Latest Blog Posts

There are 12 IMPORTANT THINGS every secondary level choir needs in order to CONTINUALLY THRIVE. In fact, these 12 things will allow a choral program to essentially RUN ITSELF! Unfortunately, when ANY of these 12 things are lacking, added responsibility falls on the director. As a result, the director is unable to build a thriving choral program and instead […]

This week, I am pleased to present a TRIFECTA of conversations to fill your summer with high quality, FREE professional development anywhere you want to listen or watch. For FREE. That’s the value of the Choralosophy Podcast. In Episode 153, Dr. Melissa Baughman is the guest to discuss gender disparity in conducting/teaching jobs. In May […]

“A single conversation across the table with a wise man is better than ten years mere study of books.” Henry Wadsworth Longfellow I’ve written quite a few times here about my conversations with choral friends, most of whom I’ve known for decades. Some of them have shared conversations with me they’ve had with their choral […]

The June/July 2023 issue of Choral Journal is online and features an article titled “Singing for Pleasure: An Introduction to the Life and Works of Imogen Holst” by Liza Calisesi Maidens. Following is a portion from the article. _________________ On March 14, 1984, at seventy-seven years of age, Imogen Holst died of a heart attack. Her burial plot at […]

“Great artists are people who find the way to be themselves in their art. Any sort of pretension induces mediocrity in art and life alike.” Margot Fonteyn Jamie*’s highly auditioned and highly respected community chorus sing at a (you can guess) high level. Though not a professional chorus, they are often used by a local […]

Guest Author: Dale Trumbore Let’s say you have a promising musician in your choir who’s interested in composing. As a conductor, how can you encourage them to write music?   I don’t use the word “encourage” lightly. The most important thing for anyone new to composing, even more important than feedback or criticism, is encouragement […]

The June/July 2023 issue of Choral Journal is online and features an article titled “Concerning the Choral Music of William Byrd: An Interview with Peter Phillips of The Tallis Scholars” by Sean Michael Burton. Following is a portion from the article. _________________ William Byrd (c. 1540-1623) is considered one of the greatest musicians of the sixteenth century. Born […]

“Theater people are always pining and agonizing because they’re afraid that they’ll be forgotten. And in America they’re quite right. They will be.” Agnes de Mille Today is the second part of Leo’s Choral Ethics story. Leo* contacted me initially to explain he never imagined retiring would cause such an uproar. The plan was Leo […]

ChorTeach is ACDA’s quarterly online publication, designed for those who work with singers of all levels but specifically K-12 and community choirs. A full annotated ChorTeach index is available online at acda.org/publications/chorteach. Over 160 articles are organized into seventeen categories. For more information, email  or visit acda.org/chorteach. Following is an excerpt from an article in the Spring 2023 issue […]

Our choral field frequently recognizes the “top” ensembles from “top” music departments. Yes, those “select” ensembles deserve recognition for their achievement, BUT choral success is much more than that. For many of us, going to a convention and hearing those “top” middle school and high school ensembles perform brings us mixed emotions: We love hearing […]