COMPOSITION SPOTLIGHT ~ by Jack Senzig (Each week we look at one or two of the best choral works posted in the Composition Showcase here on ChoralNet. This is where we store a treasure trove of works that your choirs will love to sing and your audiences will love to hear.) Unfinished Melodies by Linda Marcus, Robert Ross, Ken Matejka […]
Stick Time: Physical Freedom
Many colleagues have opined in the page of the Choral Journal and elsewhere about the value of physical freedom whilst singing. Put another way, they suggest a need to understand the difference between energy and tension. You disagree? Clench you jaw and sing. It can’t possible feel or sound good. Consider then, this performance […]
Choral Caffeine: Rehearsal Accountability
In an age when digital “friends” have replaced genuine friendships, when texts take the place of face-to-face communications, and perception is valued more than truth, it should come as no surprise that our students are utterly blind to the concept of accountability. Then again, how could they understand when pernicious helicopter mommies and daddies confront […]
Stick Time: Get Those Ears Back in Shape
For most of us the mid-year break is, or soon will be, over. It’s time to reawaken our ears, to recall what it is we’re supposed to be listening for in rehearsal. Here is a recording from an ACDA national conference. Play this performance three times, listening for a different musical item each time. […]
“Five from the Folder: Community Choir” by Richard Nutting
FIVE FROM THE FOLDER: COMMUNITY CHOIR by Richard Nutting 1. “I Katisma.” Einojuhani Rautavaara. Fazer Music Inc. #M042088562 This piece is from his All-Night Vigil. A great opening piece with rhythmic excitement that uses a solo quartet. Sung in Finnish the piece is easily accessible once you master the changing meter. 2. “Water Night.” […]
Choral Caffeine: Assessment (Ugh)
From the auditions that start the academic year through the grading process at the end of each semester, assessing choral students is . . . is . . . um . . . well, it’s just not any fun at all. For some of us, assessment is one of the least pleasant parts of job. […]