By Alex Gartner Let’s play a game. The rules are simple: hold up five fingers. Ready? Put a finger down if you’ve ever received a scathing email. Put a finger down if you’ve ever been yelled at over the phone. Put a finger down if a parent or supervisor has raised their voice in your […]
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The Conductor as Yogi: The Illusion of “Done”
We are list makers, task accomplishers, and detail managers. We juggle between our professional and personal lives, never really stopping for long because there is always one more item on the list, one more email to send, one more errand to run. When we finish that, we think, then we will be “done.” The only […]
Raise Your Voice: Wild September
This is the fourth post in a monthly series: https://choralnet.org/archives/661159 Wow! It’s mid-September. That happened so fast! I hope your initial choir rehearsals are going well and that there is a lot of positive energy around the beginning of the season. If you’ve been following along with this blog, then you have likely already begun […]
Beginnings: Relationships, trust, and social change
“Relationships are built at the speed of trust, and social change happens at the speed of relationships.” (Rev. Jennifer Bailey) This is the third quote that’s guiding many of my actions this year. I’ve only served as Director of Music Ministries for about a month. As a new staff member, building solid relationships in the […]
The Conductor as Yogi: Our Invisible Practice
Welcome back to The Conductor as Yogi! I took a break from blog writing this summer to create some space to breathe, be with my family, explore other writing projects, and to enjoy the summer’s long days and what nature has to offer. I hope you, as well, had a chance to make some space […]
Beginnings: Stories and Curiosity
I hope that the beginning of the program year or school year is going well for you and that you’ve had several memorable and musical moments already with your choirs. As the new Director of Music Ministries at St. Andrew Presbyterian Church in Iowa City, Iowa, I’ve learned a ton already and will continue to […]