Latest Blog Posts
Stillness – yeah – i need it
From Zen Habits – a way to still yourself as the semester begins to get crazy: 1. Start your day in stillness. Whether it’s sitting with a cup of coffee as the world awakes, or sitting on a pillow and focusing on your breath, stillness is a powerful way to start your day. It sets […]
Happy Valentines Day: There Goes My Heart Again
The Real Group:
Eric Whitacre talks about Lux and When David Heard
Suite 101 interviews Eric Whitacre . . . and I discover the interesting story behind “Lux Aurumque” and the heartwrenching facts surrounding “When David Heard.” A preview: . . . . he said he wanted to commission a piece from me in memory of his father, who had just passed away. He wrote […]
How Can I Keep from Singing – the unlikely singer
Slaves, prisoners, and those buried alive – they sing. My good friend Terre was moved to blog about the impact singing has on the lives of the troubled: These anecdotes demonstrate the deepest purpose of singing. Words are not enough, once the circumstances of life become overwhelming. Whether a heartbroken teenager listening to the […]
Do I have to use a pattern?
Helping you Harmonise gives us a nice discussion on the use of conducting patterns in conducting. See what you think: The Case for Patterns They provide a lingua franca common to musicians across the western art tradition They reflect and articulate the underlying rhythmic structure of the music They provide a clear framework to help […]
Music is NOT the Universal Language
Tim Sharp gives us a realistic look at the universality of music when it comes to literacy: Like it or not, as we work in the 21st century, in every other way, music is NOT a universal language. Accepting that it simply “is” does not cut it any longer. On the subject of style […]
Music returns to Haiti
ChoralNet user Tom Lloyd sent me this great news about music returning to earthquake stricken Haiti: “Amid the desperation and despair in earthquake-ravaged Port-au-prince, musicians from Haiti’s national chorus, jazz band and philharmonic gave their first post-quake concert. The musicians were able to rescue some instruments from the rubble, and they held the concert […]
Choral Apathy
The Choir Girl is accepted into a graduate program and realizes she won’t be able to make the summer choir tour. Here is her reaction: I have to admit that when I received my acceptance call from the University, after the initial shock from that message died down, the FIRST thing that popped into my […]
Not just children anymore
ACDA has a new name for one of the R&S areas and they are talking about it. Here is Robyn Lana, the National Chair for the newly named “Children’s and Youth Community Choirs” Repertoire and Standards Committee: The committee proposed the title change in an attempt to be inclusive and clearly indicate who is […]
Online Auditions for Choir and Voice
If voice teachers are giving voice lessons via Skype and Eric Whitacre is awarding scholarships from auditions on YouTube, can online choir auditions be very far away? I can think of “sightreading” as a possible downside, but that’s all. What do you think? Skype Voice Lessons: Eric Whitacre Scholarship Winner: […]