Latest Blog Posts

Do any of the following items belong on a list of the physiological factors involved in healthy singing?        [1] Inflammation of one or more parts of the throat (globus pharynges)      [2] Significant expulsion of mucus through the nostrils (rhinorrhea)      [3] Restricted respiration      [4] Increased heart rate (tachycardia)      [5] Sudden […]

There’s something eerie about getting off a late-night flight and walking through a deserted airport terminal.  The shops are all closed, the agent counters are vacant, the PA system is silent, the normally crushing bustle of humanity is nowhere to be seen.  In other words, it’s a modern-day ghost town.   The choral profession is […]

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!)   Moon Man by Greg Bartholomew SATB (or SA) a cappella (click for PDF and Audio) Level: High School or higher Uses: Winter/Holiday Program Themes: Winter Holiday This Piece Would Program Well […]

In this Nike commercial, Michael Jordan talks about his failures–shots missed, games lost–but points out it’s why he succeeds. Sounds like Carol Dweck’s work on “mindset,” doesn’t it!   Have a great holiday season, everyone!   http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=45mMioJ5szc  

I love this flow chart for taking questions in rehearsal…some real issues, some more tongue-in-cheek, but a fun poster for your rehearsal room wall.                                                               […]

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!)   This is Why My Homework Isn't Done by Mike O' Mara SATB a cappella (click for PDF, Audio and Video) Level: High School Uses: General Concert Use Program Themes: High School […]

(boingboing.net: A Child’s To-Do List)   As Sting said, “There’s too much information / running through my brain. Too much information / driving me insane!” To get the most out of our planning times, we need to tame our to-do lists. But the real goal is getting all this “to-do” out of our heads and […]

       Lessons come to us in so many ways; many are merely difficult, while others scar us as they teach us.  Overcoming adversity is probably life’s sweetest success; certainly recovering from failure teaches us lessons we never forget.  One of the things we try to do as teachers is to help our students learn our […]