Recently, we offered a free virtual meetup to practice “Choir Nerdery.” If you missed it, I have carefully curated some of the most useful and interesting moments for this episode. Discussion topics were derived from survey responses from 120 educators. The full 2 hour and 15 minute work session is available unedited over at Patreon or Substack for show […]
Excluded in the Name of Inclusion with Michal Dawson Connor
“I cannot believe I’ve been muzzled by my own people.” All Saints Episcopal Church in Pasadena, CA cancelled a concert that was set for June 2nd, 2024 citing the “pain and anguish felt by 18 Black members of the church.” The response was that Michal and the choir, and the music they were set to […]
Starting the Year Off Right in Middle School Choir
This article was generated from an email conversation between Ian Henning and Mitch Al-Ubaidi regarding ideas presented in Episode 172. “Dispelling Middle School Myths” By Ian Henning and Mitch Al-Ubaidi Cross Posted from Choralosophy Community If you have questions, or ideas generated from any Choralosophy episode, and would like to collaborate in this way, pitch […]
Expanding the Boundaries of Choral Music with Katerina Gimon
Standard music notation that is now used ubiquitously around the world does some things really well. But it also has limitation. Katerina Gimon is a composer who is actively working to dream up new ways to use notation to communicate sound ideas to musicians that expand our written music vocabulary. Katerina first exploded onto the […]
Singing Alone, “The Boogey Man in the Closet”
Standard #1 from NAfME is the best one I think. “Singing alone AND in small groups a varied repertoire of music.” It is of course, crucial in vocal and general music. But it’s value is also present in instrumental focused courses as well. Here’s the thing. It is our job, as music educators to teach individuals. “Ensemble […]
Why We Ought to Stop Playing Notes for School Choirs
Choralosophy has been at the epicenter of the music education conversation since 2019. The first episode that really made a splash was #18. Ripping Off the Bandaid. It seemed to draw a two sided coin of responses. Colleagues were either offended or found their instruction revolutionized for the better. In this episode, I look back […]