Choralosophy

What happens when a choir director with thirty years in the classroom builds an AI app trained on his experience? His own teachers’ Facebook group turns on him for it. Does he deserve it? Every time I open Facebook lately, some music teacher has a brand-new AI app to sell me. Dale Duncan is no … Continue reading "Episode 310: Drawing Your Line in the Sand on AI in the Classroom with Dale Duncan"

A singer trained in only one style is leaving half their instrument unbuilt. We hear a bright, forward, Broadway sound walk into the rehearsal room and reach for the same correction every time. But what if that instinct is the problem? She belts in musical practice after school and sings Palestrina on Sunday morning, and … Continue reading "Episode 309: Cross-Training For Singers with Dr. Nicholas Perna"

What if the piano — the instrument sitting in every choir room in America — is quietly teaching your singers to sing out of tune? I rehearse a cappella. From the first day of rehearsal to the final product, no piano. I’ve been saying it for years, and I catch heat for it. So when … Continue reading "Episode 308: It’s Just Intonation After All with Ross W. Duffin"

Real music literacy isn’t about robotic, first-time perfection. Here is how to create individualized leveled readers that meet every singer right where they are. If you think back to elementary school, or when your own kids were young, you probably remember them bringing home leveled reading books tailored to their specific vocabulary, phonics stage, and … Continue reading "Episode 307: Education is Individual. Ensembles are not"

ACTUAL student-centered education occurs when we design our classes, pedagogies and assessments around individual student skill attainment. The calculation of “what works” cannot simply boil down to teacher preference. One of the most common things you hear at music education conferences is the phrase: “I just do what works for me.” It sounds harmless, even … Continue reading "Episode 306: Why “What Works for Me?” is the Wrong Question for Teachers"