Latest Blog Posts
The Problem of “Racializing” Music with Contraband (Will Fullwood.)
On this episode you will get to listen in to a portion of an episode I recently recorded for the Contraband Wagon. Contraband is a podcast that hosts exclusively conversations about race and racism. Will Fullwood, the host of the show invited me on to share some the experiences that I have had in conversations […]
Choral Potpourri/Choral Ethics: Uncomfortable Update
“An Englishman thinks he is moral when he is only uncomfortable.” George Bernard Shaw WARNING: Could be a trigger for some. I met Sarah* a few years ago at a choral conference. She was a regular Choral Potpourri/Choral Ethics reader and knew I would be at this conference. She wanted to meet me in person […]
Midweek Meditation: Unselfishly Self-Centered
“In the event of an emergency, please put on your oxygen mask first before assisting others.” I usually don’t take life advice from corporations that cram me into a metal tube, give me a bag of pretzels, and hurtle me from place to place across the earth at 400 mph, but in the case of […]
One of the Inverse Relationships in Beginning Chorus Class
By Odell Zeigler, IV “It doesn’t matter whether you are pursuing success in business, sports, the arts, or life in general: the bridge between wishing and accomplishing is discipline.” – Harvey Mackay I believe the above quote can serve as our epigraph for this blog and our overall commitment to fostering and developing music literacy […]
The Space Between: Developing the Intermediate Tenor/Bass Singer
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 Summer 2022 issue titled “The […]
The Ultimate Substitute Choir Lesson Plan when YOU are Absent:
Are you looking for the ULTIMATE CHOIR SUBSTITUTE TEACHER LESSON PLAN? Would you like an effective lesson plan that you can use over and over again? Would you like an effective lesson plan that can be administered by a non-music sub or even a student in your choir? I’m excited to share a lesson plan that will have value to your […]
When Magic Happens with Chanticleer
This episode is a special first on the show. I have never gone ON LOCATION to meet an entire ensemble for a conversation before, and let me tell you… it was worth the gear haul to Lawrence, KS! GRAMMY Award winning ensemble, Chanticleer was at the Lied Center of Kansas for a performance and Master […]
Choral Potpourri/Choral Ethics: Why Choral Ethics?
“Every man is guilty of all the good he did not do.” Voltaire I became a regular blogger here at ChoralNet in the Fall of 2015, so it’s a few weeks more than seven years I’ve been writing this blog. Before that, I contributed about ten blog posts in 2014/early 2015 as a Guest Blogger […]
“Talk It Out” – An Advocacy & Collaboration Curated Blog
By Dr. Riikka Pietiläinen-Caffrey “Research as practice” is a term usually applied to performance arts in Europe. It’s a process where an artist-scholar (in this case a musician) explores and experiments with a topic. The end result is a concert or performance instead of an academic paper. It’s also a great way to find collaborative […]
The Conductor as Yogi: This Is Your Brain on Stress
One of the most common reasons people come to a yoga class is to de-stress. Stress is at the center of our modern lifestyles, so engaging in the physical practice of yoga, as well as the meditation, mindfulness, and breathing that are built into the eight-limbed yoga practice, go a long way to helping us […]