| Forum message: Children's choir anthem for Lent | Peter Haley | December 20, 2011 |
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Friends,
I'm looking to find a unison/two-part anthem for children's choir to be sung during one of the first Sundays in Lent. I know of Helen Kemp's "Lenten Love Song" and Pulkingham's "I Heard the Voice of Jesus Say." I'd love to hear your suggestions.
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| Comment: Re: Get rid of the conductor for real musical excellence | Peter Haley | December 8, 2011 |
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Well, smaller ensemble groups like Chanticleer and Cantus have proven year in and year out that conductors aren't necessary; I remember after Cantus did a masterclass with our Chamber Choir at Wingate, we performed several pieces including the Durufle "Ubi Caritas" without a conductor, and it was... |
| Comment: Re: Choral Caffeine: Audition Success | Peter Haley | December 7, 2011 |
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Does that mug have an image of the Pearl Harbor Memorial on it?
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| Comment: Re: Guest Blog: Choral Singing and Political Power | Peter Haley | September 1, 2011 |
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I can testify to the power of this documentary. I wrote a paper on Arvo Pärt for my graduate research class and gleaned all kinds of insight from the stories told and the songs sung.
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| Comment: Re: Question about your procedures for getting a sub for your adult church choir | Peter Haley | May 12, 2011 |
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Austen,
We typically plan around 3 months ahead at my church, sometimes further than that, depending on the season, so we expect our staff members to let us know when they will be out ahead of time in meetings. It's a part-time position and we're somewhat flexible, so as long as she's not m... |
| Comment: Re: Disposing of Unwanted Music | Peter Haley | May 1, 2011 |
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Emily,
There are many different online options to check out, including what Jon and Frank have posted about putting the music on one of the ChoralNet boards. Many local Presbyteries and Methodist Conferences have their own "Classifieds" sections, where you can advertise the music's availabi... |
| Comment: Re: Policy on young children attending concert | Peter Haley | April 27, 2011 |
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Barbara,
We recently had this issue come up at a (free) recital at Samford, where the performer's family had come in from out of town to see her sing. The caravan included a toddler who was restless and talkative. As the child kept talking it became apparent that everyone else was distracte... |
| Comment: Re: In Search of Settings of Shakespeare Texts | Peter Haley | April 22, 2011 |
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Hi Bruce,
One of the best settings of Shakespeare I know is Vaughan Williams' Serenade to Music. If you're looking for solo repertoire to mix it up, I would suggest Finzi's Let Us Garlands Bring, which sets five different Shakespeare texts. Good luck in your search.
Peter
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| Comment: Re: “Tone” Verbiage & Technical Modifications | Peter Haley | April 21, 2011 |
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Dr. Touchton,
When working with a high school choir, I have employed two different methods to unify and enrich the choir's tone: the "brightness scale," and the "color palette." In the first, I tell them, on a scale of 10, 10 being the brightest and 1 being the darkest, to sing the extremes... |
| Comment: Re: Two years a flake? | Peter Haley | April 9, 2011 |
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L,
It was apparent within a couple of months that my first position as Director of Music Ministries was going to be an exercise in patience as much as anything. I began in June; by the following winter I was actively looking for other positions which more fully fit my wish for a program. I ... |
| Comment: Re: Church Choir Responsibilities | Peter Haley | April 1, 2011 |
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Reg,
Try and shift their focus in this way: have them understand that, as a part of worship, the choir, ministers, and congregation are all in the midst of performance, and that God is the audience. It's a dialogue that we're engaged in, both with the congregation, and with the Almighty. As... |
| Comment: Re: Square | Peter Haley | December 15, 2010 |
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I went to a concert Sunday evening in Birmingham at a local theater, and afterwards the artists were using this exact tool. It sometimes requires multiple swipes to read the card, but it seemed to be very effective.
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| Comment: Re: They aren't singing anymore . . . . | Peter Haley | November 3, 2010 |
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Ron,
As part of one of my church music classes here at Samford, I'm working on a presentation to give to an undergraduate Music In Worship class. I've set up two large criteria for discernment: aesthetics and function. We first must determine what 'good art' is, and the implications that ... |
| Comment: Re: Another Step Forward - Online Honor Choir Application | Peter Haley | August 10, 2010 |
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Tom,
My "prejudices and assumptions" comment was an overly wordy of saying that expression is really subjective; one person's "over the top" may be another person's "dull."
My concern for the video comes when I consider the singers that have no such training in expressing themselv... |
| Comment: Re: Another Step Forward - Online Honor Choir Application | Peter Haley | August 9, 2010 |
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Tom,
While well-intentioned, I think your idea is a bit flawed; it has been my experience that pre-collegiate singers have been conditioned to stand rigidly at attention and focus on making the best sound, leaving little credence for expressivity through facial and bodily expression. To u... |
| Comment: Re: Church choir scholarship | Peter Haley | July 14, 2010 |
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Zack,
It depends on what kind of scholarship it is you're offering; if it's school-related, I've seen churches write a check directly to a school's financial office for tuition. If it's more for some "spending money," the church has written the check right to the student. Hope this helps.... |
| Comment: Re: The Hokey Pokey Heals | Peter Haley | June 3, 2010 |
| "Psalm 103 says 'Forget not his benefits.' Alzheimers is not scriptural."
Neither is the Hokey Pokey, friends. |
| Comment: Re: works composed to celebrate a birth, a marriage | Peter Haley | December 23, 2009 |
| What about Clausen's "Set Me As a Seal?" I may be getting the stories mixed up, but I seem to remember hearing a story about his composing the piece after his wife had miscarried. It's a lovely work all around. |
| Comment: Re: University College Ensembles, any suggestions?? | Peter Haley | November 9, 2009 |
| I attended Wingate University in WIngate, North Carolina, just outside of Charlotte. Kenney Potter, the Director of Choral Activities there, is a big proponent of modern repertoire balanced against works of other periods. It's a small, private university with a great choral program and LOTS of... |
