Latest Blog Posts

Following yesterday’s post about the Tricky Ave Maria, Martin Banner sent me this incredible video:    

David Griggs-Janower tells of a special experience at the Philadelphia ACDA: Lisa, who is tall and thin and beautiful,  has long and incredibly graceful arms that she uses to wonderful musical effect.  While she doesn’t eschew the conducting patterns that we use as shorthand to communicate beats, she is not hampered by them, and when […]

I’m using the chant “Spiritus domini” against a drone to open my ACDA performance in Memphis, TN.  I’ve always wanted to do it and the chant sets up my second piece with a seamsess transition.  (the entire program is here, if you are interested)   I found this little essay about drones today (scroll down for […]

I was listening to an absolutely excellent interview with Veronica Lee of the UK’s Guardian on the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) radio show “Q”, with host Jian Ghomeshi.  (The podcast for this interview is available here – search for the 2010-02-09 episode “Julie Powell” – Veronica Lee was the first interview on the program – […]

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 […]

The Real Group:    

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]