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For most of us the mid-year break is, or soon will be, over.  It’s time to reawaken our ears, to recall what it is we’re supposed to be listening for in rehearsal.   Here is a recording from an ACDA national conference.  Play this performance three times, listening for a different musical item each time.  […]

FIVE FROM THE FOLDER: COMMUNITY CHOIR by Richard Nutting   1. “I Katisma.”  Einojuhani Rautavaara.  Fazer Music Inc. #M042088562 This piece is from his All-Night Vigil. A great opening piece with rhythmic excitement that uses a solo quartet. Sung in Finnish the piece is easily accessible once you master the changing meter. 2. “Water Night.” […]

From the auditions that start the academic year through the grading process at the end of each semester, assessing choral students is . . . is . . . um . . . well, it’s just not any fun at all.  For some of us, assessment is one of the least pleasant parts of job. […]

Choral music probably isn’t the first thing that springs to mind when you hear the term “Jam Session.”  Being a bass player, one has played in a lot of jam sessions.  In one’s school days, they were a rich training ground for learning to listen, to play with (and off of) others, and to improvise. […]

THE POWER OF CHRISTMAS MUSIC! by Thomas R. Vozzella          Christmas, the name and holiday designated December 25th. Dissected, its meaning is Christ’s Mass, from Old English, “Crīstesmæss”. December 25t h is the annual commemoration of Jesus’ birth some 2,000 years ago. Just as we remember Washington, Lincoln, President’s Day, Veteran’s, Patriot’s, MLK, Native […]