Choralosophy

Episode 71: It’s All in the Story with Cecilia McDowall Another Installment of the Oxford Series on the Choralosophy Podcast Episode 71 Cecilia McDowall has long been one of my favorite Choral composers. If I were to boil down my reasons for this it would come to her masterful ability to transport both audience and performer through … Continue reading "Episode 71: It’s All in...

In this episode, Dr. Ryan Board of Pepperdine University and I discuss the role we see for Choral Music education in filling the void of psychological and emotional development of young people and adults. The epidemic of the loss of resiliency in young people is well documented. Dr. Board walks us through the work of … Continue reading "Episode 70: Legitimate Love and Suffering in the Music...

Want your singers to make less mistakes while sight reading? In this episode I outline some approaches, philosophies and even a rubric. But first, one obvious tip, and one counterintuitive one: Obvious: SRF assignments, quizzes and most importantly daily class work, and test EACH kid individually at the level appropriate for their current aptitude. Not … Continue reading "Episode 69: Higher...

I say it’s steering them. And I think that’s bad news. I believe that Social Media has a tremendous upside and potential for good. But only if it is reflective of the common humanity that we experience when we are in person. My concern is that this has been reversed. That, as we begin to … Continue reading "Car Thoughts: Is Social Media Steering or Reflecting Choir Conversations?...

For the first time on Choralosophy, I have written a blog to accompany the podcast episode! This post is not specific to music or musicians. But, as with many topics, we are all trying to navigate a rapidly changing social landscape. I think, write and speak quite a bit about how the quality of conversation … Continue reading "A Rhetorical Analysis of Toxic Discourses with Dr. Erec Smith"

I am very unlikely to to give much credence to a person who is critical of the music education practices of colleagues, if they have nothing better to point to. Criticizing is easy. Building something better is hard. Show me your program and how your ideas have shown results, then I am more likely to … Continue reading "Episode 67 Part 2: Growing Access in a Greenhouse with Vince Peterson"

Then, be sure to tune in to Part 2 next week, as Vince discusses his brainstorm that is “Greenhouse Music” and why he thinks some of the problems with music education, and educator training need real solutions by rethinking the model, the access and the outcomes. Vince Peterson is a respected choral conductor, composer/arranger, and teacher … Continue reading "Episode 67 Part 1:...

Another Installment of the Oxford Series on the Choralosophy Podcast I had the joy and privilege of chatting with Oxford Choral Composer, Sarah Quartel. We centered our conversation around the ideas of collaborative music making, and choral music specifically, and their ability to build community, increase well being, flourishing and growth. We ranged also to … Continue reading "Episode 66:...

Spoiler- Don’t Ask Them To Sing Louder One of the most common questions I get from choir teachers is “How do I get my kids to sing louder?! I beg and I plead, but they just don’t make any noise.” The first mistake you made was the begging and pleading. The second mistake was asking … Continue reading "Car Thoughts: How To Get Choirs to “Sing Louder”"

Shared goals are more important than any other factors when building community. Not shared cultures, shared backgrounds, or shared talents. We just need to want the same things. Choirs are typically natural breeding grounds of this type of shared interest. In this episode I compare notes with writer, podcaster and Tango instructor Dr. Iona Italia … Continue reading "Episode 65: The Art of Co...

UNLOCKED This episode is an UNLOCKED Patreon only episode that I released in October at the Choralosophy Podcast private feed. I am releasing it here now in an effort to encourage some deep thinking about the Choral Profession and our recent flourish of colleague cancellation. This particular episode looks back at the essay written by … Continue reading "How NOT to Write Your Cancellation Es...

An installment of the Oxford Series on the Choralosophy Podcast In choral music, in a different way than in other types of music making, WE ARE the instrument. This creates a unique vulnerability within choral music. If my saxophone is flat, I can fix the ligature, and EXTERNALIZE the problem. With singers, we must still … Continue reading "Episode 63: “We Face People.” The Coura...

Many people use the term “elitist” to describe aspects of choral music. The problem, as I see it is that this term means different things to different people. So in this short verbal essay, I reflect on the need to be specific when we criticize. I also discuss some places that I see Elitism in … Continue reading "Thoughts on What ‘Elitism” Means in Choral Music"

Featuring Laura Ritter and her Walters State Chamber Choir In this episode, I feature Laura Ritter and her Walters State Chamber Choir. I asked students to reflect on why they NEED choir, what it has meant to them to return to singing in our current troubled time, what has created a sense of safety and … Continue reading "Episode 62: Filling in the Gaps with Choir"

Part of the Oxford Series on the Choralosophy Podcast Join us in this thought provoking and jovial conversation in which Will and I discuss a comparison of the US and UK music education paradigms, his approach to the creative process, and the possible pitfalls of training “sight reading machines.” While this can result in singers … Continue reading "Episode 61: Give Me Some Human...

Isaac Cates is an enigma wrapped in a riddle. A classically trained pianist, who is also a gospel music specialist, but also a singer-song writer… Oh! and also a choir clinician. Turns out he is also a fantastic podcast guest! Join Isaac and I in studio for this multifaceted conversation. We discussed Isaac’s approach to … Continue reading "Episode 60: Labels Won’t Stick to...

Conference line up and itinerary being finalized very soon!

This special episode comes at Podcasting from a bit of a different angle. Enjoy a spot as a fly on the wall while two couples, both comprised of two choral musicians, sit down to discuss the benefits and possible pitfalls of being married to someone who shares your professional sphere. My wife Beth and I … Continue reading "Episode 59: Married to the Choir with The Robison’s and the Th...

Special Update! From myself, along with Robin and Jon at MyMusicFolders Colorado STATE Testing: We were given the opportunity in early July to send prototypes to Colorado State aerosol lab for testing, and those results were published, along with several others, as part of their interactive mask effectiveness charts, and people continue to reference those … Continue reading "Why You May Have...

With Dr. Jerry Blackstone, Matthew Workman and Brian Gaukel Have you heard about this yet?! What an exciting project this is. My three guests for this episode have teamed up to create a monumental expression of what choral singing means to us here in the United States. “CHORAL SINGING IN AMERICA: NURTURING THE AMERICAN SOUL.” … Continue reading "Episode 58: Telling the Story of A...

The Oxford Series on the Choralosophy Podcast! Reena Esmail is currently the composer in residence for the LA Master Chorale and the composer of TaReKiTa published by Oxford University Press. Reena works between the worlds of Indian and Western classical music, to bring communities together through the creation of equitable musical spaces and holds degrees … Continue reading "Episode 57: Wor...

I said what I said. The hot topic this week has been choir snobbery online in regards to pop music, or commercial music. I think this is an important topic, but as always, I have my own little angle that might be different than most. It could be that telling people what they must support … Continue reading "Car Thoughts: I Think We Dis the Super Bowl Music Because We’re Jealous"

I saw a few posts from colleagues recently that seemed to lament our inability to have good discussions among people who disagree online. The first problem: we aren’t actually having discussions anymore… The best conversations I’ve ever had with colleagues have been in the bar at conventions. Or on my show!

The lead sound engineer for Hallmark Corporation walks us through the basics of how to create a respectable digital representation of your ensemble. A nuts and bolts episode covering everything you need to know before you get started! Many of us will exist at different places on the learning curve on this topic, but Josh … Continue reading "Episode 56: Sound Engineering for Dummies with Josh...

Just a random rant in my car. As performance opportunities dwindled over the last year, we have been quick to rationalize this as a good thing. Maybe because we needed to in order to cope with the loss? Either way, maybe it’s not that simple. Maybe the performances are critical.