Latest Blog Posts
My Most Meaningful Mentor
This is a difficult choice, since I’ve been lucky to have some wonderful teachers and mentors. For example, Neil Lieurance was an influential teacher—without him I probably wouldn’t have made a career as a conductor. Neil died this past year at the too-young age of 70. I wrote about him here. But beyond his influence […]
PDF Markup Apps for Win 8
The use of PDF Markup apps for the iPad, such as GoodReader or Notability, allow quick and easy markup of scanned scores. An advantage of digitally marking up scores is that it can be easy to distribute edits or notes to your ensemble. Windows 8 devices including tablets and hybrid devices such as the Surface […]
Composition Spotlight: “The Windhover”
COMPOSITION SPOTLIGHT ~ by Jack Senzig (Each week we look at one or two of the best choral works posted in the Composition Showcase here on ChoralNet. This is where we store a treasure trove of works that your choirs will love to sing and your audiences will love to hear.) The Windhover by James Johnson for […]
Great Links for Conductors
Four Traits of Lucky People. via 99u.com How Practice Changes the Brain and the exceptions to the 10,000 Hour Rule. via youarenotsosmart.com Offices Singing Together at Before Work. via acappellanews.com An interesting take on Copyright, from the perspective of the fashion industry. via putthison.com Can you play the 1812 Overture?
GUEST BLOG: “The Joy of Mentoring, or How I Almost Became an Architect,” by Karen Fulmer
THE JOY OF MENTORING, or HOW I ALMOST BECAME AN ARCHITECT, by Karen Fulmer The launch of ACDA Mentoring is a revolutionary development in our mission to inspire excellence in performance, education, composition and advocacy, matching the knowledge and resources of experienced conductors and composers with the needs and requests of emerging candidates. […]
Speaking of Voice: “My Go-To Warm-Up” by Arlene Sparks
MY GO-TO WARM UP, by Arlene Sparks (Dreyfoos School of the Arts Singers) I have been using this warm-up for 30+ years as a way for my students to learn to develop an even range from top to bottom. It has become even more relevant today as our culture is presented with a variety of […]
Building Skills 6
More from Daniel Coyle: Tip#9 “To Build Soft Skills, Play Like a Skateboarder” As Coyle says: Soft skills catch our eye because they are beautiful. Picture the soccer star Lionel Messi improvising his way to a brilliant goal, or Jimi Hendrix blazing through a guitar solo, or Jon Stewart riffing through a comic […]
GUEST BLOG: “The WOW Factor to Music Making,” by Thomas R. Vozzella
THE "WOW" FACTOR TO MUSIC MAKING by Thomas R. Vozzella Links leading to the ACDA Journal (hard copy/online), AGO (American Guild of Organists) Journal, Creator Magazine, IJRCS, NATS, and numerous other publications abound on Facebook and other online sites. Throughout these publications, numerous articles on the choral art are easily accessible; some are […]