Others

From Daniel Coyle’s The Little Book of Talent: Tip #5 – Be willing to be stupid.   The point, of course, isn’t to be stupid, but to be willing to fail, to take risks. Coyle uses the example of Wayne Gretzky falling in practice and says, “As skilled as he was, Gretzky was determined to […]

ACDA THROUGH THE INTERN'S EYES by Taylor Jack Conley          I have spent two summers in the ACDA national office, and the time has been profoundly fruitful. Working in the national office of an organization dedicated to the choral art allowed me to grow my knowledge and love of the art. I was able […]

THE MOZART SIDE-EFFECT, by Christopher Härtel          We choral musicians are intimately familiar with language.  Often we hear beauty in words that others miss.  We understand the power of words, but sometimes we don’t appreciate how words can frame a discussion.  Case in point: Recently, a friend of mine who is a very talented […]

Daniel Coyle's The Little Book of Talent: 52 Tips for Improving Your Skills Tip #3 is, "Steal without apology." This is something I've long believed—it's one of the best ways to acquire new skills. When you see a fine conductor do something—gesture, rehearsal technique, etc.—that works, follow the advice given in the first post, quoting […]

This next blog series revolves around several books and their perspectives on increasing our skills. Those skills can range from conducting technique to rehearsal technique to score study, if we think of our own skills as conductors. It can also mean the skills we teach our singers, which are equally important.   As you've seen […]