Winter is one of the most evocative and sublime seasons of the year. Even if you live in the American Southwest where winter is a fleeting thought, the concept of winter penetrates deeply into our lives, culturally and even spiritually. For those who endure actual cold winters, the potent power of biting wind […]
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The Righteous Musician with Reena Esmail
True diversity is the varied life experiences and cultural upbringings that lead us to our widely disparate moral “palettes.” As we gather together in classrooms, ensembles, businesses and organizations we talk a good diversity game. But rarely do we attempt to measure these things in our diversity matrix. This episode is a “Choralosophy Book Club” […]
Give Thanks with Graphite: Music to celebrate what we’re grateful for.
Give Thanks Contributing Editor: Jonathan Campbell As 2021 begins to fade toward a horizon, it’s appropriate to take stock of all we have to be grateful for. Through the trials of COVID and other upheavals, the Song goes on. Conductors and singers still have breath in their lungs, and fire in their veins. And audiences […]
Graphite brings Comfort and Joy this Holiday Season, part 2
Comfort and Joy this Holiday Season Part 2: Music for Live Performance Contributing Editor: Jonathan Campbell We live in uncertain times. What can choral music offer? Certainty! We can bring joy to our communities, no matter the circumstances. 2020 taught us that choral musicians can overcome almost anything. If we can’t sing in person, we […]
Bringing Choir Online, Offline
As choirs make the transition back to in-person rehearsals (in whatever capacity) conductors are tasked to find the best repertoire for their singers. Granted, every choir is unique, and every situation is different. But a common goal for every conductor is to help our singers find their voices again. Anecdotally, last night I led my […]
Suggestions for Improving the Changing Adolescent Female Voice
Part 3 of a 3-Part Series First, some basics. This quotation by Leslie Leedberg from “Adolescent Singing Voices” provides a good starting point on this topic: “The female voice can take up to four years to fully change and generally begins between the ages of 10 and 14. Females go through their growth spurts approximately […]