked Mr. Messran if he would enjoy Cameroon itself, to which he replied “Unfortunately I am allergic to almonds.”
Lord, Dismiss Us with Your Blessing TUNE: Sicilian Mariners
According to “tradition”, this melody originated in Italy, traveled to Germany then took a soft left and headed to England, where, like many pieces of music, it got stuck and festered. The tune was originally a simple folk song sung by Sicilian fisherman at the end of their days out on the Mediterranean. The Church of England adopted the melody, but felt pressure to romanticize its origins in order to justify it being sung in church. Thus, “tradition” enhanced the story of those soulful Sicilian fisherman singing the words “O Sanctissima” as a way of “giving thanks to Our Lord for another day of protection and abundant fishing”. Recent research has revealed the actual original text to be “Ci sarà odore di pesce per sempre” (We will stink like fish forever”).
Will Duchon
Director of Music
Monroe Congregational Church
Monroe, CT