What do you think of when you hear the word “work?” Some days, “work” feels like these dictionary definitions: Exertion, Labor, Toil, Slog, Drudgery. Ouch. Just reading these words makes us feel heavy, even if they accurately describe how we feel right now. It’s not that we don’t still love our art or care about […]
Choral Clarity
9 Last Minute Choir Valentine’s Day Rehearsal Ideas
I must confess that even though I write about Choir Valentine’s Day every year, I have yet to prepare anything for my February 14th choir rehearsal. Lucky for me, I have my own blog post, “9 Last Minute Choir Valentine’s Day Rehearsal Ideas”, that I know is filled with last-minute ideas I can implement Monday […]
The Conductor as Yogi: Our Olympic Journey
I love watching the Olympics. Summer or winter, sports I like or those I have little knowledge about—it doesn’t matter, because it is always the human-interest element behind the athlete’s journey that draws me in. The summer Olympics occur when I am not teaching or conducting full time. I am in big picture mode then, […]
Valentine’s Day Choir Rehearsal: 12 Productive Ideas
Valentine’s Day may seem like a holiday that should be ignored in choir, but I think it could be a missed opportunity! Choir and singing is all about creating connection and spreading love. This post will share practical and effective ideas that include everyone! Here is: Valentine’s Day Choir Rehearsal: 12 Productive Ideas! written by Adam Paltrowitz, […]
How To Navigate Struggling Singers In A Chorus Rehearsal
It can be so frustrating when one or two singers negatively impact our rehearsal with their lack of pitch matching. That droning sound can be frustrating to everyone in the room! Sometimes these struggling singers show improvement when isolated, yet their vocal progress doesn’t translate back into the rehearsal setting. How do you help those struggling singer during the rehearsal? How […]
The Moral Dilemma of Allowing “TONE-DEAF” Singers into our Choir
We all want our choirs to sound great. So what do we do when a “tone-deaf” singer wants to join our choir? Some singers that walk in our door will bring down the flow of our rehearsal and negatively impact our sound. What do we do? Do we send them away? This blog post […]