Latest Blog Posts

OH SAY . . . CAN YOU SING? by Tim Sharp          At the American Choral Directors Association’s recent Eastern Division Conference, the Saturday morning concert session was hosted by Old St. Paul’s Church in downtown Baltimore. As I eagerly awaited the concert, I was greeted by the playing of Concert Variations on The […]

Much like the delicious combination of contrasting tastes of a Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup blending music from one genre by performance in another can often result in a stunning  reinterpretation of the original source material.   Take for instance Samuel Barber’s Adagio for Strings.  Originally the second movement from his String Quartet, Op.11, the 1936 […]

Sometimes satire is aimed at a genuine societal problem as a way to place the matter in specific relief.  Such is the case here.   Social media has certain value, but not – NOT – as a replacement for sincere human interaction.  While there are those who will buy the latest blinking techno-toy the moment […]

(An excerpt from the Choral Journal article “Show Choir production for Music Educators,” by Randy Boothe [p.25])          Current trends of music in the public schools insure choral education majors an opportunity to direct a vocal jazz ensemble, swing or show choir at some point in their teaching career. In contrast with today's youth […]

(An excerpt from the Choral Journal article, “Organizing a Colleguim Musicum,” by Gordon Sanford [p.26])          In organizing a collegium the first thing to determine what music you might expect to perform. Most modern collegia perform music composed before 1750, including a repertoire not normally explored by traditional groups within their school. Other collegia […]

It is probably safe to say that all places of religious worship are supposed to be about fellowship, spiritual enrichment, peace, and love.  Thus it is always amazing to hear people complain about one church or another, demonizing them because of some practice or perceived ill that the find objectionable.  Such folks even criticize the […]

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.)   Always by Rick Bartlett for SSA and piano (Click […]

Do you send out score marking instructions to your singers? Many conductors have a set of markings that they want every singer to have in their score: cutoffs, changes to rhythm or diction, accents and dynamic changes, or paticular tempi to observe. Rather than send those on a sheet of paper, or take time in […]

CHORAL ETHICS IS NOT AN OXYMORON, by Marie Grass Amenta   Almost two years ago, I decided to write a book about something I now call “Choral Ethics.” A few things motivated me, including a rather unpleasant encounter at a community arts event with a choral colleague.  Nothing seemed to provoke our confrontation; in fact, […]