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Sing a child a song, and you’ve fed her soul for the moment. Teach a child to sing, and her soul will be fed for a lifetime.  (With apologies for the paraphrase.)   At the end of the day, isn’t that what we are, teachers of singing?  With all the respect in the world for […]

This bit of news was surprising to me on a Friday afternoon.  I must have missed the news when it broke over the summer: Tiny Goshen College in Indiana has banned the “The Star Spangled Banner: at all sporting events because the Mennonite school’s president considers the National Anthem’s words to be too violent.   […]

Specialized kinds of choirs have specialized kinds of needs, and Communities are a great way for conductors of those groups to connect with others in the same field. Friends of Joyful Noise is a community dedicated to choirs with therapeutic purposes or whose singers have disabilities. The group Joyful Noise (pictured below) performed at ACDA […]

Do you know about BBC’s “Music?”   I have a choir member who brings me the magazine every month and I always find each issue informative and creative.   The September 2011 issue features some topics of real interest to choral conductors:   1. An interview with Einojuhani Rautavaara: Hilary Finch travels to Finland to […]

I’m doing something different this year before school starts – choir camp.   That’s right, I’m taking a cue from the university marching band and bringing my kids early to campus.  It isn’t costing my budget anything – the school is letting them move in early at no cost.  I’m feeding the students with donated […]

The following list prompts thought-provoking reflection on future educational methods from the viewpoint of current facilities, hardware, and methods. These are not my prophecies, but rather, those of Shelly Blake-Plock in her blog, TeachPaperless. The list made me think, so I am passing it along in the event that it lets you do the same: […]