Latest Blog Posts

It’s a delicate balance we maintain between controlling the rehearsal and allowing students some ownership of their art.  We’ve probably all experienced the extreme ends of the spectrum, and have seen the predictably disastrous results.   In his article, “It’s Not All About Me!” (Texas Sings!, Vol. 27, No. 2), Jeff Rice states, “although we […]

A RAY OF HUMANITY by Jalen Garnette Mitchell (Senior at Firestone High School in Akron, Ohio)        For decades choral music has elevated the culture of the society that surrounds it. It has taught one to be a sophisticated, well-put-together human being even if one had to pretend. It has captured the hearts of […]

COMPOSITION SPOTLIGHT ~ by Jack Senzig   (Each week we look at a piece of useful repertoire from the ChoralNet Community Composition Showcase.  A variety of voicings and levels of difficulty will be presented.  Enjoy!)   Abraham's Test by Joy F DeCoursey-Porter SATB Divisi and tenor solo a cappella (click for PDF and Audio)  Level: High School or higher Uses: General Concert Use Program Themes: Tough Decisions, A […]

(ncvps.org)   This is the second of two articles on using an online task manager, such as Remember the Milk, and an organization system like Getting Things Done to manage our choral programs. For more information on setting up some of these tasks, please refer to Swatting Flies…   Preparing concerts involves myriad steps over […]

(An excerpt from the Choral Journal article The 2005 Raymond Brock Commission: Nocturnes [of Morten Lauridsen] by Milburn Price)          In recent years, Lauridsen has spent the summer months at his beach cabin on a remote island off the northwest coast of Washington state. Regarding this place and its relationship to his compositions, he […]