Legends

The articles for which links appear below, from this week’s New York Times, include personal anecdotes about the legendary musicians Doc Watson and Bucky and John Pizzarelli.  They are well worth reading, and poignant as well. To Hear Doc Watson, You Really Had to See Him by the guitarist Ry Cooder Doc Watson, an appreciation [...]

How to survive juries

What’s your plan? Having a plan gives you something besides nerves to focus on. So if nerves tend to get in the way, this post is for you! The music Once you know the music well, start practicing in a different place each time.  You will become familiar with certain checkpoints throughout the piece. Find [...]

An effective processional

Yesterday was Palm Sunday! Our service began with the Proclamation of the Entrance into Jerusalem, delivered outdoors by the minister, followed by a spoken congregational response, also outdoors. The route And then everyone, including the choir, the congregation, and the pastor, processed into the sanctuary and down the aisle to the front, placing palm branches [...]

2 ways to involve the congregation

Encouraging the congregation to go past its usual boundaries.

Why I love Placido Domingo’s conducting

Why breathing is so important to music making.

Must-read links: teaching music to disadvantaged children

In this week’s New York Times, 3 musicians receive the credit they deserve for bringing music to disadvantaged kids and taking them far beyond anything they thought possible:  Francisco J. Núñez, Marin Alsop, and Gustavo Dudamel.  To my mind, this is exactly what needs to happen with classical music in the 21st century. In addition, [...]

The Devil Made Me Do It

How do handle your inner struggles on stage?

8 Pros and a Chorus

This post is dedicated to the memory of Gil* and Mary Robbins, and in honor of their children,  Adele, Gabrielle, Tim, and David. While living in New York, I was the accompanist for the Occasional Singers, a chorus conducted by Gil Robbins that performed avante-garde music. Gil’s wife, Mary, sang second alto, and daughters Adele [...]

Emily’s Movie: The Chorus

Image by mfigrs via Flickr We recorded a good deal of audio for an upcoming DVD about Emily Dickinson this week. The music will be pieces from Emily Dickinson’s lifetime ~ music she could have sung, heard, or played on the piano. We began with the chorus. Since various singers were interrupting their out-of-town summer plans, [...]

More about Emily’s Movie

And the project happily continues! We have a recording date!  Wednesday, July 6th at 1:00 p.m.  (I’ll be practicing on July 4th.  You?) This is for the scratch audio track, for which I will be playing: Beethoven’s “Pathétique” Sonata seven of the Mendelssohn’s “Songs Without Words” some finger exercises by Bertini I will also be [...]