I absolutely LOVE Halloween!  Although, I’m kind of a wimp when it comes to gory movies…but I love everything else!  Every year we watch It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown, Nightmare Before Christmas (yes, it’s a Halloween movie), Hocus Pocus, and whatever else we can fit in.  We are looking forward to watching the new Haunted Mansion movie on Halloween night! Along with movies, there’s also lots of great choral music out there that really goes with the spirit of Halloween.  And while I like Halloween movie music, or pop/contemporary music that’s geared towards Hallowee ..read more

I’ve been seeing a LOT of questions and posts describing the same problem.  Usually, it goes something like this: “Help! My singers won’t sing out, and I’ve tried everything!  What do I do!”  This challenge, exacerbated by recent disruptions in singing routines, requires careful consideration and thoughtful strategies.  The problem with this question is that there is no “quick and easy” solution.  There are lots of possible reasons for this, and none of them can be cured overnight.  The real challenge is figuring out what exactly is at the root of the problem; on ..read more

If you are looking for a fun activity to do with your choir, Kahoot is one of the best options out there.  Whether you are looking for a different way to do formative assessment, need a plan for a substitute teacher, or just want to change things up–Kahoot is for you! In today’s post, I am sharing with you ten of my top reasons why you should play Kahoot with your choir.  And, I am also sharing with you the Kahoots I have already created, so that you don’t have to start from scratch!    Top Ten Reasons to Play Kahoot with Your Choir 1-It’s Free!–Multiple Choice and True/Fa ..read more

In Episode 78 of the podcast, I’m excited to share with you my conversation with composer Tim Takach!  We cover a lot of ground in our conversation, talking about his time with the group Cantus, his growth and development as a composer, and his compositional process.   Tim is a wonderful storyteller, which happens to be one of the main objectives of his music–to tell stories!  We also discuss which of his compositions you should take a look at to learn more about him and his compositional style, as well as how he supports both composers and choir directors with his work wi ..read more

In Episode 75 of the podcast, I’m very excited to share my conversation with Dr. Emily Williams Burch! Emily is a fantastic music educator who has taken a unique path in carving out a career in choral music education. In our conversation she talks about her journey and all of her experiences that led her to where she is today. You’ll hear about her new book that she wrote with her colleague Alex Gartner called “The Business of Choir”, and how no matter what age of singer you work with, or what environment you teach in, it helps to have a business mindset. Emily serves singers and music educato ..read more

I am very excited to release Episode #74 of the podcast, my conversation with composer Katerina Gimon! To find out more about Katerina and her music, here are a couple places to look: Website: www.katerinagimon.com Facebook: www.facebook.com/katgimon Twitter: twitter.com/katgimon Instagram: katgimon To listen to the episode, head on over to choirdirectorcorner.com/podcast and go to Episode #74! Or, just listen on your favorite podcast platform. And don’t forget to leave a 5-star rating and review! Matt The post Podcast Episode #74: Conversation with Composer Katerina Gimon appeared first on Th ..read more

Make sure you listen to the full episode, Episode #69: Six Choir Repertoire Ideas from this past Spring, for a more thorough discussion on these pieces!  Click on “Podcast” in the Main Menu   Here are some links for the pieces discussed in the episode:   Bass Clef Choir Kin: Timothy Takach Kin     Crossing the Bar: Matthew & Shelley Armstrong Treble Clef Choir I Started Out Singing: Jocelyn Hagen I Started Out Singing (SSA)   Spes: Mia Makaroff SATB   Balia di sehu: Eduard Toppenberg, arranged Rufo Odor http://earthsongschoralmusic.com/index.php ..read more

Choir Director Corner Podcast Episode #68: Conversation with Paul John Rudoi–Bringing Creativity, Collaboration and Accessibility to the Choral World In Episode #68 of the Choir Director Corner Podcast I’m sharing my conversation with Paul John Rudoi.  Paul is a conductor, a singer, and a composer–a true choral Renaissance man!  I talk with Paul about his growth as a composer and his compositional process. We also talk about some of his other projects that are designed to bring more opportunities for creativity, collaboration, and accessibility to your choral programs.  You are ..read more

In Episode 61 of the Choir Director Corner Podcast, I’m sharing my conversation with Brittney Stanton and Arreon Harley-Emerson from the Choir School of Delaware. They are two of the organizers of a new conference for choir directors, called “Bent, But Not Broken”, which strives to amplify the musical contributions and accomplishments of Black artists across time and genres. In our conversation we discuss how the conference came to exist and the driving forces behind it, as well as all of the amazing sessions, concerts and choir directors involved with the conference. This is a conference, a ..read more

In Episode 61 of the Choir Director Corner Podcast, I’m sharing my conversation with Brittney Stanton and Arreon Harley-Emerson from the Choir School of Delaware. They are two of the organizers of a new conference for choir directors, called “Bent, But Not Broken”, which strives to amplify the musical contributions and accomplishments of Black artists across time and genres. In our conversation we discuss how the conference came to exist and the driving forces behind it, as well as all of the amazing sessions, concerts and choir directors involved with the conference. This is a conference, a ..read more