I know of no better way to encourage and grow the art of choral music than to support choral composers. I have had the privilege of being involved in commissioning new choral compositions from composers such as Dan Forrest, Joseph Martin, and our very own Dr. Jeff Jordan of Fort Hays State University. Each experience […]
June continues to be a busy month at Matlock’s Piano Service. I continue to educate customers on the care of their piano which begins with scheduled tunings that fit the piano and its level of use. The bottom line is a piano should be tuned at least twice a year but by all means every […]
Last week, I received this Facebook message with the following and a picture from a client following repairing sticking keys and tuning — priceless. “A family affair now! Thanks so much for using your talents to fix our piano!”
It’s summer! At the Matlock’s, it’s time to slow down, recharge and plan for the next choir year. At Matlock’s Piano Service summer time is catch up on a long list of tuning and repair requests. So in between teaching summer voice lessons, spending time with family, learning Finale music software, listening to new choral […]
Rule 27: Limit Yourself I just had a recent experience where the speaker for that day did a 45 minute knowledge dump. At one point, about 20 minutes into the sermon, I wrote to my wife, “What is the purpose of his talk? What is the take-a-way from his sermon”? It was clear to me […]
Are those “music trips” educational or are they merely fluff? I get this question on occasion and if not the actual question at least some of those looks from non-believers who think us music teacher’s use these trips to manipulate students into signing up for choir. The trip is certainly a highlight of the year; […]
Matlock Music Works: Do I need “one more thing”? …but the excitement that this endeavor might be a fresh link with my choir members, especially my students, parents, and community is making me take the leap. I am learning how to build a web site and do a podcast!! The learning curve is steep. Each […]
Baggage claim can be stressful. Did my luggage make it? You think that it is yours and as you go to grab it another person snags it up. If you miss your bags, not to fear, it will come around again. Some uncomfortable moments. Feedback can be uncomfortable but is vital to improvement. I want feedback with my students to be like the baggage conveyor … a constant loop between my choir and myself. I need feedback from them and they need feedback from me. So, how do you create and maintain a productive feedback loop? (more…)
Educators, do you feel public education has gotten bogged down? Are we spinning our wheels? I do. It’s like we are sitting in the cockpit of a big jet airplane loaded with passengers. We have been trained to fly. We have read the flight manual but we can’t get off the ground. So we invite […]
Last summer, I had the privilege of attending the Choral Director’s Workshop attached to the Oregon Bach Festival. Several sessions were devoted to tweaking one’s conducting. Dr. Sharon Paul, of the University of Oregon, led the sessions which consisted of each participant conducting a piece and receiving feedback. In preparation, I felt confident that […]