Choralosophy

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: Is All Art is Political? With Melissa Dunphy"

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 Through Ensemble with Chris and Beth Munce"

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 "Episode 156: Choralosophers Livestream on Burnout, Literacy Instruction and the Moral Injury of Educators"

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: Turning Title 1 Challenges into Success with Mark Bailey"

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 Gender Equity in Music Ed with Dr. Melissa Baughman"

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 Connection with Zanaida Robles"

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 Pandemic"

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” Movie Review"

In this episode, we are honored to have Dr. Matt Zakreski, a clinical psychologist, joining us to discuss neurodiversity, autism, and gifted children in our classrooms. Dr. Zakreski brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to our conversation, and we will be delving into various considerations for such kids in education, and in Fine Arts … Continue reading "Episode 148: The Arts and the Exceptional Child with Dr. Matthew Zakreski"

In this unique episode of Choralosophy, we are taking it into the future that is now with a very special guest. It’s ChatGPT, a cutting-edge artificial intelligence language model that has been trained to understand and communicate with humans. ChatGPT is here to share its insights on topics relevant to choir directors, including innovative ways … Continue reading "Episode 147: Leveraging Artificial Intelligence in Music Education with ChatGPT"

In today’s episode, we have a special guest, Jennaya Robison, who is an accomplished conductor, vocalist, and music educator. In this episode, we delve into the topic of vibrato in choral singing. Dr. Robison would like to advocate for a world where female voices in particular are freer to vibrate in choral singing. Jennaya recently … Continue reading "Episode 146: The Vibrato Question with Dr. Jennaya Robison"

This week, I am excited to have Melanie Trecek-King as our guest. Melanie is a science educator who specializes in teaching science to non-science majors. In addition to her expertise in the field of science, Melanie is passionate about helping individuals improve their thought processes and metacognition. She is making major waves online with her … Continue reading "Episode 145: Teaching Skills, Not Facts with Melanie Trecek-King"

In this episode, I am thrilled to be joined by guest Jasmine Fripp, a music educator and advocate for cultural sensitivity and anti-racism in music education. Many of us FIRST met Jasmine when she posted a viral letter on Facebook. We will be discussing the importance of cultural sensitivity within music education, and why it’s … Continue reading "Episode 144: A Thousand Tiny Cuts with Jasmine Fripp"

I was recently exploring the recent rise in the use of the word “trauma” to describe the events of our lives. From small inconveniences to major life events, it seems that we are quick to label them as traumatic experiences. However, is this overuse of the term causing us to overlook the true meaning of … Continue reading "Revisiting the Anti-Fragile Choir: Resilient, Robust, Powerful with Eric Barnum"

This episode is a pastiche of sorts from several sources. We will start with the introduction from my “Togetherness Activism” live presentation from Colorado in January. In that segment I tell the story of what I have learned about discourse and discussion from starting a show in which I put forward opinions in public for … Continue reading "Episode 143: Toward a Diversity of Diversities with Survey Results!"

In this episode, I have renowned composer and publisher Dan Forrest on the show to talk about the current state of the publishing industry. In addition to his own story about how he got involved in the publishing and composition world, as well as his thoughts about the history of music publishing, the changes due … Continue reading "Episode 142: How the Sausage is Made in Sheet Music with Dan Forrest"

Did you know that boys have fallen behind girls in almost every measurable academic category? Boys are 3-6 times more likely to have an ADHD diagnosis, 3-5 times more likely to be expelled, 2-3 times more likely to die from suicide, and are reporting higher levels of loneliness on average. There are a lot of … Continue reading "Episode 141: Education’s Relationship with Masculinity with Dr. Brendan Kwiatkowski"

The beautiful challenge is that in vocal music ensemble instruction, every instrument is unique. So unique in fact that an instruction that helps one student sound better can make another sound worse. In the instrumental classroom there are MANY technical instructions that can be delivered in a way that applies to EVERY trombone or every … Continue reading "Episode 140: Balancing Individual Vocal Pedagogy in a Group Setting LIVE at CMEA"

Last week, I attended the first national gathering of the American Choral Directors since 2019. I had some incredible experiences, saw incredible choirs, heard wonderful and challenging thoughts presented in PD sessions. In this episode, I will recap my highlights, as well as presenting the highlights of some conference attendees that I interviewed during my … Continue reading "Episode 139: Digging into National ACDA"

From the very beginning of our species, musical communication has been a key component of prosocial, cooperative behaviors, acting as a counterweight to the other, newly evolved human communication system—language. It is about why music continues to be an essential part of human cognitive well-being in the twenty-first century. From the Abstract of “Music, Evolution, … Continue reading "Episode 138: Evolving the Musical Mind with Dr. Alan Harvey"

This presentation is the second part, or “why” sequel to Episode 135. In that episode, I lay out processes and procedures to build independent literacy skills in a beginning choir. In this presentation, I expanded into the moral and scientific case for centering literacy in our curricula, as well as support for my contention that … Continue reading "Episode 137: Literacy is Equity Live from CMEA"

This week, welcome BACK to the show Dr. Marques Garrett, who last appeared in episode 17, “Beyond Elijah Rock,” where many of us were introduced to the concept of “non-idiomatic” music of Black composers. In this episode, part of the “Oxford Series,” Marques returns to celebrate his latest contribution to the growing canon of music … Continue reading "Episode 136: Remaking History with Dr. Marques L.A. Garrett"

Last week I had the incredible honor to headline at CMEA in Colorado Springs. I was able to introduce the A Cappella rehearsal (no piano played while singing, and without hearing the piece first.) This is the first part of my concept that I proposed for my rejected National ACDA session. So I did it … Continue reading "Episode 135: The A Cappella Rehearsal Live at CMEA"

When you perform, it’s your job to go out there and save a life. Deke Sharon This week, I welcome the “Father of Contemporary A Cappella,” Deke Sharon onto the show. We discuss the origins of the modern “A Cappella” genre as well as the “family tree” of other types of A Cappella vocal music … Continue reading "Episode 134: The A Cappella Connection with Deke Sharon"

“Whoever is doing the talking is doing the learning.” Jen York-Barr In this special car thoughts I will not only DESCRIBE how I use sectionals in rehearsal, I will show you! (Video recommended) I am a big believer in student ownership, and there are few better ways to accomplish this than building a culture of … Continue reading "Car Thoughts: Student Led Sectionals"

Is student teaching a “class?” or a “job?” Does this practice need a revamp in the face of the current teacher shortage? In this episode, I invited Tina Beveridge on to hash out a disagreement. A few months ago, I created a TikTok expressing my opinion that student teachers don’t “deserve” a paycheck. Mostly based … Continue reading "Episode 133: Should We Pay Student Teachers? With Dr. Tina Beveridge"

Is it possible that the over-politicization of classroom education could be contributing in some way to the epidemic of mental health problems amongst teens and young adults? Clinical Psychologist, and child of Egyptian immigrants, Christine Sefein thinks we should not ignore this possibility. The modern vogue for activism that kids are learning focuses on the … Continue reading "Episode 132: Learned Helplessness with Christine Sefein"

2022 was an exciting year on this show! The first solid year of weekly episodes, a wide range of topics. (Only ONE Covid episode, thank God.) We saw lots of growth in the audience, exciting LIVE recordings, and so much more. In this episode, I have curated some of my favorite moments from YOUR 10 … Continue reading "Year in Review! Top Episodes of 2022"

In part two of my conversation with ACDA Executive Director Robyn Hilger, we pick up right where we left off last week in Episode 130. I begin by asking Robyn about the ACDA national conventions session line up. We discuss what is there, and what is missing. We move from there into a deep discussion … Continue reading "Episode 131: Going Beyond Good Intentions with Robyn Hilger"

The American Choral Directors Association is the largest organization of choral musicians in the world. ACDA sets the tone and direction of choral music in the US and has a major impact on the global choral music community as well. The newly appointed Executive Director of the organization, Robyn Hilger seeks to usher in a … Continue reading "Episode 130: The Value of an Outsider with Robyn Hilger"

There is an often felt, but rarely quantified sense within ensemble music experiences that something truly MAGICAL is happening that changes us profoundly. However, recentscientific discoveries (link to sources below) are adding a more concrete validity to that which experienced musicians already intuitively know. Studies that reveal the physiological and psychological processes of cooperative effort, … Continue reading "Episode 129: Channeling Emotional Contagion with Dr. Gary Seighman"

One of the oddest things about Vocal Music Education as a profession, is how little we are required to learn in our schooling about the voice. Vocal Pedagogy courses are often the purview of voice performance majors, which is very odd considering how many more students will be impacted with vocal instruction by a person with a Music Ed degree.

The Music Department is an alternate universe where pupils are often unrecognizable from who they are outside of it. The shy become confident. The agitated become calm. The lonely become included. The quiet become heard. And the lost become found. Music reveals the real child.

Humans aren't capable of completely original ideas. Everything is borrowed.

Advocacy Episode! Our jobs as music educators, sadly, MUST include the ability to persuasively and passionately make the case in our communities that group singing opportunities are crucial. That includes keeping choirs in our churches and in our schools and community organizations. It includes having conversations with local leaders, fundraising and more. But, what makes … Continue reading "Episode 125: Making the Case for Choir with Tom Metzger"

So, what happens when you post a video on the internet from inside your classroom and it goes viral with millions and millions of views?! It’s up to you! This happened Myles Finn and he decided to use his powers for good, creating a TikTok account with approaching SEVEN HUNDRED THOUSAND followers that shows life … Continue reading "Episode 124: Teaching in a Famous Classroom with Myles Finn"

Obvious: All humans need to feel connected and have a sense of belonging. Less obvious: Teacher’s have less power to actually achieve this with all students than we think. We can WELCOME all students. But belonging has to be mutual and organic. Hot take: not ALL students need this from their school or ALL of … Continue reading "Episode 123: The Belonging Buffet"

Will, the host of the show invited me on to share some the experiences that I have had in conversations with colleagues who may be "missing the point" when they try to connect certain types of music and certain musical practices to a skin color, or the social construct that is "race."

The twelve men of Chanticleer and I had a fast paced round table discussion about what it's like to be at the Choral music mountaintop in the ensemble, about the vocal gymnastics of counter tenors, the unique space that the group occupies somewhere between "choir" and "chamber ensemble" as well as their thoughts about what it takes to create truly MAGICAL performances and moments in music making.

In this episode, filmed in front of a “live studio audience” in the form of my students, I have the opportunity to sit down with one of our generations finest compositional voices, Jake Runestad. With the help of my students, we have a spirited conversation about the value and genesis of creativity, the special nature … Continue reading "Episode 120: Jake Runestad Live in My Classroom!"

I feel like this episode might be PHILOSOPHICALLY the most important episode I have published to date. Eric and I pick up right where I left off in Episode 18 when I claimed that students should lose the net when learning to sight read. The psychological principal at play is Nassim Taleb’s coined term, “Anti-Fragility” … Continue reading "Episode 19: Seeking Anti-Fragility in the Choral Rehearsal with Eric Barnum"

Why you CAN and SHOULD stop playing notes and making tracks for kids tomorrow. In this episode I will take you through a topic that I believe should be CENTRAL to all of our philosophies as choral educators. Should I be the high priest in my classroom or the shepherd? The high priest is the … Continue reading "Episode 18: Ripping off the bandaid"

In this episode Marques and I discuss importance of the music of black composers that do NOT fit into categories of idiomatically black music like Gospel, Jazz and Spirituals. The conversation ranges from the social aspects at play in spreading the word about this music, all the way to what it’s like to be minority … Continue reading "Episode 17: Beyond Elijah Rock with Dr. Marques Garrett"

In this episode, I had a blast chatting with Beth Philemon of the Choir Baton Podcast and Instagram Takeover account about MANY concepts related to the business of the choral profession. We hit scarcity mentality and the fixed pie fallacy of economics all the way to being more mindful of the “products” we create with … Continue reading "Episode 16: Growing the Choral Pie with Beth Philemon"

I have noticed in the 6 months I have been doing this show that there is a hunger for questioning and exploring choral and educational topics at a philosophical level, about asking why, offering answers, and dialogue. We don’t get much of this at conventions, we get presentations. We get it a bit in college, … Continue reading "Episode 15: Making Your Choir Thoughts Public with Adam Paltrowitz"

In this episode, I joined William Baker and Patrick Neas of the Choral Conversations Podcast to discuss a variety of topics including the distinctions and practices that set the amateur choral ensemble apart from the professional ensemble, and in what ways they are similar. Is a professional ensemble “better” than an amateur one? Are they … Continue reading "Episode 14: The Divide Between Pro and Amateur Choirs with William Baker and Patrick Neas."

A special JOINT production of the Kantorei Summer Choral Institute and the Choralosophy podcast that took place on June 19th, 2019. Each of the guests were in Kansas City working with the 120 regional young singers that participate in a one of a kind week of intense rehearsals, collaboration with adult professional educators and performers, … Continue reading "Special Edition: Summer Institute Panel Discussion"

In this episode I dig deeper with Chris Maunu on his “choiral” blog called “Choral Elitism” which has been a frequent conversation starter on choral conversation pages. I identified with his article very deeply, and felt the need to talk to Chris more about this topic. My hope is to use this show to help … Continue reading "Episode 13: Choral Snobbery? with Chris Maunu"

In this episode we parse our way through a Choral Journal Article from December of 2018 called “What is Written on our Choral Welcome Mats” with the author, Dr. John Perkins of Butler University. In the article, Dr. Perkins seeks to tie the tendency toward valuing a performance standard and competition in choral culture to … Continue reading "Episode 12: Does the Performance Goal of Most Choirs Lead to Exclusion? With John Perkins"

In this episode I sit down with the biggest star in the Choral World right now. Dr. Jason Max Ferdinand of the famed Aeolians, fresh off their WORLD changing performance at the ACDA National performance in Kansas City this spring. Our topics are wide ranging including his upbringing in the Caribbean and early life, his … Continue reading "Episode 11: Breaking Down Barriers with Jason Max Ferdinand"

Is it possible that removing gendered language from our choral rehearsals solves the problem of inclusion? Is it possible that it DOESN’T solve the problem? Is there room for nuance in the conversation? This week, I open up a dialogue with Theo Wren, a freelance musician, multi-instrumentalist, choral singer and Trans Baritone. So far on … Continue reading "Episode 10: A Voice in Transition with Theo Wren"

Greetings, friends and colleagues. As Choral Directors, we stand in front of large diverse groups of people from different backgrounds, races and religions. With that comes a beautiful diversity of opinion. For people in our position, we should be a beacon of peace and reconciliation in a world coming apart at the seams. Seem dramatic? … Continue reading "Episode 9: How Should Choralosophers Handle Contentious Choral Topics?"

When we are fortunate enough to get our students to take voice lessons, what do we want them to learn? What is best for them? What is best for our choirs? Are all voice lessons the same? We have so many questions... and answers for those questions! We invite you to listen and join the conversation! As always, each episode is just a conversation STARTER, so join the conversation on Facebook in the Choralosophers group! 

What can we learn from the philosophies of Leonardo on Art and Music? Does he have anything to say to us in the 21st Century? The host discusses da Vinci’s ideas sourced from “Thoughts on Art and Life” by the great artist himself, then is joined by Jocelyn Hagen to discuss her new multi-media symphony … Continue reading "Episode 7: The Notebooks of Leonardo Da Vinci with Jocelyn Hagen"

“If you are there for the music, you’re in the wrong profession. It has to be student centered, or you will burn out.” Elisa Janson Jones specializes in helping music educators build, grow, and manage thriving school music programs. With an MBA alongside her degree in music, she is also a coach and consultant to … Continue reading "Episode 6: Avoiding Burnout and Other Life Hacks. Elisa Janson Jones"

In this episode I share a small part of my “suck list” as well as my “not suck” list to demonstrate the healthy balance we all must have between acknowledging our struggles and giving ourselves credit where credit is due. I will also offer a short reflection on the National ACDA Convention including WHY I … Continue reading "Episode 5: What I Suck At"

In the second part of this episode, I look to Anthony Maglione for insight into this topic from the collegiate perspective. Conductor/Composer/Tenor Anthony J. Maglione is a graduate of Westminster Choir College of Rider University, East Carolina University, and the University of California, Los Angeles. He is the Director of Choral Studies at William Jewell … Continue reading "Episode 4: Part 2. Seeing the Trees (There is no forest) with Tony Maglione"

In this episode I make the shocking claim that there is no such thing as a choir. Then I bring on Stephen Rew for a discussion about connecting with students on an individual level. Stephen Rew holds his Bachelors and Masters of Music Education from the Conservatory of Music and Dance at the University of … Continue reading "Episode 4. Part 1. Seeing the Trees (There is no forest) with Stephen Rew"

Bradley Ellingboe  In this episode, I sit down with noted conductor and composer, Bradley Ellingboe to discuss what attributes make a great conductor. A Practical Guide to Choral Conducting published by Kjos Music Bradley Ellingboe has led a wide-ranging career in the world of singing,  including accomplishments as a choral conductor, soloist, composer, scholar and teacher.  … Continue reading "Episode 3: What’s in a Gesture? Bradley Ellingboe"

In the second part of this episode, I chat with composer Dale Trumbore about how we, as performers and composers, can tell our story in an authentic and vulnerable way. Dale’s Essay discussed in episode Dale Trumbore is a Los Angeles-based composer and writer whose music has been praised by the New York Times for its “soaring melodies and beguiling … Continue reading "Episode 2: Advocating for Our Art. Part 2-Dale Trumbore"

How do we “sell” our profession? How do we tell the story of what we do so that non-musicians can understand? We all know our “why,” now let’s learn how to share that with the world! In this episode I will discuss Music Education Advocacy with Dr. Elise Hepworth. Dr. Elise Hepworth is associate professor and Director of … Continue reading "Episode 2: Advocating for Our Art. Part 1-Elise Hepworth"

At times, we, as working professionals, struggle to maintain our health and balance. As a result, our happiness suffers. In this episode, I will share my thoughts on this as well as get a reality check from my wife, Beth, on whether or not I am “balanced.” The Inaugural episode of the Choralosophy Podcast was … Continue reading "Episode 1: Health, Happiness and Balance, with Beth Munce"

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In this episode I sit down with THE Middle School choir guru, Dale Duncan to talk about sweet spot for success in Middle School vocal music. Middle School Singers are often overlooked and underestimated. What they need is an educator that believes in them, and provides high quality instruction in a school that supports them. … Continue reading "Episode 119: Yes Middle Schoolers CAN! with Dale Duncan"

On this episode Dr. Chantae Pittman joins me in the ongoing conversation surrounding the philosophy of choral music education. Why are we there? What is our function? Just how critical is it that students who complete a term or more in vocal music in school are able to reach some level of music reading proficiency. … Continue reading "Episode 118: Leveling the Playing Field with Dr. Chantae Pittman"

In this episode I have a chat with GRAMMY nominated conductor and composer, Benedict Sheehan of the St. Tikhon Monastery Choir. This passionate conversation begins with Benedict’s advocacy for people, like himself, who stutter. As you will hear, it is important that we remember that EVERYONE has something to say. We need only listen. We … Continue reading "Episode 117: Finding My Voice with Benedict Sheehan"

Is creating a welcoming, inclusive, fun, engaging and safe learning environment enough to be an excellent choir teacher? I say no. Is choir an activity or an academic course of study? You can get a PhD in it. It is an academic subject. In this episode, I “dialogue” with many of you who joined a … Continue reading "Episode 116: What is Our MAIN Job?"

In this episode, I reflect on the psychology of gratitude, and on the importance of helping our students develop a healthy relationship with their own mistakes, and even flaws and weaknesses. Not because we don’t care about high achieving ensembles, but precisely for this reason.

A Cappella guru Rob Dietz joins me this week to tell his story of passion for the “Pop A Cappella” genre of ensemble vocal music. Rob is well known in this sub-genre of choral music for his work on “The Sing Off” and collaborations with groups as wide ranging as Pentatonix, to Flo Rida and … Continue reading "Episode 115: The A Cappella Revolution with Rob Dietz"

A Choralosophy Oxford Series episode! One of the most challenging aspects of being a teacher of singing is dealing with the male changing voice. Not only are we undereducated on the physiology of the issue, we are often inconsiderate of the psychology as well. In this conversation, I have called in a true expert to … Continue reading "Episode 114: Boys Keep Singing! With Martin Ashley"

Anxiety from within is normal. The belief that students can’t overcome the anxiety can often come from the teacher’s approach. It is critically important to normalize “singing without fear.” In this car thoughts conversation, we reflect on starting the first “normal” school year in three years. This is a significant opportunity to return normalcy to … Continue reading "Car Thoughts: Back to School with No Masks and Normalizing Noise Making"

A Summer Refresher on Grading and Assessment at Alabama ACDA This episode is in many ways, the live presentation SEQUEL to Episode 21: Everyone Can Get an A. In music Education, we frequently lament cultural attitudes about music not being a “real class.” If we present courses without rigor, academic standards or measurable achievements, we … Continue reading "Everyone CAN Get an A, But Not Everyone Will"

*Racism* is the social construction that necessitates our continued & (mostly) blind belief in & upholding of “race” ideology & its correlated languages/practices. We just continue to fool ourselves into thinking that “race” is *just* “skin color,” phenotype, DNA, or culture. Dr. Sheena Mason With the rise of anti-racist discourse and initiatives, many people are … Continue reading "Episode 113: Are We Doing Anti-Racism Wrong? with Dr. Sheena Mason"

LIVE at Alabama ACDA “Who am I being that my children’s eyes are not shining?” Benjamin Zander This week I had the honor and privilege visiting with ACDA members in Alabama at their state Conference. We must turn the mirror on ourselves to ensure that we are WORTHY to stand in front of our students. … Continue reading "Episode 112: Arts of Personhood and Shining Eyes"

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” … Continue reading "Ep 111: The Righteous Musician with Reena Esmail"

Our online choral conversations are frequently centered, especially recently, around culture. How do we negotiate a diverse society within our classrooms and the online conversations that result? Dr. Graham invited me on his YouTube channel to discuss topics that fall under this broad umbrella like cancel culture, race, discourse and why so many of these … Continue reading "Bonus Episode: Stepping Outside the Choir World with Sociologist Dr. Roderick Graham"

Introducing an AMAZING product from MyMusicFolders.com! The resonance singer’s mask shown in this short demo is an excellent option for risk reduction in Covid-era singing. Ultimately, for choirs who choose to sing using tools like this, you will need a mask that is conducive to comfortable breathing and articulating. This is the mask for you! … Continue reading "Resonance Singer’s Mask Demo (video version on YouTube)"

In this episode, I continue my deep dive into attempting to understand how the pandemic may effect our world generally, but specifically the world of music and the performing arts. However, it should be obvious that parallels to our everyday lives are interwoven into this information. In this conversation, Dr, Manian and I focus primarily … Continue reading "Episode 38: Necessity is the Mother of Invention with Dr. Farrin Manian"

National Chair of the American Choral Directors Association’s Diversity Initiatives Committee This episode flipped the normal script a little bit, where I got to be on the hot seat! I was honored to be invited to be the guest on “And the Beat Goes On” presented by Arreon Harley-Emerson of the Choir School of Delaware. … Continue reading "Episode 37: Speaking of Diversity in High Definition with Arreon Harley-Emerson"

How Narrow Focus and Tribalism Leads to Bad Decision Making A special edition of the Choralosophy Podcast. It’s basically not about choir at all… But, it’s short and I hope it’s thought provoking, or even helpful! We sure are living in a strange time. The mission of the Choralosophy Podcast is to encourage conversation to … Continue reading "The Eye of the Tiger"

As we all look forward to an uncertain future in our choral rehearsals, we might also turn our attention to what was an already RAPIDLY changing market for choral sheet music. For a conversation on this topic I reached out to Susan LaBarr, composer and editor for Walton Music. Our conversation was wide ranging from … Continue reading "Episode 34: Copyright Law Myths and the Future of Choral Publishing with Susan LaBarr"

Speech Pathologist, Singing Voice Specialist and Classical Soprano I have notice during my time working from home that my voice felt fresher, freer and more resonant than ever. I immediately began noticing other teachers mentioning this online as well, so I sought out an expert on the physiology and function of the voice who also … Continue reading "Episode 32: Resetting the Voice for the Choral Director with Lori Sonnenberg"

And other musings about my plans to take choir online. This is a strange time to be posting about choir in a Podcast right now. Considering that choirs are being sidelined all around the world. Of course, we might be the worst kind of activity right now. Sitting in crowded rooms deep breathing… But sadly, … Continue reading "Episode 30. How to lead the perfect FINAL rehearsal before festival. If COVID 19 lets us have the festival…"

I am beyond excited to show you an amazing tool that I use to introduce my students to the concept of vowels, resonance and formants! And, by extension, the concept of blend. This is a passion for me in the classroom. I love watching the students eyes and ears come alive to the power of … Continue reading "Bonus: Teaching Vowels, Blend and Resonance with 21st Century Tools"

For this episode, I sat down (twice… long story) with Paul Smith, co-founder and CEO of VOCES8 and the VOCES8 Foundation while he was in Kansas City. We had a lot of great conversations about the state of music education in the U.K. and the U.S. and the role of VOCES8 and other performing ensembles … Continue reading "Episode 22: The VOCES8 Philosophy with Paul Smith"

Is choir a real class? Can the group goals be balanced with the individual academic accountability that we owe to our students? I think the answer to all of this is yes. You can grade your students INDIVIDUALLY in sight singing to ensure that no one falls through the cracks, and stick to a rehearsal … Continue reading "Episode 21: Anyone can get an A in Choir…"

One of the hottest topics of discussion online in the last few weeks in the choral world has been the topic of cultural appropriation. Who should be allowed to perform, compose or arrange which kinds of music? Where do we draw the line? Does intent matter? What should a conductor do if they are worried … Continue reading "Episode 20: Choral Appropriation? Or Cultural Sharing with Brandon Boyd"

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 Tips: “Mindset” in Rehearsal with William Bennett"

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 Custodians” with Zach Singer"

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?"

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 Momentum"

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 with Professor Teodros Kiros"

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 Right?"

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 the Story, with Cecilia McDowall"

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 Classroom with Dr. Ryan Board"