Author Archives: mllama4

the dirty word

Posted on March 3, 2012 by mllama4

R – Assessment. In the Arts. In Music. Could there be anything worse? I mean, come on… squelching creativity? Interfering with students’ sheer love of the art? How about the time it takes from class time to actually DO assessments? … Continue reading →

Posted in Advocacy, Assessment, Standards | Tagged , , , | 8 Comments

risk taking

Posted on February 18, 2012 by mllama4

“Do you want to be safe and good, or do you want to take a chance and be great?”                                           … Continue reading →

Posted in Etcetera | 4 Comments

what does it take

Posted on February 11, 2012 by mllama4

R – I watched last night as a wonderful friend and colleague of mine, Dr. Sandra Howard of Keene State College, warmed up her own Chamber Singers along side those of York and Brunswick High Schools. She is on tour … Continue reading →

Posted in Etcetera, Rehearsal | 6 Comments

problems vs. symptoms

Posted on January 28, 2012 by mllama4

R – The tenors are flat. Is that a problem? No. The altos still miss the A sharp on measure 32. Is that a problem? No. The choir doesn’t watch very well. Is that a problem? No. None of these … Continue reading →

Posted in Rehearsal | 2 Comments

guido d’arezzo would have preferred a pc?

Posted on January 21, 2012 by mllama4

R – For any debate of solfege vs. numbers, let’s establish a few things. First, solfege 1) has easier, more singing friendly vowels for all notes including chromatics, 2) uses a maximium of 2 phonemes (units of sound), 3) works … Continue reading →

Posted in Etcetera, Rehearsal | 8 Comments

lessons learned

Posted on January 8, 2012 by mllama4

R – The reason I went into music education was less to do with music and more to do with the personal impact I saw a powerful music program make on my peers when I was in High School. I … Continue reading →

Posted in Etcetera, Rehearsal | 4 Comments

concert apple seeds

Posted on December 14, 2011 by mllama4

R – This is “concert month” for music teachers virtually everywhere. I saw Matt Murray’s Gorham High School singers Sunday, Jarika’s 4/5 singers at Waynflete last night and I’ve gotten a few concerts of my own in the books already. … Continue reading →

Posted in Etcetera | 3 Comments

isolated disciplines

Posted on December 10, 2011 by mllama4

R – Robert Shaw used to have at the core of his philosophy that each of the choral disciplines must be mastered and they must be mastered independently in order for a choir to do the job of re-creating another … Continue reading →

Posted in Music is work, Rehearsal, Warmups | 3 Comments

a cappella listening – part 1

Posted on December 2, 2011 by mllama4

R – Jarika and I were talking about her rehearsal today and some breakthrough moments she and her students experienced. As a related sidebar, she commented how strange it was that she now prefers being her own accompanist in rehearsals … Continue reading →

Posted in Rehearsal | Leave a comment

articulation

Posted on November 26, 2011 by mllama4

R – I say it as often as I can: “Singing is fun, but music is work. The reason we commit to the work is because it’s a labor of love.” Articulation is a sticky subject for me because if … Continue reading →

Posted in Music is work | Leave a comment