Last week, I attended the first national gathering of the American Choral Directors since 2019. I had some incredible experiences, saw incredible choirs, heard wonderful and challenging thoughts presented in PD sessions. In this episode, I will recap my highlights, as well as presenting the highlights of some conference attendees that I interviewed during my […]
American Choral Directors Association
Should We Pay Student Teachers? With Dr. Tina Beveridge
Is student teaching a “class?” or a “job?” Does this practice need a revamp in the face of the current teacher shortage? In this episode, I invited Tina Beveridge on to hash out a disagreement. A few months ago, I created a TikTok expressing my opinion that student teachers don’t “deserve” a paycheck. Mostly based […]
Learned Helplessness with Christine Sefein
Is it possible that the over-politicization of classroom education could be contributing in some way to the epidemic of mental health problems amongst teens and young adults? Clinical Psychologist, and child of Egyptian immigrants, Christine Sefein thinks we should not ignore this possibility. The modern vogue for activism that kids are learning focuses on the […]
The Value of an Outsider with Robyn Hilger
The American Choral Directors Association is the largest organization of choral musicians in the world. ACDA sets the tone and direction of choral music in the US and has a major impact on the global choral music community as well. The newly appointed Executive Director of the organization, Robyn Hilger seeks to usher in a […]
Choral Music Advocacy is Changing! with Myles Finn and Tom Metzger
As we put the pandemic further and further in our rearview, many of us are confronted with new realities related to how, when and WHY we need to advocate for our programs, our profession and our art form. For example, I have found myself needing to have more conversations with school board members, administrators, parents and even colleagues about the value of a robust and rigorous music education. In this posting, I am going to direct you to TWO recent Choralosophy conversations which approach the topic of Advocacy.
When Magic Happens with Chanticleer
This episode is a special first on the show. I have never gone ON LOCATION to meet an entire ensemble for a conversation before, and let me tell you… it was worth the gear haul to Lawrence, KS! GRAMMY Award winning ensemble, Chanticleer was at the Lied Center of Kansas for a performance and Master […]