Latest Blog Posts

Lots of musicians don’t have 9-to-5 jobs; they’re independent contractors. Even full-time teachers sometimes get extra income teaching private lessons, playing gigs, judging contests, or as guest clinicians.   In Concord, CA, the city has decided that means they have to have business licenses: I live in the City of Concord, and am employed full […]

Here is a sample from an ACDA Conference interesst session on the context of Bach's cantatas.  

"A major factor in achieving the refined, unaccompanied sound associated with the early St. Olaf Choir was the discipline instilled in the singers and the attention to musical detail made possible through rigorous, daily rehearsals-practices unusual at the time. The conductors unanimously agreed that these features are still one of the great strengths of the […]

“In summary, the presence of barlines in modern editions of Renaissance music does indeed help the modern singer by aligning the parts vertically; unfortunately, the need for ties to divide the original note values so as to fit the measure, and the vertical sonority that results from such an alignment of all the parts, are […]

Isn’t the choral art amazing?  We have an astonishing variety of sounds and styles at our disposal.  Take seven minutes and thirty one seconds out of your busy day . . .

“In order to achieve successful discipline in the rehearsal, the choral director must begin with discipline in mind. Before they enter the first rehearsal, they need a plan of conduct: rules and consequences for infractions. Waiting to address discipline problems as they occur is operating backwards. A Code of Conduct should be in place the […]

Here’s a graduate research project for some brave soul: catalogue, compare and contrast the settings of the “Gloria” from the 5th century to this afternoon.  ALL of them.  It’s a mind-boggling thought, isn’t it?  Today, let’s look at a setting of the “Gloria” by Herzog.  Note the varying musical styles employed, the different compositional techniques. […]

On Black Friday, amid the feeding-frenzy of rampant consumerism, let Mr. Handel remind us of the reason for the season.