How to have “The Perfect Choir”and 2025 Top 10!

The First Part of a New Series: Give Them Tools and Let Them Build is based on a premise. We are not the music makers. Our students are. So, are we teaching them songs? Or the tools used to build songs? Who is the hardest working person in your classroom? Spoiler alert: it should NOT … Continue reading "Episode 280: Give Them Tools and Let Them Build Part 1"

Is a podcast “real PD?” Is it a trustworthy source of information? What are the best ways to use one? What are the worst? Why do music educators listen? In this conversation, Theresa Hoover, a music educator and researcher who advocates for “passing the baton” to students through a book and podcast by the same … Continue reading "Episode 279: Music Ed Podcasts From the Research Perspective with Theresa Hoover"

Seven years ago, Choralosophy was an experiment. Today, it’s a career. It is a job, no different than your job, albeit a bit more public. Today is the show’s 7th birthday. Here is what I’ve learned: As I hit this milestone, I’ve been reflecting on how the landscape of “online work” has shifted—and how it … Continue reading "Episode 278: 7 Years of Choralosophy from BEHIND the Mic"

An important distinction for young teachers: we want our students to view our class as safe, free and open. But, in order to do this, there must be an “operating system” running in the background. A clearly defined structure, procedures, and yes, rules. (Clutches pearls.) In this conversation, Kevin Lackie joins me to discuss the … Continue reading "Episode 277: Structured Classrooms are Safer with Kevin Lackie"

It can be so tempting for ensemble music directors to fall into a kind of tunnel vision where all roads lead to the “top group” or most advanced ensemble. After all, they are often the ones able to showcase the “culmination” of what our program can do. But this must not be done at the … Continue reading "Episode 276: Your Program Depends on the “Beginners” with Bruce Rockwell"

As much as we would love it to not be the case, Americans still see Black Musicians and make certain assumptions. Black Choir? It must be gospel? Black Band? It must be high steppers and baton twirlers. The issue is not these proud musical traditions. The issue is the box that stereotypes put people in. … Continue reading "Episode 275: The Duality of HBCU Musicians with Dr. Craig Robertson"

When I scroll around the internet, I see more and more examples of great choir rehearsals going on around the world. It’s an exciting time to be a member of this profession! But, it also gives me a sense of how hard we all are working to get sound out of kids. Do we need … Continue reading "Episode 274: Work Less Hard than Your Students"

Pedagogy, it could be argued, is a meaningless academic fantasy if it isn’t proficiently applied. In music, we can do all of the “right” methods. Solfege, Takadimi, count singing etc. But, does it matter if they can’t use it to make music? In this next iteration of the “The First Days of Choir,” inspired by … Continue reading "Episode 273: Applying the Whole Language of Music"

Sometimes as performing artists, we are hyper focused on “the polished finished product.” Tori Longdon creates stunning finished products, but along the way, she is letting people in to see how the sausage is made in warm ups. And people LOVE it. Maybe there is something important there. An insight brought about by the social … Continue reading "Episode 272: In Service of a Singing Culture with Tori Longdon"

Don’t you love it when everything about a performance, and it’s preparation is completely perfect?! Well, it must be nice for you… I am pretty sure this does not exist. But, we can pretend with this new epic poem, “The Perfect Choir.” In this episode, we reflect on the year 2025 and its most critical … Continue reading "How to have “The Perfect Choir”and 2025 Top 10!"