Latest Blog Posts

I grew up as television grew up, so I feel confident in saying that as we enter 2011, choral and vocal music have never before experienced the brightness of the current popular media spotlight. We witness choral flash mobs springing up as the new choral rave party with purposed "spontaneous" performances of Handel at Walmart […]

Throughout the literature of every culture, fictional mentors have entered the imagination of writers and storytellers, passing along the lessons of life through characters of fantasy, myth, legend, heroics, and even the most ordinary of individuals. For King Arthur, it was Merlin. For Harry Potter, it is Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore. For me, it […]

According to the Business Committee for the Arts (a Division of Americans for the Arts) in 1968 7,000 companies were asked how much they give to the arts and why they give to the arts. In the original BCA Survey of Business Support of the Arts which was conducted in partnership with the National Industrial […]

For those who accuse choral music of being a hobby of the leisure class, here’s a choir composed of homeless people:     Chris Cottam is the director.

My choir experimented with a new tool this year: Square, a little plastic box which plugs into the headphone jack of an iPad or iPhone (and lots of other devices) and allows you to swipe credit cards. This allowed us to accept credit cards for concert tickets at the door, a convenience audiences love.   […]

This came from the Facebook page of my friend and colleague Eric Mathis at Samford University – a tale about emotional manipulation and music in the worship setting.   Here is when the truth hit home for one worship leader: As a freshman at a Christian university, I spent the majority of that first year […]

Grant Charles Chaput takes a moment in his blog to share thoughts about the recent video posted on ChoralNet regarding funding for arts programs.  Unlike a cup of coffee or a pair of jeans, music is not a tangible item for people purchase, and thus it is more difficult for a consumer to assign a […]

OK – officially it is known as the iBand, but some people get a little bothered when this blog doesn't deal with choral music.   However, one of our frequent subjects is music and technology – and this YouTube video fits the bill.  Special thanks to Emily Floyd from Shallowford Presbyterian for sending this in: […]

It starts about three weeks before the winter concert. The conductors admonishes the choir to be careful about their health, to wash their hands, get lots of sleep, take vitamins, whatever. While I understand the motivation (no one wants to have singers miss concerts due to illness) does anyone really think such lectures do any […]

David Griggs-Janower is reading “The Maestro Myth” and is using his blog as a place to flesh out his thoughts while reading the book.  I love it – and really appreciate him doing that!   Here is some of his thinking:    A listener heard the same piece performed a few weeks apart by different […]