Episode 151: Omni-Musicians with Greg Thomas

Episode 4. Part 1. Seeing the Trees (There is no forest) with Stephen Rew: In this episode I make the shocking claim that there is no such thing as a choir. Then I bring on Stephen Rew for a discussion about connecting with students on an individual level. Stephen Rew holds his Bachelors and Masters of Music Education from the Conservatory of Music and Dance at the University of … Continue reading "Episode 4. Part 1. Seeing the Trees (There is no forest) with Stephen Rew" by Choralosophy

20 min listen

Episode 26: The Art (or Science?) of Teaching the Vowel with Amanda Quist: In this episode I asked the expert, Dr. Amanda Quist to chat with me about teaching the concept of vowels, resonance and intonation. Is it possible to measure a vowel scientifically? Or is the purity of a vowel subject to the opinion of the conductor? We discuss what I believe to be a new frontier … Continue reading "Episode 26: The Art (or Science?) of Teaching the Vowel with Amanda Quist" by Choralosophy

20 min listen

Episode 3: What’s in a Gesture? Bradley Ellingboe: Bradley Ellingboe In this episode, I sit down with noted conductor and composer, Bradley Ellingboe to discuss what attributes make a great conductor. A Practical Guide to Choral Conducting published by Kjos Music Bradley Ellingboe has led a wide-ranging career in the world of singing, including accomplishments as a choral conductor, soloist, composer, scholar and teacher. … Continue reading "Episode 3: What’s in a Gesture? Bradley Ellingboe" by Choralosophy

20 min listen

Episode 29: Part 3 of “Choral Music: A HUMAN Art Form” with Jazz Rucker: Going on the Equity Journey In this part of the February series, I invited my friend Jazz Rucker into the studio to discuss a term that has rocketed to the top of education vernacular in recent years. “Equity” is frequently confused with “equality,” but has some very important qualitative differences. Jazz is currently serving as … Continue reading "Episode 29: Part 3 of “Choral Music: A HUMAN Art Form” with Jazz Rucker" by Choralosophy

20 min listen

Episode 13: Choral Snobbery? with Chris Maunu: In this episode I dig deeper with Chris Maunu on his “choiral” blog called “Choral Elitism” which has been a frequent conversation starter on choral conversation pages. I identified with his article very deeply, and felt the need to talk to Chris more about this topic. My hope is to use this show to help … Continue reading "Episode 13: Choral Snobbery? with Chris Maunu" by Choralosophy

85 min listen

Episode 2: Advocating for Our Art. Part 2-Dale Trumbore: In the second part of this episode, I chat with composer Dale Trumbore about how we, as performers and composers, can tell our story in an authentic and vulnerable way. Dale’s Essay discussed in episode Dale Trumbore is a Los Angeles-based composer and writer whose music has been praised by the New York Times for its “soaring melodies and beguiling … Continue reading "Episode 2: Advocating for Our Art. Part 2-Dale Trumbore" by Choralosophy

43 min listen

Episode 1: Health, Happiness and Balance, with Beth Munce: At times, we, as working professionals, struggle to maintain our health and balance. As a result, our happiness suffers. In this episode, I will share my thoughts on this as well as get a reality check from my wife, Beth, on whether or not I am “balanced.” The Inaugural episode of the Choralosophy Podcast was … Continue reading "Episode 1: Health, Happiness and Balance, with Beth Munce" by Choralosophy

20 min listen

Episode 2: Advocating for Our Art. Part 1-Elise Hepworth: How do we “sell” our profession? How do we tell the story of what we do so that non-musicians can understand? We all know our “why,” now let’s learn how to share that with the world! In this episode I will discuss Music Education Advocacy with Dr. Elise Hepworth. Dr. Elise Hepworth is associate professor and Director of … Continue reading "Episode 2: Advocating for Our Art. Part 1-Elise Hepworth" by Choralosophy

53 min listen

Choir Director Probs: It’s Ok to Suck at Being an Online Choir Teacher: Just a short note of encouragement to those of you colleagues putting a lot of pressure on yourself right now. Stop it! Do your best, but stop it. ? Most Recent Episode by Choralosophy

5 min listen

Episode 17: Beyond Elijah Rock with Dr. Marques Garrett: In this episode Marques and I discuss importance of the music of black composers that do NOT fit into categories of idiomatically black music like Gospel, Jazz and Spirituals. The conversation ranges from the social aspects at play in spreading the word about this music, all the way to what it’s like to be minority … Continue reading "Episode 17: Beyond Elijah Rock with Dr. Marques Garrett" by Choralosophy

20 min listen

Episode 8: Renovating the Voice: When we are fortunate enough to get our students to take voice lessons, what do we want them to learn? What is best for them? What is best for our choirs? Are all voice lessons the same? We have so many questions... and answers for those questions! We invite you to listen and join the conversation! As always, each episode is just a conversation STARTER, so join the conversation on Facebook in the Choralosophers group! by Choralosophy

20 min listen

Episode 4: Part 2. Seeing the Trees (There is no forest) with Tony Maglione: In the second part of this episode, I look to Anthony Maglione for insight into this topic from the collegiate perspective. Conductor/Composer/Tenor Anthony J. Maglione is a graduate of Westminster Choir College of Rider University, East Carolina University, and the University of California, Los Angeles. He is the Director of Choral Studies at William Jewell … Continue reading "Episode 4: Part 2. Seeing the Trees (There is no forest) with Tony Maglione" by Choralosophy

20 min listen

Episode 27: Reboot, Restart and Revitalize: Seven important concepts to master to keep your choir moving forward for an ENTIRE academic year. Sometimes we fall into ruts. Sometimes the singers do… Ultimately, both scenarios are bad and are OUR fault as the director. I have had wildly successful school years and seasons with churches and pro choir. And some that fell … Continue reading "Episode 27: Reboot, Restart and Revitalize" by Choralosophy

65 min listen

Episode 12: Does the Performance Goal of Most Choirs Lead to Exclusion? With John Perkins: In this episode we parse our way through a Choral Journal Article from December of 2018 called “What is Written on our Choral Welcome Mats” with the author, Dr. John Perkins of Butler University. In the article, Dr. Perkins seeks to tie the tendency toward valuing a performance standard and competition in choral culture to … Continue reading "Episode 12: Does the Performance Goal of Most Choirs Lead to Exclusion? With John Perkins" by Choralosophy

20 min listen

Episode 15: Making Your Choir Thoughts Public with Adam Paltrowitz: I have noticed in the 6 months I have been doing this show that there is a hunger for questioning and exploring choral and educational topics at a philosophical level, about asking why, offering answers, and dialogue. We don’t get much of this at conventions, we get presentations. We get it a bit in college, … Continue reading "Episode 15: Making Your Choir Thoughts Public with Adam Paltrowitz" by Choralosophy

95 min listen

Episode 22: The VOCES8 Philosophy with Paul Smith: For this episode, I sat down (twice… long story) with Paul Smith, co-founder and CEO of VOCES8 and the VOCES8 Foundation while he was in Kansas City. We had a lot of great conversations about the state of music education in the U.K. and the U.S. and the role of VOCES8 and other performing ensembles … Continue reading "Episode 22: The VOCES8 Philosophy with Paul Smith" by Choralosophy

20 min listen

Episode 21: Anyone can get an A in Choir…: Is choir a real class? Can the group goals be balanced with the individual academic accountability that we owe to our students? I think the answer to all of this is yes. You can grade your students INDIVIDUALLY in sight singing to ensure that no one falls through the cracks, and stick to a rehearsal … Continue reading "Episode 21: Anyone can get an A in Choir…" by Choralosophy

20 min listen

Bonus: Teaching Vowels, Blend and Resonance with 21st Century Tools: I am beyond excited to show you an amazing tool that I use to introduce my students to the concept of vowels, resonance and formants! And, by extension, the concept of blend. This is a passion for me in the classroom. I love watching the students eyes and ears come alive to the power of … Continue reading "Bonus: Teaching Vowels, Blend and Resonance with 21st Century Tools" by Choralosophy

20 min listen

Episode 49: Cutting Through the Hype of Covid in Schools with Dr. Tracy Høeg: Is school really driving community spread? Or is school safer than the general community? Dr. Høeg joins me to discuss a topic that is directly pertinent to many of my listeners as colleagues and friends who are concerned or at least interested in understanding how Covid is affecting school from a science and data perspective. … Continue reading "Episode 49: Cutting Through the Hype of Covid in Schools with Dr. Tracy Høeg" by Choralosophy

20 min listen

Episode 28: Can Pitches be Perfect?: This is a FASCINATING discussion with Donald Brinegar, author of the recently published “Pitch Perfect: a Theory and Practice of Choral Intonation.” Donald and I discuss the sometimes misunderstood concepts related to intonation and what makes something “in tune” or “out of tune.” Is it possible that we our education related to this topic has … Continue reading "Episode 28: Can Pitches be Perfect?" by Choralosophy

81 min listen

Episode 23: Words, Music and Art with Charles Anthony Silvestri: In this episode, I have the privilege of chatting with Charles Anthony Silvestri, noted lyricist, about the artistic magic that is possible when music and text are fused. He believes that this intersection is what makes our beloved art form special, and I whole heartedly agree. I pick his brain about his process from idea … Continue reading "Episode 23: Words, Music and Art with Charles Anthony Silvestri" by Choralosophy

67 min listen

Episode 29: Part 1 of “Choral Music: A HUMAN art Form”: “Why does representation in Choral music MATTER?” Stay tuned throughout February for my first ever Podcast mini series! Choral Music: A Human Art Form Part 1: Why does representation in Choral Music matter?In this first installment, I address the question “Why Does Representation in Classical Music matter?” (or choral music) My answer to this question, … Continue reading "Episode 29: Part 1 of “Choral Music: A HUMAN art Form”" by Choralosophy

20 min listen

Episode 29: Part 2 of “Choral Music: A HUMAN art Form” with Maria Ellis: “Carving out a place for a Girl Conductor.” In this episode Maria Ellis and I discuss the practical aspects of recruiting across cultural lines for our choirs through the telling of her own story. Maria grew up not knowing that a career as a conductor was possible for her, but through a big dream and … Continue reading "Episode 29: Part 2 of “Choral Music: A HUMAN art Form” with Maria Ellis" by Choralosophy

20 min listen

Episode 25: Loving by Letting Go with Jaclyn Johnson: In this episode, Beth and I chat with our mutual friend, Dr. Jaclyn Johnson about her choice to step away from the choral classroom and her University teaching post to go to Brazil to teach Yoga. We discuss her goals in embarking on this adventure, and how she is using this time away to reboot … Continue reading "Episode 25: Loving by Letting Go with Jaclyn Johnson" by Choralosophy

47 min listen

Episode 29: Part 4 of “Choral Music: A HUMAN Art Form” with Christopher Harris: Passing the Torch of Representation In this fourth and final installment of the first Choralosophy Miniseries, Dr. Christopher Harris and I discuss the potential influence of representation on the choral profession and the next generation of students. However, the conversations was quite wide ranging allow us to touch on other topics like cultural influences on … Continue reading "Episode 29: Part 4 of “Choral Music: A HUMAN Art Form” with Christopher Harris" by Choralosophy

20 min listen

Episode 32: Resetting the Voice for the Choral Director with Lori Sonnenberg: Speech Pathologist, Singing Voice Specialist and Classical Soprano I have notice during my time working from home that my voice felt fresher, freer and more resonant than ever. I immediately began noticing other teachers mentioning this online as well, so I sought out an expert on the physiology and function of the voice who also … Continue reading "Episode 32: Resetting the Voice for the Choral Director with Lori Sonnenberg" by Choralosophy

20 min listen

Episode 30. How to lead the perfect FINAL rehearsal before festival. If COVID 19 lets us have the festival…: And other musings about my plans to take choir online. This is a strange time to be posting about choir in a Podcast right now. Considering that choirs are being sidelined all around the world. Of course, we might be the worst kind of activity right now. Sitting in crowded rooms deep breathing… But sadly, … Continue reading "Episode 30. How to lead the perfect FINAL rehearsal before festival. If COVID 19 lets us have the festival…" by Choralosophy

20 min listen

Episode 24: Thanksgiving-Finding your “Why” by Practicing Gratitude: “We live in a time where directing choirs for a living is possible. In the broad scope of human history, THAT alone is an amazing luxury.” Choralosophy.com I believe that an underlying philosophy is a necessity for each successful professional. Some call this a “why statement.” Have you found your “why?” Is it the same … Continue reading "Episode 24: Thanksgiving-Finding your “Why” by Practicing Gratitude" by Choralosophy

57 min listen

Episode 47: The Mental Gymnastics of COVID Rehearsals with Dr. Kyle Nielsen: As we march through what has been the most challenging semester possibly to EVER face the field of education, we find ourselves twisting our minds in pretzels to discover what works and what doesn’t work on the fly. Every day is an experiment whether you are in person with masks, hybrid or all online, you … Continue reading "Episode 47: The Mental Gymnastics of COVID Rehearsals with Dr. Kyle Nielsen" by Choralosophy

20 min listen

Episode 39: The Birth and Maturation of the Virtual Choir with Eric Whitacre: Eric Whitacre may be the father of the virtual choir. But could he have ever envisioned what it would become? In this episode, I have the honor of speaking with the FATHER of the virtual choir. Eric Whitacre. We discuss the origins of his virtual choir “franchise” and his thoughts on watching that concept evolve … Continue reading "Episode 39: The Birth and Maturation of the Virtual Choir with Eric Whitacre" by Choralosophy

20 min listen

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Episode 151: Omni-Musicians with Greg Thomas

Episode 151: Omni-Musicians with Greg Thomas

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