Latest Blog Posts

Halloween is here………surprise! Do you want to make your pre-Halloween rehearsal special? If so, it’s not too late! THURSDAY or FRIDAY can be perfect for Choir Halloween………..no prep needed!! With the monotony of well-planned, consistent, rehearsals, Choir Halloween is an opportunity to change-it-up and create a memorable experience for your singers. This one blog post […]

“Love all, trust a few, do wrong to none.” William Shakespeare In one of my first church choir jobs, I had a strange experience I’d like to share. Perhaps those of you in leadership will be able to use it as a cautionary tale. Many of you may be able to relate or you can […]

In March 2020, spring break was extended. Olivia Vestal, now a first-year choral teacher in Durham, NC, was supposed to go to Regional NATS. Instead of performing live, she recorded a video, and remembers that was the last thing she did without a mask. After they finished, she wiped down the piano and recording equipment, […]

I’m in the process of finalizing the program for the Advent/Christmas Concert at my church. While it’s not 100% confirmed, the working title of the concert is Journey Through Darkness and Light. The ultimate goal is to provide a space for people to collectively stop, pause, and reflect on their faith through Advent/Christmas music, readings, […]

The November/December issue of Choral Journal is online and features an article titled “Healthy Minimization of Vibrato: An Exploration of “Straight Tone” by Danya Katok. You can read it in its entirety at acda.org/choraljournal. Following is a portion from the article. _________________ Straight tone singing has many applications for the modern singer, from choral singing to […]

One of the foundational principles of this show is that we, as humans AND as colleagues don’t have to agree about everything. In fact I will take it a step further: we NEED disagreement and dialogue in order to learn and grow. This episode is based on that principle. I recently came across Kirsten Oberoi […]

“Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them.” William Shakespeare Early in the Pandemic, I wrote a blog about those of you who were overwhelmed by how “well” many of your friends and acquaintances were doing. Those “Virtue Signaling” and “Humble Bragging” folks who seemed to have it all […]

By John C. Hughes A few years ago, a colleague told me about the Enneagram, a personality classification system that groups people into nine broad types.1 I took an online quiz and discovered that I am a Type Three: The Achiever. My friend told me that a lot of conductors are Threes. This makes sense; […]

Our first brisk fall morning.  Do I really want to go for a walk when it’s 43 degrees?  (Pause) Well, want isn’t the right word, but I know I’ll benefit so I dig out the thermal running gear and as Grandma Nike says, “just do it.” Cold air hits my face, my breath feels thankfully […]

The October issue of Choral Journal is online and features an article titled “Sound Teaching: Trauma-Informed Pedagogy in Choir” by William Sauerland. You can read it in its entirety at acda.org/choraljournal. Following is a portion from the introduction. _________________ Involvement in a music ensemble has been found to be beneficial for social, mental, emotional, spiritual, and neurobiological health; however, […]