Choralosophy

Over the years, this Podcast has been a place for many types of conversations, on a variety of topics. But, one of the recurring passions of mine has been the reimagining of the way we teach literacy. Drawing upon the literature known as the “science of reading,” I started noticing that in music education, we … Continue reading "Episode 172: Dispelling Myths About Middle School w...

This week, I have the honor of crossing the pond virtually to discuss the profound yet often overlooked concept of “vocal musicianship.” Joining me is a distinguished guest, David Hill whose passion and advocacy for choral music spans from the professional to the amateur singer. David is the conductor of London’s renowned Bach Choir. We … Continue reading "Episode 171: The...

This week, I connect with yet another instrumental music educator! Don’t worry, I will be fine… It was a great pleasure to speak with Dr. Angela Ammerman about many music education topics including some “controversial truths” that I found on her Instagram account, “The Music Teachers Guide.” We discussed the idea that the best music … Continue reading "Epi...

Well, now I have! And so can you. In this conversation, I welcome Kelsey Burkett to discuss the magical, mystical world in which she teaches choir. I was floored to hear about the way her district structures their choral program! We also discuss personal identity, and our thoughts about the ways we can move our … Continue reading "Episode 169: Have You Ever Met a Biracial Choir Unicorn? with...

I am excited to bring back the “Student Perspectives” category on the Podcast this week with the Glacier High School Concert Choir. Beth and I traveled from KC almost to literal Canada to Kalispell, MT to visit Nathan Connell and his Concert Choir for their Fall Retreat. How can teachers make their space safe for … Continue reading "Episode 168: I Need This Choir with Nathan Conn...

Often times, the most confident and assertive person you will ever meet is an 8 or 9 year old girl. Then, somewhere along the way society teaches her that “like a girl” is not a compliment. For a discussion about this in the world of composition, I am joined this week by prolific composer, publisher … Continue reading "Episode 167: Compose Like a Girl with Jocelyn Hagen"

Easily the most frequent request I get from the audience is for more teaching examples, rehearsal videos, samples, demonstrations etc. I have decided to stop dragging my feet about this and start creating more of this type of content. Due to the type of media it requires, I will be posting most of this on … Continue reading "Episode 166: A Day in the Life of a Choralosopher’s Rehearsal...

In this episode I draw on a few sources, including audience comments to present an advocacy conversation. To make the case for Choral Music classrooms, infrastructure support, and educational priorities. You will see or hear a video I made all the way back in 2012 in response to the popular TV show “Glee,” as well … Continue reading "Episode 165: What IS Choral Music?"

Stephen Cox has the honor of being the FIRST band director and educator to appear on the show! His perspective on music education brings some different insights to the big picture so to speak. This created a very productive conversation about the pros and cons of our traditional models of music delivery in schools. From … Continue reading "Episode 164: Is “Music Education for All&#8221...

This week, I am PUMPED to be joined by renowned Psychologist, researcher, author and host of the Psychology Podcast, Dr. Scott Barry Kaufman. We in the Performing Arts education sphere are in a unique position to have an impact on the whole person in a way that is not accessible to our other teacher colleagues. … Continue reading "Episode 163: Catching the Wind in Our Sails with Dr. Scott Ba...

This week, I am PUMPED to be joined by renowned Psychologist, researcher, author and host of the Psychology Podcast, Dr. Scott Barry Kaufman. We in the Performing Arts education sphere are in a unique position to have an impact on the whole person in a way that is not accessible to our other teacher colleagues. … Continue reading "Episode 163: Catching the Wind in Our Sails with Dr. Scott Ba...

This episode was a product of a submission on the main page here at Choralosophy.com. The prompt really grabbed me. Guest Joshua Mazur suggested that we need to have a grown up discussion about the way we in Music Education think about and use the word “talent.” I agree. From Joshua: “Our society approaches talent … Continue reading "Episode 162: The Problem with “Tal...

Recently, David Simmons Wood made a splash by writing an article for Early Music America called “Toward a Rebirth of Renaissance Choral Repertoire.” In the article, David drew attention to what I see as a troubling gap in our collective repertoire and programming trends. Namely, the near disappearance of Polyphony from our performances, classrooms and … Continue reading "Episode...

I am excited to welcome Kenneth Bozeman to the podcast this week to blow your minds! Ken is a voice teacher, author and prominent lecturer presenting all over the world to help teachers of singing understand the importance of the marriage between voice science and the emotive capabilities of the human voice. I have frequently … Continue reading "Episode 160: Practical Vocal Acoustics with Ke...

Could it be that the new era of “the choral entrepreneur” is what we need to save Choral Music? After the pandemic, we have seen a resurgence of enthusiasm for Choral Music amongst the already initiated. But, program enrollments are down, concert attendance is down, positions have been cut, and conference attendance has not recovered. … Continue reading "Episode 159: The Entrepre...

Composer Melissa Dunphy believes that artistic expression is inherently connected to the socio-political landscape of the world. Artists often create work that reflects their personal beliefs, experiences, and values. Even when an artist does not intend for their work to be explicitly political, it is influenced by the social and cultural contexts in which it … Continue reading "Episode 158:...

Last week, instead of a typical adult getaway for our anniversary, Beth and I attended the National Conference of Braver Angels. From the Mission Statement: Americans on opposite sides of the political spectrum don’t only disagree on issues — they increasingly dislike one another. This growing partisan animosity is the crisis of our time and … Continue reading "Episode 157: Civic Renewal Thr...

This week’s episode is a fast paced conversation between myself and members of the “Choralosophers” Facebook page. Choralosophers is one of the most drama free choir director’s groups on the internet, and the desire of the members there to have interesting, and thoughtful conversations about our profession and art form is refreshing and such a … Continue reading "Epis...

In this week’s episode I welcome John Hughes to discuss the things we wish we had known when we were starting out as teachers and conductors. We discuss the cynicism that develops over the years in many of us, as well as the loss of “awe” when hearing choral music and how to get it … Continue reading "Episode 155: What I Wish I Knew As A Young Conductor with John C. Hughes"

One of the “elephants in the room” within education discussions related to merit, opportunity and access is the wide range and disparity of challenges that teachers face in creating quality programs within their schools. Mark Bailey believes that music, but most importantly the PEOPLE IN music, changes the lives of those around them. And crucially, … Continue reading "Episode 154...

In May of 2023, American Choral Directors dedicated an issue of their “Choral Journal” to Gender Inequity in Choral Music. The Research Report in this issue was penned by Dr. Melissa Baughman from the University of Oklahoma. In the article, she summarizes the current state of research on the topic of Women in Conducting careers. … Continue reading "Episode 153: Going Deeper on Ge...

In this special Oxford Series episode, I catch Dr. Zanaida Robles for a conversation about her philosophy as a composer, as well as the way all of her musical and personal identities mingle to create a context for her music making. We discuss the compositional process, including the philosophy she holds related to the “end … Continue reading "Episode 152: Prioritizing Context and Conne...

What does it mean to be an Omni-American? An Omni-Citizen, or an Omni-Musician? How can Jazz be taught as a metaphor for American culture and democracy? In what ways do our modern conversations about diversity and inclusion badly need to include some Albert Murray in the mix? Greg Thomas joins me this week to discuss … Continue reading "Episode 151: Omni-Musicians with Greg Thomas"

Now that the pandemic is officially over, I thought it would be a good time to release this audio I captured back in April of 2021. About 30 of us brave Choralosophers gathered in Atlanta back when NO ONE was doing in person conventions to have a mini choral summit. One of those sessions was … Continue reading "Episode 150: Choir After the Pandemic with Emmy Burch and Chris Munce DURING the...

This week, I FINALLY respond to the many requests I got to share my thoughts on the movie “Tár,” starring Cate Blanchett. So, consider this my review of the movie. I talk about the tension in the film between the stereotypes of the “conductor” as a male, power abusing, egomaniac alongside the movie’s portrayal of … Continue reading "Episode 149: “Tár&#8221...