Music (ed) Matters

Planning a Summer Choral Camp? Thinking of hosting a Choir Recruitment Workshop? Looking for some fun engagers or warm-ups to spice up the end of the school year or season?  This episode is for you! After getting a listener question for “my fav choir stuff for summer camp” and after teaching a MUED methods class on “classroom management,” I figured, this is the perfect time to create a solo episod...

I really wanted to call this episode “Trust the Next Step.” Our conversation started as exploring the connection of text and expression through the power of choral music, but really turned into a series of inspirational quotes, tools, and great stories with poet, author, and longtime choral conductor, Dr. Robert Bode. The conversation felt like sitting down over a cup of coffee to share experience...

You first met first-year teacher, Mr. Kyle Feather, back in Episode 120 when we got a chance to talk to him on the FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL! You heard from him again in Episode 132, after the first concert. This time, Mr. Feather is back and we talk about all the things he is feeling confident with, the things he is still learning, and his current exploration project, “diversification.” He shares all a...

I’m so excited to introduce you to the newest sponsor of the podcast, Perform International. In this conversation with PI’s Artistic Director, Dr. Gene Peterson, we talk about why tour, why PI, and how to get started “building bridges and transforming lives.” We also share some of our fav memories on tours and so much more. Thanks for believing in the power of MUED, PI!!! Watch this episode on You...

Let’s talk about successful teaching strategies for choir, starting with teaching rhythm (especially compound meter), running through solfège (especially minor scales), and other practical teaching tricks and tips from veteran teacher and author, Eric Wilkinson! Eric Wilkinson is the director of the Wando High School Choir in Charleston, South Carolina, and is co-author of "Habits of a Successful...

Take a moment and think of all the possibilities one can experience with a music education degree…the list is vast…but sometimes it takes a dream, an idea, and possibly a leap of faith.  In this conversation with Dr. Andrew Minear, we hear his story into music education and explore how he took a dream into a realization….in just over a year! Get ready to learn all about Orlando Sings, but also to...

Welcome to a fun first episode for the pod: LIVE at the exhibitor “Happy Hour” and LIVE after our in-person meeting of the ACDA Advocacy and Collaboration Committee all during the ACDA National Conference in Cincinnati 2023!  In this episode, you’ll hear folks share what they are taking away from the conference, what they are excited about, and new and fun resources heading your way from the A&amp...

What is Equity Sings? Why and how does “ADEIBR” fit into our choral spaces work in choral spaces? And where the choral sector is going in the coming years? Hear from President/CEO of Equity Sings and Equity Coach, Arreon Harley-Emerson as we talk about he got into this work, what they are providing to our choral sphere (and beyond), and how can you also jump in and do the work?  Learn more about A...

Talkbacks, pre-concert circles, roses, and “non-talent-talent shows,”  - just a few of the awesome ideas from this episode as we explore ways to build community, especially for our LGBTQIA+ singers.  Meet Dr. Raul Dominguez, a return guest to the podcast, but this time we talk about his work with GALA Choruses, their choral response to Club Q, and ultimately ways to create community and support ou...

Let’s reimagine how we teach music in online spaces (or how online spaces can redesign our educational spaces) with Technology Strategies (aka: coach, collaborator, consultant), Jaime Slutzky.  In this episode we talk about how to take your passion, the thing that lights you up, and combine it with all the possibilities of technology to create new ecosystems and opportunities for connection and le...

How do you define thriving? What do you do during transitions? When do we need to access new tools and techniques? This episode features composer, author, performing, and music educator, Adrain Gordon as we explore his career as an orchestral conductor/educator, composer, and author of a new book, “Note to Self.” You’ll walk away from this episode with questions to keep you motivated, centered, an...

What do you get when you take 100 singers and provide them bring 65 pieces of music, in 16 different languages, spanning over 600 years of music history all written by a diverse array of composers (including a singer in the room), and give them a couple of days to sing through it all? Well, in Florida, they call it a “Reading Chorus.”  In this conversation, we break it down with FMEA’s 2023 Readin...

What do space, the International Space Station, rockets, and recorders have in common? You’re about to find out as this episode features music and STEAM education pioneer, Laurie Orth. While we talk about how space and music education collided in her world, we also explore how you too can “get it together,” learn new things, and ultimately do cool things, such as how Mrs. Orth brings together the...

Ready to “build community through creative expression!”? Get ready to meet an inspiring educator/artist/entrepreneur who will inspire and invigorate you with ideas in this conversation! Yogi Guyadin (better known as “Y?”) is an interdisciplinary “Artivist” and educator born in Queens NYC. He expresses this through artistic mediums of music production/ composition, songwriting, vocals, live instrum...

In this month's Advocacy & Collaboration episode, we turn the tables on host Dr. Emily Williams Burch to talk about the prospect of service among choral organizations. Framed through projects mounted by Emmy's Savannah-based RISE Chorales & RISE Outreach, this episode will inspire you to take stock of the possibilities for service that are all around us. Listen for how mutually beneficial...

Happy New Year from the Burches! Join host, Dr. Emily Williams Burch and her husband, Spencer Burch as they test out the new “warm-up” and “end-of-show” questions and talk about culture, leadership, and more!  In this episode, Spencer shares his three steps for leading a team with a cultural-building focus. You’ll walk away from this episode with a few steps you can try in your classroom or choir...

Wrapping up the year with a mash-up of two of my favorite things in this "Dr is In" Episode: Advocacy & Collaboration and how it all connects to communicating what we do as music folks in impactful ways with an audiobook sample from "The Business of Choir." Order your copy of “The Business of Choir”: https://www.giamusic.com/store/resource/the-business-of-choir-book-g10713 or check out the web...

Let’s talk choral tone - as in what is it, how do we develop it, and why - choral programming - especially related to text selection and singer/audience goals, -  and inclusion in the classroom - all with choral educator Dr. Damion Womack! Dr. Damion Womack has dedicated the past twenty years serving as an inspirational and motivational conductor, educator, and administrator, at the elementary, mi...

In this conversation, we talk about positively impacting the lives of people who have developmental disabilities (children, teens, and adults), Alzheimer's/Dementia, and drug/alcohol addiction through individual and group music sessions/lessons/performances with Founder/CEO of Key of Awesome Music, Jim Gaven. He has been in the human services field for the past 12 years creating and implementing a...

Massachusetts native Kirsten Oberoi is the Founding Artistic Director of the South Shore Children’s Chorus, and also taught public school chorus at the secondary level for eight years in both Massachusetts and California. Regarded as a unique and creative choral artist and arts entrepreneur, Oberoi is known for her strong philosophies and teaching practices based on inclusion and equity in the mus...

As you’re heading into the rush of concert season while also wrapping up this semester and starting to think about January, this episode is perfect! Meet loop pedal violist, composer, and educator Kathryn Patricia Cobbler. Hailing from Canada’s Capital region, Cobbler has crafted a singular niche in improvisation and classical performance. She obsesses over creating uniquely arresting soundscapes,...

In this episode, you’ll learn all about commercial music including a definition, where to find the music, why to program the music, and so much more! Meet composer, arranger, educator and presenter, Garrett Breeze. Together, we talk about the need for commercial music education and how educators with classical backgrounds can incorporate it into their classroom in a way that supports what they're...

You first met first-year teacher, Mr. Kyle Feather, back in Episode 120 when we got a chance to talk to him on the FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL! In this episode, Mr. Feather is back as we chronicle the life of a first-year teacher (after the first concert). This time, we talk about…. Update on his life in the classroom: -The First concert October 3rd-Picking literature for a NV (non-varsity) tenor bass cho...

Meet Dr. Tucker Biddlecombe, Director of Choral Activities at Vanderbilt University’s Blair School of Music, where he conducts the Vanderbilt Chorale and Glee Club, and serves as Coordinator of Music Teacher Education. He also serves as Director of the Nashville Symphony Orchestra Chorus. As you’ll hear in this episode, Dr. Biddlecombe is a veteran teacher and a passionate advocate for music educa...

In this month’s Advocacy & Collaboration Curated Episode, we speak to committee member, Dr. Tim Westerhaus as he talks us through ways to advocate for our profession and for music education. This quick episode covers everything from ideas, events, actions, and all-around motivation you can use for advocacy work in your space - but it also leaves you with confidence that you’re not alone! Liste...