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What happens when a choir director with thirty years in the classroom builds an AI app trained on his experience? His own teachers’ Facebook group turns on him for it. Does he deserve it? Every time I open Facebook lately, some music teacher has a brand-new AI app to sell me. Dale Duncan is no … Continue reading "Episode 310: Drawing Your Line in the Sand on AI in the Classroom with Dale Duncan"

A singer trained in only one style is leaving half their instrument unbuilt. We hear a bright, forward, Broadway sound walk into the rehearsal room and reach for the same correction every time. But what if that instinct is the problem? She belts in musical practice after school and sings Palestrina on Sunday morning, and … Continue reading "Episode 309: Cross-Training For Singers with Dr. Nicholas Perna"

What if the piano — the instrument sitting in every choir room in America — is quietly teaching your singers to sing out of tune? I rehearse a cappella. From the first day of rehearsal to the final product, no piano. I’ve been saying it for years, and I catch heat for it. So when … Continue reading "Episode 308: It’s Just Intonation After All with Ross W. Duffin"

Real music literacy isn’t about robotic, first-time perfection. Here is how to create individualized leveled readers that meet every singer right where they are. If you think back to elementary school, or when your own kids were young, you probably remember them bringing home leveled reading books tailored to their specific vocabulary, phonics stage, and … Continue reading "Episode 307: Education is Individual. Ensembles are not"

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"

An episode born from comment section of one of my social media videos. I was sharing my perspective on finding a middle ground when it comes to competition in music education, and my guest today left a comment that caught my eye, mentioning that her own views on artistic competition had recently undergone a total … Continue reading "Episode 301: Is it Competition? Or Comparison? with Dr. Francis Cathlina"

Three years ago, I released an episode that got me called the “Joe Rogan of Choir Podcasts.” I was branded a “men’s rights advocate,” and I watched a non-trivial portion of the choral community throw up their hands in collective outrage or disbelief. What was my controversial crime? I dared to argue that boys are … Continue reading "Episode 300: The Reason Boys Don’t Sing (That we don’t like to talk about…)"

Over the last 2 summers, Choralosophy has been focused on teacher and conductor preparation for the day their singers walk in for the first time. What does it mean to really be “ready?” Summer vacation is important, but preparation is peace of mind. This short episode will simply summarize the First Days and Give Them … Continue reading "Episode 299: Organizing Your Choir for Day 1"

There is nothing better than seeing development—watching someone start at the bottom level and, through time and dedication, step onto a stage and realize what they are truly capable of. No matter what your choir’s starting point, it is GROWTH that keeps the members coming back. Welcome to a special joint-presentation episode where cross-continental perspective … Continue reading "Episode 298: You Can’t Please Everyone All the Time with Russell Scott"

“We keep data on students, not because we need to measure if they good enough. It’s how we as teachers measure if WE are good enough.” If I can’t show you what they have learned, how can I be sure I am doing a good job? In many educational settings, choral music exists as a … Continue reading "Episode 297: Give Them Tools and Let Them Build Part 6 (Tracking Data For Growth)"

Humans are a musical species. ALL humans. But, many move through their music education without realizing it. We are putting the most vulnerable part of the brain in the hands of overworked people. And that is a problem. Emotionally Intelligent Music Instruction can be part of the solution. This week’s guest dropped a concept that … Continue reading "Episode 296: How to Make a Musician with Allison Wilkinson"