“To a philosopher all news, as it is called, is gossip, and they who edit and read it are old women over their tea.” Henry David Thoreau I’d like to revisit one of the staple issues of Choral Ethics today: Gossip. Recently I’ve gotten quite a few emails about gossip. If you’ve been reading Choral […]
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Choral Ethics: Story Time
“Finding good players is easy. Getting them to play as a team is another story.” Casey Stengel Happy New Year ChoralNet! I hope you all had wonderful holidays. And I also hope you spent some time recharging and refreshing before your next batch of rehearsals and classes begin. January’s Choral Ethics Blogs will be a […]
ChoralEd, Performing Choral Music – Kenya – Ken Wakia
In episode 49 of ChoralEd, Ken Wakia, founder and director of the acclaimed Nairobi Chamber Chorus, provides guidance on authentically performing Kenyan choral music including a discussion of movement [14:43], instrumentation [17:51], suggested resources [32:51], and notable composers [37:36]. Kenyan choral music is extremely diverse stemming from over 50 distinct tribes and sub-tribes. Because of […]
The Conductor as Yogi: The Freedom of Intention
It’s 6:20 AM on New Year’s Day. I’ve seen the flurry of “Happy New Year!” texts from family and friends (who made it to midnight, unlike me) and I pause, thinking, “another year, a new year ahead.” I imagine the countless resolutions being made around the world in this moment and though I am pretty positive by nature, I […]
Choral Ethics: Ring Out the Old, Ring in the New….
“Ring out the false, ring in the true.” Alfred Lord Tennyson Happy New Year, ChoralNetters! It is 2026, can you believe it? 2025 has dragged on and on with something new—and crazy—often happening daily. How are things going for you? Do you feel there is there light at the end of the tunnel? Are you […]
The Conductor as Yogi: “The Only”
“And the mind becomes fit for concentration.” Patanjali, on dharana Admit it—you’re distracted. You might call it “busy,” “multi-tasking,” “overwhelmed,” or “the norm for this time of the year.” But do you struggle to stay with one thing at a time without checking messages, doing a chore, letting the dog out, ordering a holiday gift or a coffee-to-go, […]