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(ilounge.com)   The iPod may have been the single most important technology development for music educators that I’ve seen in my career thus far. The ability to load an entire listening library onto a portable device and recall examples instantly for our musicians allows us to give our ensembles concrete examples of musical language and style […]

(A plaintive phone call from a dear friend who is under attack by a chorister prompted this commentary.  We said the following to her, and hope it might be of use to someone else.)   It’s that special time of the year!   No, we are not referring to Christmas, Hanukah, Chalica, Kwanza, or the […]

It seems that in the eyes of our society, the death of a music program is a non-event.  Whether it involves the choral offering at an area high school, a community band, or a civic orchestra, performing arts organizations expire without so much as even a casual nod from local media.   But when a […]

FIVE FROM THE FOLDER: MIXED VOICES (advanced) by Christine Howlett   1. “And I Saw.” Timothy Takach.  Self-published (tim @ timothytaakach.com) First written for SSAA, the SATB version premiered at the 2014 NYACDA State Conference Josephine Preston Peabody’s gorgeous poetry is set with rich harmonies.  Challenging.   2. “Hope for Resolution,” Caldwell & Ivory.  Earthsongs […]

Paul Carey has been an acquaintance of mine for a number of years now. He’s a regular on the conference rotation, and an active (and good) composer. He’s also got some great opinions and is not afraid to speak his mind. Plus, he’s hilarious, which is always a benefit.   Recently he posted a six […]

       It’s one thing for those of us in the choral profession to bemoan the state of current music.  After all, the promotion of historically viable music is our gig.  But when a hipster pop musician starts saying things like “the loss of melody has been a major contributor to the decline in music’s standing […]