“I won’t be a rock star. I will be a legend.” Freddie Mercury My youngest brother is a conservatory trained percussionist…..which means he’s played for a LOT of rock bands. Classically trained, he liked playing for rock bands more than orchestras. Why? The atmosphere. According to him, most rock musicians are not the spoiled brats […]
The Choral Life
Choral Ethics: Preaching to the Choir
“It is no use walking anywhere to preach unless our walking is our preaching.” Francis of Assisi I receive quite a few emails with people’s thoughts about Choral Ethics. Some folks tell me they are not exactly sure what Choral Ethics is but know it when they see it. Some tell me what I am […]
Choral Ethics: Mother’s Day–Songs My Mother Taught Me
“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, Mom’s last Mother’s Day, and wish I had known […]
Choral Ethics: Don’t Shoot the Piano Player
“It’s easy to play any musical instrument: all you have to do is touch the right key at the right time and the instrument will play itself.” J.S. Bach Lady C* contacted me a few years ago as I began to collect stories for this blog. She conducts a semi-professional chamber choir, much like mine, […]
Choral Ethics: What is Choral Ethics?
“Ethics is knowing the difference between what you have a right to do and what is right to do.” Potter Stewart For all of my new Choral Ethics ChoralNet readers, I thought you might be interested in how my Choral Ethics blog came about. When I finally decided to write about what I now call […]
Choral Ethics: April is Autism Awareness Month
“Autism is part of who I am.” Temple Grandin It’s time for my annual Autism Awareness Month blog post. For those of you who are not aware; my eldest son has autism. April is just another month for our family since EVERY month is autism awareness month at our house. Music is very important to […]