This episode is a pastiche of sorts from several sources. We will start with the introduction from my “Togetherness Activism” live presentation from Colorado in January. In that segment I tell the story of what I have learned about discourse and discussion from starting a show in which I put forward opinions in public for […]
Choralosophy
Education’s Relationship with Masculinity with Dr. Brendan Kwiatkowski
Did you know that boys have fallen behind girls in almost every measurable academic category? Boys are 3-6 times more likely to have an ADHD diagnosis, 3-5 times more likely to be expelled, 2-3 times more likely to die from suicide, and are reporting higher levels of loneliness on average. There are a lot of […]
Balancing Individual Vocal Pedagogy in a Group Setting LIVE at CMEA
The beautiful challenge is that in vocal music ensemble instruction, every instrument is unique. So unique in fact that an instruction that helps one student sound better can make another sound worse. In the instrumental classroom there are MANY technical instructions that can be delivered in a way that applies to EVERY trombone or every […]
Digging into National ACDA
Last week, I attended the first national gathering of the American Choral Directors since 2019. I had some incredible experiences, saw incredible choirs, heard wonderful and challenging thoughts presented in PD sessions. In this episode, I will recap my highlights, as well as presenting the highlights of some conference attendees that I interviewed during my […]
Literacy is Equity Live from CMEA
This presentation is the second part, or “why” sequel to Episode 135. In that episode, I lay out processes and procedures to build independent literacy skills in a beginning choir. In this presentation, I expanded into the moral and scientific case for centering literacy in our curricula, as well as support for my contention that there […]
Remaking History with Dr. Marques L.A. Garrett
This week, welcome BACK to the show Dr. Marques Garrett, who last appeared in episode 17, “Beyond Elijah Rock,” where many of us were introduced to the concept of “non-idiomatic” music of Black composers. In this episode, part of the “Oxford Series,” Marques returns to celebrate his latest contribution to the growing canon of music by Black composers […]