“America’s future will be determined by the home and the school. The child becomes largely what he is taught; hence we must watch what we teach, and how we live.” Jane Addams I have been around the performing arts, LITERALLY, all my life. With an opera singer mother and a tap/ballet dancer/choreographer/stage director father, I […]
Choral Culture
Choral Ethics: Gifted
“We are all gifted. That is our inheritance.” Ethel Waters A few years ago, I was talking to a father of a gifted child. I knew his child was gifted because he told me, over and over again, that she was gifted. I wasn’t exactly sure why she was gifted until toward the end of […]
Choral Ethics: Honor
“The greatest way to live with honor in this world is to be what we pretend to be.” Socrates I have known many honorable people in my life, both musicians and non-musicians. Some of these folks appeared to be honorable at first glance, but as I got to know them better, they were far from […]
The Conductor as Yogi: Thanks (in Advance)
The power of a genuine “Thank you” cannot be underestimated. Our busy lives don’t slow down for much, but when a gesture or word of thanks comes our way, we pause and take notice of where we are and who we are with. We smile, breathe more deeply and for a moment, think larger than […]
Choral Ethics: What Is Difficult
“Music is the easy part, it’s everything else that’s difficult.” Rose Marie Ditto Grass (1927-2014) My Mom, a coloratura soprano, used to tell us music was the easy part, everything else was hard. She told us in various ways, in various situations, or used some such variant when it seemed applicable. Several of us became […]
Choral Ethics: Enough
“Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Willing is not enough; we must do.” Johann Wolfgang von Goethe It’s a New Year and new opportunities will crop up for you. New attitudes and new diets and new exercise programs and other NEW, NEW, NEW stuff will revamp and revitalize your life. Or will they? During […]