Latest Blog Posts
A Gateway to Ukrainian Choral Music
The May 2023 issue of Choral Journal is online and features an article titled “A Gateway to Ukrainian Choral Music: Guide to the Ukrainian Language and Lysenko’s “Prayer for Ukraine” by Marika Kuzma. Following is a portion from the introduction. _________________ n recent decades, American choirs have been exploring Eastern European choral repertoire with ever greater frequency and […]
Choir Elections Are A Bad Idea. Here’s an Alternative Approach…
Choirs are not a democracy. Yes, we want to empower our students, but we are still in charge. If we are in charge, shouldn’t we be responsible for the students who work for us? Student officers represent us and they represent our ensemble members. Here is an approach that allows the RIGHT […]
The Arts and the Exceptional Child with Dr. Matthew Zakreski
In this episode, we are honored to have Dr. Matt Zakreski, a clinical psychologist, joining us to discuss neurodiversity, autism, and gifted children in our classrooms. Dr. Zakreski brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to our conversation, and we will be delving into various considerations for such kids in education, and in Fine Arts […]
Choral Potpourri/Choral Ethics: Aftermath of Abuse
“The greater the power, the more dangerous the abuse.” Edmund Burke Might be triggering. Maddie* and I have been emailing back and forth for weeks. Her story—only part of what I will share here—is tragic. As fantastic as it may sound, it is all true. And that is part of the tragedy of it; it […]
Transitioning Into Summer
I’m not sure how the weather has been where you live, but it felt like spring took its sweet time arriving in Iowa City. Thankfully, about two weeks ago, the weather started getting warmer and more leaves on the trees are starting to emerge. It’s refreshing to be able to wear shorts when I’m not […]
Representation in Choral Music: An Examination of Choral Literature
The May 2023 issue of Choral Journal is online and features an article titled “Representation in Choral Music: An Examination of Choral Literature Performed by All-State Mixed Choirs 2000-2020″ by William McLean. Following is a portion from the article. _________________ Choral conductors are constantly searching for and evaluating repertoire to program with their ensembles. This ongoing practice occurs […]
My 3-year-old Son Could Be Considered Tone-Deaf!
My 3-year-old Son Could Be Considered Tone-Deaf! I have an adorable video to share of my son, Nolan, singing L-O-V-E by Nat King Cole. As you will hear, the correct pitches are rarely to be found. But, there is a clear reason why this is occurring: Young girls have the opportunity to successfully […]
Leveraging Artificial Intelligence in Music Education with ChatGPT
In this unique episode of Choralosophy, we are taking it into the future that is now with a very special guest. It’s ChatGPT, a cutting-edge artificial intelligence language model that has been trained to understand and communicate with humans. ChatGPT is here to share its insights on topics relevant to choir directors, including innovative ways […]
Choral Potpourri/Choral Ethics: Floundering Aimlessly
“If one does not know to which port one is sailing, no wind is favorable.” Lucius Annaeus Seneca There has been much difficulty in my life as of late, too complicated and personal to go into here, but it has caused me to cancel my chamber choir’s June concert. Too distracted since January, I have […]
ChoralEd: Sight-Reading Suggestions
Developing sight-reading skills can be a difficult task for many teachers. ChoralEd episode 20 shares some general suggestions for enhancing your sight-reading pedagogy. Teachers frequently develop sight-reading skills during a dedicated sight-reading time. However, it is highly beneficial to incorporate music literacy skills throughout the entire class. Elements of solfège (or your preferred system) should […]