My “NO CHORAL MUSIC in JANUARY” Approach
For more than a decade, my rehearsal approach in the month of January can be labeled as: NO CHORAL MUSIC!
11 Quick-Fix Rehearsal Changes You Can Make to Start the New Year
If you want your rehearsals to improve, now is a GREAT time to make the appropriate changes. https://www.choralclarity.com/4-reasons-to-make-major-rehearsal-changes-right-now/ Think
4 Reasons To Make Major Rehearsal Changes RIGHT NOW!
Strike while the iron is hot. Now is a good time to make sweeping rehearsal changes. If there is anything
How to Grade a Concert Performance
Concert performances can be assessed in a multitude of ways; perhaps the most fair and least time-consuming way to grade
Your Singer MISSED the Concert….What to do? – Use the 5 “E”s
Your Singer MISSED The Concert....What do we do? - Use the 5 “E”s It can be quite frustrating when we
10 SIMPLE Concert Tips That Will Make A Big Difference
Believe it or not, most of what our audience members see and hear have nothing to do with how well
5 Do’s (and Don’ts) for Requiring Students to Sing Solo
When I took over the entire high school choral program more than two decades ago, the previous choir director had
Should Choir Members Be Forced To Sing Solo?
Should we force our choir members to sing solo? The simple answer is: we should not force our students
Why I Ditched FINALE for FLAT.IO
Flat.io is the only notation platform that I use to compose with I have written every single one of my
Here’s the Ultimate Substitute Choir Lesson Plan when YOU are Absent:
In this blog, I'm going to introduce the ultimate substitute teacher choral lesson plan. What makes this the ultimate plan?
Hocus Pocus: 12 Tricks for Rehearsal Focus
It’s so easy to allow daily rehearsals to become repetitive and automatic. When we become repetitive, our choir tends to move into automatic
Simply Assess Choir Rehearsal Participation Using the Four “P”s
Choir rehearsal participation using the 4 Ps. Many students will participate at a marginally effective level when they know what
How I Embraced “This Moment” Through Composition
I view myself as a choral director who composes out of need: my need to be creative and my choir's
Choir Quiz #2 – Here’s The One I Use Every Year!
I give the same first two quizzes each year; as a result, they set the tone for the year as
Choir Quiz: Here’s The First One I Give Every Year
Choir is an academic class and should have academic expectations for our singers. The first quiz of the year has
How to Voice Your Choir Quickly & Effectively
Voicing can be done quickly and effectively in 3 minutes or less per student. In a 40 minute small group
Your Star-Spangled Banner Arrangement Is Too Difficult!
How do I know? Well, I don't REALLY know this, but here is my core belief surrounding our National Anthem
Choir Ice-Breakers: Why So Many Fail……..
Do ice-breakers really break the ice? Ice-breakers are a great means to help a choir to bond; many can be
10 Choral Teaching Tips for Navigating Another Unpredictable School Year
We had one year end abruptly followed by another two years of complete turmoil. What will this school year bring
The 5 “ROUNDS” I Use in my Choral Program Every Year – and WHY!
Rounds are an excellent learning tool and performance vehicle for choirs of all levels. Even refined high school choirs can
The Power of Positive Planning for Choir
The Power of Positive Planning & Posting for Choir: Positive "Ways to Rephrase" The two most important goals for successfully
The 2 Guidelines Every Choir Director Should Have
The 2 Choir Guidelines Every Director Should Have Every choir director should have guidelines in their rehearsals. The two
7 Reasons Why Ordering Most Choral Sheet Music Is Ridiculous
7 Reasons Why Purchasing Most Choral Sheet Music Is Ridiculous The process of purchasing choral sheet music is antiquated and
It’s Christmas (Hanukkah, and Kwanzaa) in July!
We wish you a Merry Christmas all year round. Music teachers have to be thinking about Christmas and Hanukkah all
Basic Math or Matching Pitch: Which Skill Is More Important?
Imagine if learning to match pitch was treated like learning basic math: We certainly believe everyone can learn addition
Self-Selected Choir vs Non-Auditioned Choir: 12 BIG DIFFERENCES!
What is a self-selected choir? A self-selected choir is any choir where students of all ability levels participate together. A
The Fastest “Tone Deaf Quiz” You’ve Ever Given!
I am convinced that 4-5% of the population, who are described to suffer from "amusia", are misunderstood. My strong belief
The Moral Dilemma of Allowing “TONE DEAF” Singers into our Choir
There was a time where pianos were commonplace in homes and it was just "normal" to sing. Families would gather
9 Ways to FIND Choral Repertoire for High School
Between the brick and mortar publishing companies, the online publishing companies, and the online self-publishers, there is more music to
Get Anyone to Match Pitch: 5 Minutes & 5 Easy Steps
Anybody can be taught to match pitch, almost instantly, in 5 simple steps. This entire process takes a maximum of
7 Reasons ALL Choirs Should Sing Rounds!
Rounds are an excellent learning tool and performance vehicle for choirs of all levels. Even refined high school choirs can
Ditch Choir Auditions: Everyone can sing!
When did our culture stop singing, and what are we, the choir directors, doing to bring singing back into our
4 Definitive Steps to Assess & Develop EVERY Singer’s Ear!
There are 4 tangible steps that can be taken to develop EVERY singer's ear, and in turn, develop their singing
“Tone-Deaf” is an Excuse….not a Diagnosis
"Tone-Deaf" is an Excuse....not a Diagnosis.....and I blame the person who makes the diagnosis. Anyone can learn to sing. If
8 Keys to Turn Sight-Singing Fear into Fun!
Turning Fear into Fun My 3-year-old daughter, Lyla, and I have the same natural disposition when it comes to starting
The Best Ear-Training Exercise You Will Ever Use
Kodaly & Me I'm ashamed to admit it, but I'm not a Curwen hand signal user; I know it is
The Erosion of the Choral Middle-Class
My previous post describes the traditional Choral Caste System which consists of “The Best” vs. “The Rest”. For those of
Your 10 Question Choir Midterm Exam
As we reach the middle of our academic year, students are likely taking midterm exams to evaluate their progress, while
How “Meeting Students Where They Are” Can FAIL….
When meeting students where they are, some choral directors make a big mistake: they keep the students where they are.
The 11 Winter Choir Concert Songs I Repeat Every Year
My high school choir has 11 traditional winter choir concert songs that we repeat year after year. Two songs have