Dad and Bob Fosse ( both age 12) Dad, Peter Gennaro, and me (I was probably 16) “If you think you can do better, then do better. Don’t compete with anyone; just yourself.” Bob Fosse I am re-running the Choral Ethics Blog I wrote for my Dad’s 96th birthday December 7, 2023. Unfortunately, there will be no more […]
The Choral Life
Choral Ethics: The Annual “Have Some Manners” Blog
“When you rise in the morning, give thanks for the light, for your life, for your strength. Give thanks for your food and for the joy of living. If you see no reason to give thanks, the fault lies in yourself.” Tecumseh Do you ever say “please” to your singers? Or is it always a […]
The Conductor as Yogi: Abilities vs. Gifts
Our professional life’s journey is very much focused on developing our abilities—the ability to play or sing, to read music, conduct, plan effective rehearsals, and understand the context of the music we teach. In time, we get really good at it, and even receive pieces of paper to demonstrate that we “made it” in our […]
Choral Ethics: Doing Right
“We all want progress, but if you’re on the wrong road, progress means doing an about-turn and walking back to the right road; in that case, the man who turns back soonest is the most progressive.” C. S. Lewis Every ChoralNetter I meet in person wants to know what kinds of questions I get for […]
Choral Ethics: Self-Fulfilling Prophesy
“America’s future will be determined by the home and the school. The child becomes largely what he is taught; hence we must watch what we teach, and how we live.” Jane Addams I have been around the performing arts, LITERALLY, all my life. With an opera singer mother and a tap/ballet dancer/choreographer/stage director father, I […]
Choral Ethics: Gifted
“We are all gifted. That is our inheritance.” Ethel Waters A few years ago, I was talking to a father of a gifted child. I knew his child was gifted because he told me, over and over again, that she was gifted. I wasn’t exactly sure why she was gifted until toward the end of […]