Shorter University is well known in my area for their strong students, faculty, and tradition of excellence. In the field of choral music, they have recently been led by well known conductors that included recently deceased John Jennings, John Ratledge, and now Martha Shaw. Their tradition of excellence continues under Dr. Shaw – they have […]
NCCO 2011: First impressions
NCCO is in Fort Collins, Colorado this week. It is the fourth conference for the relatively new organization. I’ve been to three: the first in San Antonio, the second in Cincinnati (with my choir performing), and this one. This is a very strong conference – top notch sessions and very strong performances from college […]
Decommissioning a Choir Robe
Some of you might be interested in this – a "decommissioning liturgy" for a choir robe. Samford University first purchased the robe in 1972. I thought the right thing to do was to pay homage to the robe with a little ceremony. Let me know what you think: Decommissioning Liturgy for a […]
Chanticleer’s Message to ACDA
A former student from my days on the Ole Miss choral faculty, Greg Peebles, is the spokesman for Chanticleer in this message to ACDA: Greg was a fantastic student at Ole Miss. His passion for music and excellence, as well as his immense talent, paid off in his position with one of […]
Learning from Steve Jobs
Liz Garnett has a great article on lessons we can learn from Steve Jobs. Here is a part of it: Fourth, as Weber points out in the study that still acts as the starting-point for all sociological studies of charisma, the charismatic leader has to continue to demonstrate their powers. Because their authority is founded on a quasi-magical […]
Extraordinary Creativity through Exercise
A friend pointed me to these thoughts about how the physical body can service – or sabotage – genius: When I'm in writing mode for a novel, I get up at 4:00 a.m. and work for five to six hours. In the afternoon, I run for ten kilometers or swim for fifteen hundred meters (or […]