Mom in a production of “Martha,” probably around 1955/1956 “Mother is the name for God in the lips and hearts of little children.” William Makepeace Thackeray This Sunday is Mother’s Day in the United States. I am a mother but am also a daughter, missing her mother this year. I think back eleven years ago, […]
Self Care
Choral Ethics: MayDay
“The only thing that could spoil a day was people. People were always the limiters of happiness except for the very few that were as good as spring itself.” Ernest Hemingway One of my favorite seasonal celebrations is May Day. Today IS May Day and I hope it is lovely where you are. The history […]
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 are almost finished with another Lenten, Holy Week and Easter season. Church musicians are rounding the corner, heading toward the end of the finish line of their busiest six weeks, exhausted and […]
The Conductor as Yogi: Self-Study When the Heat is On
Knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom. Aristotle You may be peaking for a year-end concert or finalizing details for Easter services. Or perhaps you just finished that massive collaboration that took months of planning. Exhausted? No doubt. Exhilarated? Hopefully. Still feeling the heat? Yup. Now is the best time for some self-study. The […]
Choral Ethics: “Maestra Manners” Explains All
“Fine manners are the mantle of fair minds.” Louisa May Alcott Do you ever say “please” to your singers? Or is it always a command to “turn to page 3, top score, measure 2?” If you occasionally said, “please turn to page 3….” would the sky fall? When was the last time you said “thank-you” […]
The Conductor as Yogi: A Moment of Peace
It’s Saturday morning as I write this. A few days until a big concert with guest choirs and a full day of auditions and prospective student visits on the holiday sandwiched in between. My “little world” is busy but in the face of the challenges of the “bigger world,” I take a step back. I […]