Latest Blog Posts

“Though the sex to which I belong is considered weak you will nevertheless find me a rock that bends to no wind.” Queen Elizabeth I I am re-running four Choral Ethics Blogs which I feel are topical and important for the month of August. I am taking a bit of a break but will be […]

For summer 2026, ChoralEd briefly transitioned from its typical podcast format to releasing five fun warm-ups for the choral ensemble. 2. Pizza Hut – sung to the tune of “Ram Sam Sam” with lyrics changed to fast food establishments. 3. Choral Improvisation 1 – Improvisation based on a harmonic chord chart. 4. Choral Improvisation 2 […]

Part Five: “Maestra Manners” Explains All I am re-running a series on Choral Ethics this July. I am taking a bit of a break but will be back soon with new blogs. Enjoy! MLGA “Fine manners are the mantle of fair minds.” Louisa May Alcott Do you ever say “please” to your singers?  Or is […]

Part Four: Reaping What We Sow I am re-running a series on Choral Ethics this July. I am taking a bit of a break but will be back soon with new blogs. Enjoy! MLGA “Always do right.  This will gratify some people and astonish the rest.” Mark Twain I believe in Karma.  Oh, I don’t […]

Part Three: Kindness is NOT for Wimps I am re-running a series on Choral Ethics this July. I am taking a bit of a break but will be back soon with new blogs. Enjoy! MLGA “What wisdom can you find that is greater than kindness?” Jean-Jacques Rousseau It is easy to forget we need to […]

Part Two: Amateur Versus Professional I am re-running a series on Choral Ethics this July. I am taking a bit of a break but will be back soon with new blogs. Enjoy! MLGA “Every artist was first an amateur.” Ralph Waldo Emerson The word amateur is taken from Old French and means ‘lover’.  Many definitions […]

I am re-running a series on Choral Ethics beginning today and for most of July. I am taking a bit of a break but will be back soon with new blogs. Enjoy! MLGA The five parts are: Part One: An Introduction Part Two: Amateur Versus Professional Part Three: Kindness is NOT for Wimps Part Four: […]

In a previous episode of ChoralEd (Episode 39), Dr. Robert Jordan shared a democratic framework for repertoire selection. In Episode 55, Dr. Jordan expands on this philosophy discussing a democratic approach to the rehearsal process. To foster student ownership and agency, Dr. Jordan encourages feedback from students by recording and listening back to portions of […]

“You cannot do a kindness too soon, for you never know how soon it will be too late.” Ralph Waldo Emerson I love to look out my kitchen window, sipping my morning coffee and watching the birds, rabbits and squirrels caper around my yard. Especially in the spring and summer, it helps me focus on […]

“You don’t have to deserve your mother’s love. You have to deserve your father’s.” Robert Frost As I write today’s blog, I am sipping a glass of iced tea, brewed with mint from my own garden. The mint was the first thing we planted when we bought our house over 30 years ago, but we […]