| ChoralBlog: "She died waiting for funding" | John Brough | October 7, 2010 |
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An article written by Judith Timson, and published in Canada's national paper "The Globe and Mail" last August, has been making the rounds up in the north lately. The article brings to the forefront the reality of living in an arts based profession. Although we strive to... |
| ChoralBlog: The Future of Conducting? | John Brough | September 15, 2010 |
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I put this video up today for my students of my Introduction to Conducting class (I'm sure it's been around the internet circles for a while, but it was the first time I saw it). I showed it to them mainly for a bit comic relief, and that was really all. However, after we watched th... |
| ChoralBlog: More fun with Bach | John Brough | September 13, 2010 |
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Who doesn't enjoy a little Bach improvisation, inspired by Henri Mancini?
Especially when Stéphane Delplace is doing all the work!
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| ChoralBlog: The Genius of Bach | John Brough | August 19, 2010 |
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This graphic demonstration of Bach's "Crab Canon" from the Musical Offering has been making the rounds in my various social networks recenty. A great visual demonstration is offered here, and will make an appearance in my music appreciation course this fall!
If you haven't seen it before ... |
| ChoralBlog: Tongue in Cheek | John Brough | June 10, 2010 |
| Here's an interesting video for your Thursday morning. Perhaps put your coffee and muffin down if medical videos make you at all squeamish.
A view of the tongue working, as through the eyes of the MRI, of an opera soprano, and a beatbox emcee.
The video was featured at the Sounds and Vi... |
| ChoralBlog: Podium 2010 closes with the Elora Festival Singers | John Brough | May 26, 2010 |
| As Philip mentioned in a previous post, this past weekend in Saskatoon Saskatchewan, the members of the Association of Canadian Choral Communities (ACCC) gathered to hold their biannual conference. Over the course of three and a half days, the delegates were treated to ten choral concerts featurin... |
| ChoralBlog: Bobby McFerrin and the Pentatonic Scale | John Brough | March 28, 2010 |
| Watch as McFerrin teaches an unsuspecting audience how to sing a pentatonic scale:
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| ChoralBlog: Singing with Accents | John Brough | February 16, 2010 |
| I was listening to an absolutely excellent interview with Veronica Lee of the UK's Guardian on the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) radio show "Q", with host Jian Ghomeshi. (The podcast for this interview is available here - search for the 2010-02-09 episode "Julie Powell" - Veronica Lee wa... |
| ChoralBlog: Podium 2010 - Where Canadian Choral Communities Meet. | John Brough | February 2, 2010 |
| Details of the the biennial ACCC Canadian national choral music conference, known as "Podium" have been released. This year, the conference runs from May 20th to the 23rd in Saskatoon Saskatchewan.
Here are highlights of this year's conference:
During this four-day event, delegates will att... |
| ChoralBlog: What to wear | John Brough | February 1, 2010 |
| The age old debate of what a classical musician should wear on stage continues over at The Rambler.
Here is a sample of his post. Read the full post at this link
There are the beginnings of a debate on Twitter on the vexed subject of formal wear for performers at concerts. I go to enough co... |
| Comment: Re: Will the Apple "iPad" Revolutionize Music Publishing? | John Brough | January 29, 2010 |
| I've conducted my share of Haydn masses from mini-scores ... the size of the iPad would be a luxury there.
Also, few choral folios are no where near as big as standard letter-sized paper - and the page size from compilations like the Church Anthem Book, Oxford Book of Carols and Carols for Choirs... |
| Comment: Re: Will the Apple "iPad" Revolutionize Music Publishing? | John Brough | January 29, 2010 |
| The trick, of course, will be preventing your students from using facebook during rehearsals :) Although, it's not like that isn't already a problem is it. |
| Comment: Re: Will the Apple "iPad" Revolutionize Music Publishing? | John Brough | January 28, 2010 |
| Thanks for this Reg - I went searching for it to link it here - but couldn't find it! |
| Comment: Re: Will the Apple "iPad" Revolutionize Music Publishing? | John Brough | January 28, 2010 |
| Jason,
My hope would be that the mom-and-pop publishing stores would actually embrace, and significantly benefit from this. As a comparison, my choir recorded a CD last year with only local distribution, but limited national or international distribution. The cost incurred on shipping prevent... |
| Comment: Re: Killing Obsolete Technology | John Brough | January 28, 2010 |
| I support your rebuttal here Philip - even though our posts are not always choir-specific, there are always ideas, or applications that relate to our profession in some way.
Technology is moving at breakneck speeds, and although we may soon laugh at our fax machines, there was a time we couldn'... |
| Comment: Re: Will the Apple "iPad" Revolutionize Music Publishing? | John Brough | January 28, 2010 |
| Yes - I do mention in the post that the technology exists - however, it is a "one use" application with no networking or choice between competing apps. I feel that this operating system could have a strong impact in this area, if done properly. A multi-use device like the iPad is a perfect way t... |
| ChoralBlog: Will the Apple "iPad" Revolutionize Music Publishing? | John Brough | January 28, 2010 |
| After the much anticipated announcement of the release of the Apple tablet, the "iPad", yesterday - it got me thinking - will this finally be the step that makes digital music stands a reality? Perhaps with the price tag starting at $499 per iPad, maybe not just yet. However, I can't help but to... |
| ChoralBlog: Crazy Classical Music Stories of 2009 | John Brough | December 31, 2009 |
| For your enjoyment - a link to various odd stories around the world of Classical Music in 2009.
Happy New Year from all at ChoralBlog! |
| ChoralBlog: Then why are we cutting Fine Arts Curriculum? | John Brough | December 8, 2009 |
| Philip posted a great article yesterday outlining the benefits of teaching fine arts in school programs. Sadly, the arts curriculum in the school system of Alberta Canada are currently being revised, and not in a beneficial way:
Alberta Education is currently reviewing the fine arts curriculum fo... |
| Comment: Re: How low do you set your standards? | John Brough | November 27, 2009 |
| Very interesting, yet somewhat surprising, comments.
In principle, I agree with all three of you. However, I read the quote from John Tuttle very differently. I conduct a choir of about two dozen amateurs, no auditions, and no paid sections leads (I am absolutely against the idea that church ... |
| ChoralBlog: How low do you set your standards? | John Brough | November 27, 2009 |
| Hanging on my church office bulletin board is this statement on church music standards, mainly serving as a reminder of how lucky I am (and my choir is) to work in a parish that supports good church music, but also as a reminder of why we strive to push ourselves toward bettering the quality of our ... |
| ChoralBlog: What goes through your mind during your solo? | John Brough | November 17, 2009 |
| Today, The Chorister recounts the moments of time that pass while she sings a solo in her church choir.
I have to say, that I'm always surprised of the thoughts that pass through my mind as I'm singing or playing in front of an audience - mostly surprised that often they have nothing to do with t... |
| ChoralBlog: The future of the recording session. | John Brough | November 16, 2009 |
| This past weekend, I was involved in a Men's Choir concert with Pro Coro Canada here in Edmonton, Alberta. This concert is becoming a regular feature on the Pro Coro season, and has proven to be a crowd favorite, mainly for the original programming and the captivating visual aspects of the perfor... |
| ChoralBlog: Online help with diction | John Brough | November 6, 2009 |
| I'm not sure if this site is particularly useful as a diction coach (actually I'm pretty sure it isn't)
but it kept me occupied for a fair bit of time this morning!
Enjoy!
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| ChoralBlog: 1812 Cell Phone Orchestra | John Brough | November 5, 2009 |
| Probably still best to make sure your phones are off before a performance - however, if ever there was a time to leave them on ....
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| Comment: Re: See it: Well-tempered vs. Pure | John Brough | November 3, 2009 |
| I have to agree that I found this video very interesting - in fact, I took the liberty of showing it to my Music 101 class - as they had no idea what I was talking about when referring to the differences between meen (or as I like to call it "mean"), just, and equal temperment. In practicality - j... |
| ChoralBlog: Are arts students second class citizens? | John Brough | October 26, 2009 |
| This article recently appeared in the Edmonton Journal about the allocation of funds to fine arts programs, in particular the sustaining and creation of infrastructure.
A little bit of background, as the University of Alberta is my Alma Mater for both my post graduate degrees. The fine arts bui... |
| ChoralBlog: A piano that talks? | John Brough | October 25, 2009 |
| This is rather cool, I thought.
h/t Musical Perceptions |
| ChoralBlog: Pardon me? | John Brough | October 24, 2009 |
| According to an article on NPR.org. People with classical music training actually have better hearing!
Musical training can improve your hearing, according to several studies presented in Chicago at Neuroscience 2009, the annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience.
The studies found that s... |
| Comment: Re: Are conductors overpaid? | John Brough | October 11, 2009 |
| I agree with you Randall - any writer who when referencing conductors says "as in the case with any dictator" is sort of missing the point! |
| ChoralBlog: Are conductors overpaid? | John Brough | October 11, 2009 |
| Enjoyed this article from The Guardian which tries to debunk the role of the conductor, and explain why some of them are overpaid (yes, I said, overpaid!) Of course, they are talking about the likes of Herbert von Karajan, but still the whole article made me chuckle a little bit, as I'm sure the m... |
| ChoralBlog: Gender Breakthroughs in Conducting | John Brough | October 8, 2009 |
| I was directed to this article in Variety which discusses the breakthroughs women have made in the male dominated world of professional orchestral conducting. It's not the first time the issue has been raised, nor the last, but it creates a more positive outlook for women conductors, who have alwa... |
| ChoralBlog: Merry Michaelmas! | John Brough | September 29, 2009 |
| Today, September 29th, is a major feast day, known as The Feast of St. Michael and All Angels, or "Michaelmas"
It is only one of three feast days in the Church Calendar with the distinction of being a "mas" celebration - they other two being Candelmas (February 2nd) and, of course Christmas.
I... |
| ChoralBlog: I was once a soloist in the Verdi Requiem ... | John Brough | September 20, 2009 |
| ... the problem was, I wasn't listed as a soloist... ."
These sorts of stories I think are common place amongst veteran choristers, and earlier this week, The Chorister shares her most recent "solo" appearance in Haydn's Nelson Mass.
Don't worry - I can guarantee you that in the re-posting of ... |
| ChoralBlog: Buried Treasure | John Brough | September 19, 2009 |
| So imagine being the owner of a bingo hall, and finding an old Compton theatre organ had been covered under the floor, having been turned off for many years. And a young theatre organ enthusiast comes in to see if it is still working?
Imagine no longer!
h/t It's all a bit poor |
| ChoralBlog: Free online rehearsal planner | John Brough | September 10, 2009 |
| My good friend from Vancouver, Ian Bullen, (who many of you will no doubt have met at many music conferences, where he is selling his now world famous Music Folders) has created a free web service to help organize and plan rehearsal schedules with all your singers!
I haven't given it a try yet - ... |
| ChoralBlog: Advertising Evensong | John Brough | September 8, 2009 |
| As an Anglican church musician - who loves the office of Evensong - this article from the Victoria Times Colonist caught my eye.
Christ Church Cathedral in Victoria managed to get their evensong services previewed as a "concert" in the local paper. An interesting concept I thought. Previewing... |
| ChoralBlog: Music Quickens Time - Review | John Brough | September 5, 2009 |
| I stumbled upon this new blog by American Conductor and Musicologist Ryan Taussig.
He writes two blogs - a less formal one, and one where he intends to do write on musicological topics surrounding the profession of conducting. His first few posts are a review of Daniel Barenboim's boo... |
| ChoralBlog: Spotlight on Vocal Health | John Brough | September 3, 2009 |
| New York City voice performer and teacher Susn Eichorn-Young discusses Vocal Health in her excellent blog Once More With Feeling. Some useful information is there for choral conductors as well. Addressing the issues of vocal health extremely important in our profession, and yet it is so often ov... |
| ChoralBlog: ... but the cello is still listed in serious condition | John Brough | August 30, 2009 |
| I was pointed to this article today found in the Gardian.
A tragic story of what happens when a soprano falls into the orchestra pit during an opera performance
Excerpt:
A Glyndebourne opera star fell into the orchestra pit this weekend, bringing a performance of Rusalka to a stand-still. ... |
| ChoralBlog: A Few Choral Vacations | John Brough | August 3, 2009 |
| As many of us in the choral industry have become accustomed to, our big travel holidays tend to coincide with our choir tours. My wife and I, for example, spent our first trip together as a married couple in Scotland; with forty of our closest friends. (Don't worry, we DID have a real honeymoon ... |
| ChoralBlog: Please make sure your cell phones are turned ... on? | John Brough | July 27, 2009 |
| Wouldn't that be the announcement you'd least expect to hear before a live performance?
Well, the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra, on at least three occasions last season did exactly this, inviting selected audience members to bring along their computers, and tweet-enabled phones in order to live blo... |
| ChoralBlog: Clapping up a storm | John Brough | July 24, 2009 |
| A former student of mine sent me a link to an article published by the BBC about the history of applause at concerts, and what is deemed to be acceptable practice in the 21st century.
Here is a highlight:
Georgia Browne, a historical flute specialist who has played with the Academy of Ancient... |
| ChoralBlog: Nightmare at the Console | John Brough | July 22, 2009 |
| Like many choral conductors, I make a portion of my living as a church organist. I'm very lucky to have a position as at an Angican church where I have an organ scholar who takes care of most of the voluntaries and anthem accompaniments, but I still get a chance to play hynmody and liturgy as much... |
| ChoralBlog: The Rain in Africa | John Brough | July 7, 2009 |
| Although I'm not usually a big fan of "Choralography", I do enjoy a good Toto song, and the opening sequence, representing a rain storm in Africa, certainly impressed me!
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| ChoralBlog: Creative Choral Fundraising | John Brough | June 19, 2009 |
| Does anyone remember the days of the "Skip-A-Thon"? where you trade off with your schoolmates, skipping rope for hours, or days, to raise money for charity? There was also the "Read-A-Thon" at my school, for the non-athletic folk.
A Canadian youth choir organization, which includes the choir Ko... |
| Comment: Re: Computer software helps recreate a lost instrument | John Brough | June 6, 2009 |
| Hi John,
Yes, I do agree with your assessment. I found the article interesting on a number of levels - and figured the varying opinions on the success of this experiment would be fun to read! Thanks for your passionate reply!
I'm upset that the BBC removed the sound file from the article t... |
| ChoralBlog: Computer software helps recreate a lost instrument | John Brough | June 4, 2009 |
| The BBC's science & environment news page intersects with musical interests this week, reporting that software has helped build a long forgotten instrument - the Lituus, which is described as a "trumpet-like" instrument.
The article goes to explain:
The 2.4m (8ft) long trumpet-like instrumen... |
| ChoralBlog: What do organists do in their spare time? | John Brough | June 2, 2009 |
| I think this requires a bit of a different style of pedal technique than I was taught. Perhaps some cross-training as well.
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| ChoralBlog: Morse Music | John Brough | May 5, 2009 |
| Are you looking to kill a few extra minutes today?
Might I suggest this link? I stayed for quite a lot longer than I had expected.
(h/t Tenon Saw of "It's all a bit poor!")
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