Choralosophy

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"

What happens when a choral piece becomes so wildly popular that choir directors start refusing to program it? We like to tell ourselves that our repertoire choices are based on objective artistic standards… …but all too often, artists fall into a familiar trap: the moment a piece captures the public imagination or goes viral on … Continue reading "Episode 305: An Invitation to Connection with Jennifer Lucy Cook"

What if we’ve been approaching Music Ed and Conducting backwards? Dr. Jordan suggests, that “the first course in music ed shouldn’t be methods. It should be a semester of learning who you are—because that’s what actually reaches students.” Why is it that two conductors can give the exact same technical pattern to the same choir, … Continue reading "Episode 304: You Are the Thing That Teaches with James Jordan"

This week, I am sharing an excerpt from a live webinar I recently hosted breaking down how I actually use Sight Reading Factory in the classroom every day to build confident, independent musicians. If you have spent any time around this show, you know I believe deeply in getting the piano out of the way … Continue reading "Episode 303: The Tool to Build the Tools-“The Workbench”"

Back in episode 146, Dr. Jennaya Robison and I had a great discussion about the tension (pun intended) around vibrato vs. non vibrato aesthetics, physiology and acoustics in choral music. Recently, we posted a clip from that show and it blew up. Let’s just say, the algorithm anointed it with oil and now its cup … Continue reading "Episode 302: Revisiting the Vibrato Question"