Choralosophy

Next stop, Oxford University and St. Edmund Hall. Betsy and I are joined by composer, conductor, teacher James Whitbourn. Or as he describes himself, a musician. We discussed the Oxford system of colleges and the wide range of choral opportunities it provides. I was fascinated by this because I had never taken the time to … Continue reading "Episode 85: “Exploring the Choirs of Europe&...

The Second Installment Betsy Cook Weber’s Sabbatical Series! In this stop, Betsy visits Stockholm, Sweden to see Gary Graden and the St. Jacobs Kammerkör. Betsy, Gary and I discuss how an American born director ended up learning from Eric Ericsson and never leaving. We also dive into the philosophies, practices and approaches that lead to … Continue reading "Episode 84: Exploring the C...

The First Installment of the a new series following Betsy Cook Weber on her Sabbatical I am honored to present to you a new series of podcasts and videos with Dr. Betsy Cook Weber. Dr. Weber is on Sabbatical this semester, and she reached out to me to partner in documenting her travels across Europe. … Continue reading "Episode 83: “Exploring the Choirs of Europe” Rupert Gough of...

Author of the Newsweek article “Why Calling Merit Racist Erases People of Color.” One of the raging debates today in education centers around the ways in which we can expand access to fruits of high quality education to more students. And that is a wonderful debate to have, and an important one. However, a troubling … Continue reading "Episode 82: Are Merit-BasedStandards Racist?...

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 … Continue reading "Episode 81: Can Auditions be Inclusive? With Kirsten Oberoi"

At some point, we have to come back to choir, (or quit) and the Covid risk will not be zero. So, it is now unavoidable that we will have to become comfortable engaging with humans in close proximity because they NEED us. Choir is essential. Nicola Dedmon recently wrote a great article in the ACDA … Continue reading "Episode 80: Finding Connection Again with Nicola Dedmon"

Brought to you by members of my Patreon, who have collaborated with me to create this episode. This is the first time I have done a MULTI topic show. I think you will enjoy it! Topics in this short episode include: How are you navigating the return to “normal” activities? Do you get flack for … Continue reading "Ask Me Literally ANYTHING! Vol. 1"

In this episode, I read some recent reviews from the Apple Podcasts App, as well as some questions that came in through the website. Then, I have clipped out a portion of episode one of Reconstructing the Dialogue. A new podcast on which I am but one voice of many. Journalist Mónica Guzman, Professor Erec … Continue reading "Chris Reads from the Audience Mailbag and Joins the Cast of a NEW P...

We can expect “Excellence” and be inclusive of all ability levels at the same time! That’s it. That’s the Blog. Just kidding. There’s more. On the Choralosophy Podcast over the last several years, I have presented my thoughts on choral music curriculum in several episodes. From grading policies, to literacy instruction, as well a the … Continue reading "Car Thoughts: Elite without elitism, m...

Panel discussion featuring three insightful Professors In this week’s special panel conversation, I am finally responding to what has been a frequent listener suggestion for a podcast topic. A “no BS” discussion on the Choral Grad School decision that weighs so heavily on many of us, sometimes more than once in our careers. So, I … Continue reading "Episode 79: Is Grad Scho...

This special episode is something a bit different, in that it is a recap of a shared experience. All the way back on Episode 17, Marques Garrett challenged me to intentionally find an opportunity to be an “only” in the room. I had reflected in that conversation that, as a white guy, I don’t think … Continue reading "Episode 78: The Only White Guy in the Room with Maria and...

Removing Barriers To Honest and Emotional Singing J.D. Frizzell is a standout educator and clinician. In this episode, we discuss Dr. Frizzell’s successful approach to getting his singers to come out of their shells! We all want our ensembles to sing with passion, honesty, and expression, but how do we achieve this in an objective, … Continue reading "Episode 77: Singing Without Fear w...

Part of the Oxford Series on the Choralosophy Podcast The next installment of the Oxford Series is THE John Rutter. We have all grown up knowing the name and legacy that John represents. In this conversation, my goal was to give you a peak behind the curtain revealing the human side of the legend. We … Continue reading "Episode 76: Finding a Niche with John Rutter"

CDC published epidemiologist returns to the show to discuss the science of schools in the shifting sands of Delta. Since appearing on the show in November on Episode 49, Dr. Høeg has been very busy both researching and making public commentary about the issues surrounding Covid, kids and schools. Since her first Choralosophy appearance, she … Continue reading "Episode 75: The Delta Variables...

CDC published epidemiologist returns to the show to discuss the science of schools in the shifting sands of Delta. Since appearing on the show in November on Episode 49, Dr. Høeg has been very busy both researching and making public commentary about the issues surrounding Covid, kids and schools. Since her first Choralosophy appearance, she … Continue reading "Episode 75: The Delta Variables...

A Back to School Special From Choralosophy Podcast Listen in, or watch on YouTube for the complete presentation focusing on the practices, philosophies and RESULTS made possible by Sight Reading Factory. I discuss the “first day of school” reading activity, the way I rip off the bandaid by removing all keyboard assistance for note reading, … Continue reading "Mastering Literacy I...

A Back to School Special from the Choralosophy Podcast This time, we have William Bennett of Cane Bay High School in the hot seat to reflect on Carol Dweck’s “Mindset” research and practice as well as its implication in the choral rehearsal setting. Warning: sportsball metaphors are used gratuitously. In this short discussion, we will … Continue reading "Bite Sized Choral T...

A Back to School Special from Choralosophy Podcast Zach Singer weighed in on the main page of Choralosophy.com with an idea to share with us. He calls it being a “cultural custodian.” As we get back to being busy, I thought you might enjoy a few bite sized episodes with some practical, usable ideas. Tune … Continue reading "Bite Size Back to School Thoughts- “Cultural Custo...

Expertise Cannot Be Earned as a student. We must test our academic ideas in the real world. I recently had a lot of time to think and reflect while driving home from the convention circuit, so I went LIVE in the Choralsophers FB group to discuss some reactions to audience feedback from the Success Rubrics … Continue reading "Car Thoughts Live: What is Expertise in Choral Music?"

Who is in the Choral Cool Kids Club? Our current rubric is based almost entirely on two factors. What degree do you have? And what level of choir do you direct? That’s not enough. One of the hot items of choral discussion recently has been “Choral Elitism.” I have done episodes on the show about … Continue reading "Reimagining the Rubric For “Success” In Choral...

For the Midsummer installment of the show, I am encouraging you to take a professional development break from your summer fun, not to “do work,” but to begin thinking ahead. To start hoping, dreaming, and scheming for your BEST academic year yet. In fact, I believe that in order to be a a”professional educator,” the … Continue reading "The Essential PD Library: Starting Your School Year With...

Over the past year, I began to notice a breath of fresh air in the online choral discourse in the form of Reginal Wright. Like many of you, I have used Facebook to network with other choral directors that I don’t know in real life. This has benefits for me as a Podcast host, but … Continue reading "Episode 74: Is the Choral Ecosystem a Political Monolith? With Reginal Wright"

Executive producer and host of the television program African Ascent, W.E.B Du Bois fellow at Harvard, Professor of Philosophy at Berklee College of Music, Author “I try to argue that they can become better musicians if they become philosophically trained. They will become sensitive to aesthetics in their lives, to the role that art plays … Continue reading "Episode 73: Love Supreme wi...

Singers often have the mentality that if they go to the audition and don’t get the gig, they have failed. Choral directors often feel that if someone doesn’t hire them for the tenure track, or the honor choir gig, then they have sufficiently been told “no.” “I guess this isn’t for me after all.” The … Continue reading "Episode 72: Artists! It’s...

And other silly traps we fall in to due to the nature of our job and its subsequent ego pitfalls. Tune in for this short reflection on the overbearing conductor stereotype. I think it’s possible that we don’t appreciate what constantly having our job evaluated in front of people does to our Psyche… Changing Your … Continue reading "Car Thoughts: The Conductor is ALWAYS Righ...