Latest Blog Posts

Conducting.  It’s nothing more than down-left-right-up, telling singers which notes they missed, and preening on stage, right?   Wrong.  Oh, so very wrong.  When done correctly, the successful choral conductor melds musicianship, leadership, artistry, and a special intangible something that inspires singers to follow their conductor into the heart of musical and poetic vulnerably.  In […]

One of the more recognizable pop voices of the late 20th century, Michael McDonald is a participant in this soulful R&B version of "Row-Row-Row Your Boat."  

(The abstract to the article “Update on Community Choir Singing in the United States,” by Cindy L. Bell, published in the International Journal of Research in Choral Singing)   This article reviews and responds to recent reports by professional music and arts associations, most prominently the 2003 Chorus America study, announcing that over 23 million […]

(The abstract to the article “Aesthetic response to choral music: Response comparisons of performer-participants and non-performer respondents,” by Anita P. Davis, published in the International Journal of Research in Choral Singing)   This study compared aesthetic responses of college students currently enrolled in an auditioned women's chorus and college students enrolled in undergraduate introductory music […]

One of the critical areas for a young conductor–and this applies to both the undergraduate planning for a career in music education and the graduate conducting  student with a fair amount of experience already—is to develop and then improve rehearsal skills.   I’ve written before about rehearsal, here and here, and even more on my […]

Russian Police Choir Performs "Get Lucky" at Opening Ceremony.   Click on the link at your own risk.

Last month, Coca-Cola’s® super bowl advertisement caused a momentary flap because it dared to communicate the lofty ideals expressed in “America the Beautiful” in multiple languages.  Hands were wrung, complaints were tweeted, and pundits were quick to opine.  But as is so often the case with such ephemera, the matter was quickly replaced by the […]

I attended a concert recently from a large regional choir. As often happens with large ensembles and performance halls, a single solo mic was brought down front for one piece. When it came time for the soloist, though, it was not one singer that approached the mic but a trio. Even before the trio sung […]

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.)   Aurora of the Soul by Sheena Phillips […]