“I have come to believe that a great teacher is a great artist and that there are as few as there are any other great artists. Teaching might even be the greatest of the arts since the medium is the human mind and spirit.” John Steinbeck With the end of the school year, I have […]
Self Care
Choral Ethics: Truth to Tell
“Truth is always strange, stranger than fiction.” Lord Byron Writing this blog here on ChoralNet, I receive a good number of emails about Choral Ethics every week. Folks who contact me either want to thank me or to tell me their stories. And their stories are amazing. Some seem outlandish at the outset, but then […]
The Conductor as Yogi: A Different View of the Candle at Both Ends
“Burning the candle at both ends” is a metaphor we know well. Through our school years, first jobs, perhaps raising children, second jobs, and navigating all that modern life requires of us, we find ourselves packing more and more into our day, even when we know it is not wise nor healthy . . . and […]
Choral Ethics: Almost There
“Nothing is a greater impediment to being on good terms with others than being ill at ease with yourself.” Honore de Balzac We just finished another Lenten, Holy Week and Easter season. Church musicians rounded the corner, heading toward the end of the finish line of their busiest six weeks, exhausted and craving chocolate bunnies. […]
The Conductor as Yogi: Take What You Need
My blog schedule this year has coincided more than once with concert weeks for me, which means as I sit down to write, I am absorbed with those tasks, thoughts, and emotions that emerge from peaking and sharing performances. Trying to clear space to think deep thoughts. Hmm. Maybe a different strategy is needed right now. I recall […]
Choral Ethics: Busy Times
“He, who every morning plans the transactions of the day, and follows that plan, carries a thread that will guide him through a labyrinth of the most busy life.” Victor Hugo I am sure you are busy. In fact, I know you are busy this week. This week, Holy Week is the distillation of all […]