Shows / Choir Fam Podcast
Choir Fam Podcast
The Choir Fam Podcast is a venue for conversations about the current state of choral music. Hosts Dean Luethi and Matthew Myers seek to bring the worldwide choral community closer together through their discussions with a variety of guests who work with choir in its various forms. The goal of the podcast is to provide listeners with interesting tidbits of knowledge they could use in day-to-day choral rehearsals and to bring light to the ways that issues in the choral field are being observed…
Episodes
- Choir Fam Podcast
Ep. 56 - Transcending the Limitations of Art Music - Michael McGlynn
"My entire philosophy of choral music is that of all forms of music it is the one that has the capacity to produce a state of transcendence, and as a composer…
- Choir Fam Podcast
Ep. 55 - Empowering Student Leaders in the Choral Ensemble - Monika Tabor
"The first year is the worst. The kids will want everything that’s not you, and that’s OK. They don’t want to know what you know until they know that you care…
- Choir Fam Podcast
Ep. 54 - Affirming Identity Through Choral Music - Xiaosha Lin
"Every time on stage when we connect with the choral music and I see the students moved or touched by choral music, that's the moment I fall in love with…
- Choir Fam Podcast
Ep. 53 - All in the Family: A Choral & Wind Conducting Duo - Shelby and Micah Laird
"In this small community, they’re going to hear Beethoven’s 9th Symphony in their backyard. The festival has the intention to broaden the horizons of this…
- Choir Fam Podcast
Ep. 52 - Immersing Yourself in the Music of a New Culture - John W Mathre
"The choir totally operates in Estonian. Luckily I think my musicianship is good enough that I can fall back on those skills even when I don't understand most…
- Choir Fam Podcast
Ep. 51 - Sibling Choral Conductors: A Literal Choir Fam - John Parezo & Stephanie Schumacher
"I had already taught about a third of the students that we had at the opening of the school. We were able to hit the ground running. We spent a lot of time…
- Choir Fam Podcast
Minisode Intro Part 2 - Share Your Story with the Choir Fam
We want to hear from you! We'd love all our listeners to answer our Season 2 lightning-round questions for us to share with our audience. We are looking…
- Choir Fam Podcast
Season 2 Wrap-Up
Thank you for listening to our show this season!! Here are the favorite choral pieces from our guests in the second season: Even When He Is Silent, Kim André…
- Choir Fam Podcast
Minisode 2 - Dan Walls, Christina Fangman
Choir Fam Minisode 2 includes Lightning Round answers from two of our Choir Fam listeners: Dan Walls Rockford, Illinois Choir teacher at Boylan Catholic High…
- Choir Fam Podcast
Ep. 50 - Bridging Cultural Gaps and Fostering Empathy - Reena Esmail
"In choir we have a chance to learn to embody a different culture through its language. When you're singing pieces in another language, there's a moment where…
- Choir Fam Podcast
Ep. 49 - Redefining the Confines of Genre: Representation in Vocal Music - Adrian Dunn
"My goal as an artist, conductor, and thought leader is to make sure that we always start with 'why are we singing? Are we picking these pieces because people…
- Choir Fam Podcast
Ep. 48 - Fostering Connection Through Choral Music - Reginal Wright
"The middle school was a three-story building. At the bottom were all of the 'rough' kids. There was a second floor that was moderate. All the kids who had…
- Choir Fam Podcast
Ep. 47 - Exploring Multiple Avenues to Musical Fulfillment - Anthony Maglione
"I try to be flexible with the way I write for people. For me it's a service when I get commissions, so I want to be able to serve the community that I'm…
- Choir Fam Podcast
Ep. 46 - Building a Support System in the Choral Community - Matthew Gardner & Taylor Stricklin
"I first spend time building trust between me and then ensemble and then having them build trust within the ensemble. If they don't trust me, we won't be able…
- Choir Fam Podcast
Ep. 45 - Delivering Hope Through Choral Outreach - Amanda Weber
"That was the beginning of me working with a homeless women's choir. As someone who grew up doing music my whole life, it was just part of my DNA. This broke…
- Choir Fam Podcast
Ep. 44 - Utilizing Social Media to Get More People Singing - Beth Philemon
"If people are taking pictures with their phones and having them in their hands all the time, why are we not leveraging these to talk about choral music? I am…
- Choir Fam Podcast
Ep. 43 - Finding Your Window to Seize Opportunity - John Dickson
"It gave me some amazing opportunities, just that one phone call, that one chance. For my grad students, that's one of the things that I really try to model…
- Choir Fam Podcast
Ep. 42 - A Quick Start Guide to Choral Singing - Matt Bumbach and Dean Luethi
"I call it 'choral confession.' They come up to you and tell you their history with choir: 'I don't read sheet music.' 'I'm not a soloist.' These are wonderful…
- Choir Fam Podcast
Ep. 41 - Creating Spaces of Safety and Belonging - Erin Guinup
"It is important for our members to be seen in spaces that they've traditionally not been welcome to. When you feel that you belong in a space, it changes…
- Choir Fam Podcast
Ep. 40 - Deep Listening in the Choral Rehearsal - Jo-Michael Scheibe
"It's not about only 'what do you hear,' it's about how you hear. What is the color of the sound you hear? What do you hear in the vocal mechanism? What are…
- Choir Fam Podcast
Ep. 39 - Brain Breaks and Focus Games for Middle-Level Students - Alana Scott
"The feeling that I got from being part of a good, and solid and warm choir culture was a big one for me. The feeling of being the person that has a hand in…
- Choir Fam Podcast
Ep. 38 - Publishing Considerations for the Aspiring Composer - Reginald Unterseher
"I was in this limbo place, and I took a church job and a community chorus job. [I thought,] 'I need a piece that does this thing, and I can't find one, so I…
- Choir Fam Podcast
Ep. 37 - Grace and Grit in the Choral Classroom - Coty Raven Morris
"As someone who moves at a million miles per hour, choir -- music -- is the one thing that does make time stop for me. I knew that I needed to be in the arts…
- Choir Fam Podcast
Ep. 36 - Conducting and Composition Commingled - Skip Stradtman
"As a realist, it's hard for me to be a dreamer, but I think when you're creative, you have to be. You have to find those ways to surround yourself with people…
- Choir Fam Podcast
Ep. 35 - Unlocking Creativity Through Collaboration - Jocelyn Hagen & Timothy Takach
"I'm an only child. I grew up in rural North Dakota in the country, and I spent a lot of time by myself and at the piano bench and in my own head. I hold my…
- Choir Fam Podcast
Ep. 34 - Breaking Boundaries in Choral Composition - Jocelyn Hagen & Timothy Takach
"A lot of our projects and our pieces seek to empower people and to bring stories to the surface that don't always get told. We have a literal stage to put…
- Choir Fam Podcast
Holiday Special with Hosts Dean Luethi and Matthew Myers
On the Choir Fam Holiday Special, Dean and Matt discuss making music during the busy holiday season and also look back on some favorite winter memories from…
- Choir Fam Podcast
Ep. 33 - Situating Community at the Center of Artistry - Alysia Lee
"We’ve found other ways to make music by centering on the creative process and composition – collective composition in particular. Bringing young people…
- Choir Fam Podcast
Ep. 32 - Activating Artistry Through Administrative Excellence - Robyn Hilger
"The skill set of the executive director is actually the activation of knowledge in the organization rather than the specialization of the knowledge itself…
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Minisode 1 - Jessica Koenig, Kayla Mommsen, Ben Morgan, James Rodrigue
Choir Fam Minisode 1 includes Lightning Round answers from four of our Choir Fam listeners: Jessica Koenig Rockford, Illinois Choir and piano lab teacher at…
- Choir Fam Podcast
Ep. 31 - Mitigating Burnout Through Time Management - Ben Hawkinson
"It's really easy for a teacher to work 80, 90, 100 hours a week. What does that do to a person? When I'm exhausted, I'm a less effective communicator. I am…
- Choir Fam Podcast
Ep. 30 - Delving Deeper with Comprehensive Musicianship - Colleen McNickle
"When I was teaching high school, I really wanted to do some comprehensive and interdisciplinary lessons and didn't have the time to do that for all of my…
- Choir Fam Podcast
Ep. 29 - Making Connections Through International Cultural Exchange - John Warren
"The International Conductors Exchange Program was a profound experience. What was unique was the chance to work with Cuban choirs, not just take an American…
- Choir Fam Podcast
Ep. 28 - Engaging the Choir with Kinesthetic Learning - Reed Criddle
"If you can give students really clear directions about what they're doing with their bodies at all times, then their minds are much more likely to be focused…
- Choir Fam Podcast
Ep. 27 - Meeting Your Students Where They Are - Jacob Funk
"One of my opportunities here at this school is to be able to do ‘harder’ music while still honoring our mission of being for the community. I have people who…
- Choir Fam Podcast
Ep. 26 - Honoring Folk Tradition Through Innovative Composition - Nilo Alcala
"A lot of my choral works get inspiration from Philippine indigenous chants. We have 7000+ islands with different cultures and soundscapes, and that is itself…
- Choir Fam Podcast
Minisode Intro - Share Your Story with the Choir Fam
We want to hear from you! We'd love all our listeners to answer our Season 1 lightning-round questions for us to share with our audience. We are looking…
- Choir Fam Podcast
Season 1 Wrap-Up
Thank you for listening to our show this season!! Here are the favorite choral pieces from our guests in the first season: Even When He Is Silent, Kim André…
- Choir Fam Podcast
Ep. 25 - The Intersection of Gifted Education and Choral Music - Heath Weber
"Smart kids are good thinkers. They don't like to make mistakes, but they're going to. So many of them are perfectionists, as are many musicians. The beauty is…
- Choir Fam Podcast
Ep. 24 - Vocal Technique from the Stage to the Choir Loft - Benjamin Sieverding
"Being part of an ensemble taught me to look not just at my line but at all the music. The composer gives you so much information in the orchestra that you…
- Choir Fam Podcast
Ep. 23 - Choral Concepts for Rehearsal and Performance - Edith Copley
"It's not about the notes. It's not about the rhythms. It's about connection. It's about getting a connection with each other, a connection to the conductor…
- Choir Fam Podcast
Ep. 22 - Leadership in Choral Music Education - Barbara Tappa
"In mentoring a new teacher, I ask, 'How do we bring the music home to the students? Really, what is our job as music educators?' I believe my job as a music…
- Choir Fam Podcast
Ep. 21 - Breaking Down Barriers: Choral Music and Social Change - Amanda Stevenson
"My tunnel vision of choral music just exploded. I was able to learn so much about all these different cultures that were in my school and the music that…
- Choir Fam Podcast
Ep. 20 - Expanding the Canon to Expand Choirs' Reach - Matthew Bumbach
"We all get this exposure to popular music as young children, and when we get to the academy, we're quickly taught that popular music is less worthy, less…
- Choir Fam Podcast
Ep. 19 - From the Ground Up: Building Choral Excellence at a New Institution - Aubrey Dunham
"Quality breeds quantity. If we establish really high expectations, people will be attracted to that, and they're going to want to be a part of it. I just led…
- Choir Fam Podcast
Ep. 18 - Teaching Through Trauma: From Chaos to Community - Sara Bray
"In the times that we are in, trying to reach students, encouraging them to be themselves, and giving them that safe space is so important. I've learned so…
- Choir Fam Podcast
Ep. 17 - From Mentee to Mentor: Sharing Wisdom with the Next Generation of Teachers - Kimberly Barclay Ritzer
"My elementary music teacher took a chance on me. She was the one who opened music up to me, and it was incredible. I've come from being the mentee to the…
- Choir Fam Podcast
Ep. 16 - Poetic Imagery and the Choral Arts - Dale Trumbore
"The text is so crucial to my process. I try and derive every little detail -- rhythm and harmony and melody and the overall mood and tone and textures and…
- Choir Fam Podcast
Ep. 15 - Diagnosing and Recovering from Vocal Injury - Aubrey Nelson
"Receiving the news that I would need to have vocal cord surgery was really hard. I love teaching and singing. I need my voice for both of those things that…
- Choir Fam Podcast
Ep. 14 - Championing Social Justice and Bringing Voices to the Table - Angelica Brooks
"Through breaking down stereotypes and saying 'this is who I am'...my students in turn would be their authentic selves and break down some of their own…
- Choir Fam Podcast
Ep. 13 - Identity and Self-Discovery in Choral Education - Raul Dominguez
"Education is an opportunity for self-reflection, a beautiful time to look inwards and ask 'Who am I? Why am I here? Do I really want to be here?' Those…
- Choir Fam Podcast
Ep. 12 - Reducing Tension to Conduct with Ease - Angelica Dunsavage
"I came to Alexander Technique trying to see if there was a way that I could experience less pain when I conduct. Over time, I retaught myself. It's not a…
- Choir Fam Podcast
Ep. 11 - Rebuilding a Culture of Singing - Amanda Sprague Hanzlik
"Let's celebrate the choral art form in all of its varieties. What you do does not have to look like everyone else. Your choir and your community are going to…
- Choir Fam Podcast
Ep. 10 - Cultivating Choral Music on an International Scale - Melanie Brink
"A retreat sets the tone, sets the table, but throughout the year, whether it's a little sprinkle of a community-building activity, an exercise that is…
- Choir Fam Podcast
Ep. 9 - Building Choral Tone Through Voice Matching - John Stafford
"I'm really into using music to teach culture and life lessons... It's like cuisine. With different tastes come different etiquettes. It's the same thing with…
- Choir Fam Podcast
Ep. 8 - Treasuring Singers' Humanity and Finding Flow - Jace Saplan
"In the context of talking about the value of choral music, are you acknowledging the identity of the person in front of you? Does the beauty of what we do…
- Choir Fam Podcast
Ep. 7 - Finding Your People in the Choral Community - Katherine Rosenfeld
"Working with different people on the podium has given me a lot of skills I can take back to my classroom. It's just a matter of reaching out. If you have one…
- Choir Fam Podcast
Ep. 6 - Choral Magnetism: The Undeniable Urge to Make Music - Coreen Duffy
"One of the real benefits from being away from music is that you really appreciate it more. I understand what it's like to live without that opportunity to…
- Choir Fam Podcast
Ep. 5 - Reexamining Ensemble Hierarchies - Dominique Petite
"I have a strong connection with treble ensembles because of our shared experiences. It feels safer to make a mistake. I feel I can take more risks with them."…
- Choir Fam Podcast
Ep. 4 - Flexibility: From Tone Color to Teaching Mode - Courtney Evans
"Whether you're looking to be a teacher or a vocal performer, to be marketable, you have to be able to do more than one thing. Healthy singing is healthy…