Latest Blog Posts

A Very Uncomfortable Blog “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 WARNING: Could be a trigger for some. From the very beginning of writing this Blog, I have debated whether Choral Ethics should address sexual harassment issues. […]

“The key to the mystery of a great artist is that for reasons unknown, he will give away his energies and his life just to make sure that one note follows another … and leaves us with the feeling that something is right in the world.” Leonard Bernstein One note following another.  The linear, technical, […]

“Nobody would comment on what clothes male conductors wear. Or if they kind of put on some weight or something like that, and maybe their jacket is a little bit too tight. But if that happens to me as a female, then that’s immediately pointed out.” Ruth Reinhardt Several years ago, I was at a […]

What if the key to running a thriving, stress-free choir classroom came down to just four essential elements?   As a high school or middle school choir director, you’re constantly managing expectations, student engagement, and your own workload. But the most successful directors have mastered a simple but powerful framework—the 4Bs.   What are they? And more importantly, are you in control […]

“There is a special place in hell for women who don’t help other women.” Madeleine K. Albright March is Women’s History Month, and I’ll be blogging about women conductors for a few weeks. But today I’ll begin with a Sarcasm Rant. Women’s History Month is a month when we in the arts feature women composers […]

In episode 39 of ChoralEd, Dr. Robert Jordan discusses a democratic approach to repertoire selection. In a democratic approach, Jordan invites students to search for repertoire and share their discovered works with the class. For younger singers, students select music from a list curated by the director. As students develop their musical skills, they begin […]

NEW BLOG POST! Are you a middle or high school choir director struggling to balance your passion for teaching with a life outside the classroom? It is possible to build a thriving choir program without burning out! My latest blog post dives into what it really takes to be a successful, energized, and fulfilled choir […]

 “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” […]

“Always do right.  This will gratify some people and astonish the rest.” Mark Twain I believe in Karma.  Oh, I don’t know if I would really call it that, exactly. I feel if you do something good, it usually comes back to you.  If you do something bad, it can come back to you as […]

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 […]