Choir Ninja, With Ryan Guth

As choir directors, we train hard to be able to help our singers and students. But whether you studied Music Ed or Sacred Music, it’s unlikely that financial literacy was part of your program. Today Ryan outlines how to read your credit report, and gives some simple tips for strengthening your credit score. Listen [Subscribe on iTunes] [Subscribe on Android] Highlight to Tweet:  “Nobody’s going to spend crazy on the gas, because then it starts overflowing and catches fire.” Show Notes: Why should you care about your credit score? Other important people will care about your credit score: mortgages, insurance companies, auto loans, furniture stores, your future employers Your piece of mind It helps you set quantifiable goals Identity fraud: who else is using your social security number? Catch errors on your report Try Creditkarma.com, a free web service Transunion Equifax Dave Ramsey’s podcast What’s important to look for: Credit card use: keep it under 30% Payment history: 100% Derogatory remarks

Church musicians, this is the episode you have been waiting for. One of the most respected directors in the field, Terry Price talks with Ryan about the unique challenges of directing a church choir. This episode is packed with wisdom and actionable advice, but the one about the label maker...we’ll just say that if you don’t already keep one in your choir room, you’ll run out to buy one as soon as this episode is over. Listen Highlight to Tweet:         “Church music is a functional art. It has a purpose” - Terry Price “If you want quality singers, you need to do quality music.” - Terry Price Show Notes: Mr. Price has spent some time as a public school choir teacher, some time with the Dallas Symphony Chorus, but most of his career has been spent as a choir director in a christian church. What’s special about church choirs... Church choirs are unique because they are primarily amateur sings; they are there out of love. They want to be better singers. Terry’s job is to find creative ways to help them to be b

Achieving Mastery, with Ryan Guth and Stevie Berryman Ryan and Stevie discuss ways choir directors can increase their grit and become masters in their field. Citing Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance by Angela Duckworth, they discuss what separates people who want to the be the best in their field from those who actually are. You’ll learn the 4 steps for deliberate practice that will help you progress rather than just put in time. Listen: Highlight to Tweet:         “Talent counts. But effort counts twice” - Angela Duckworth “The work comes first.” - @steviebetweetin Show Notes: The people who succeed in music, or any endeavour, are the ones who are willing to do the work. Work sometimes involves risk. It rarely involves art. But the ones who work will succeed. Angela Duckworth defines GRIT as: sustained passion and perseverance for especially long term goals. It is the hallmark for high-achievers in every human domain. Even if you were born with talent, you weren’t born an expert. Expertise takes s

A composition entrepreneur, Ryan Main explains the three paths to getting your music published, and tells you what you need to do to succeed in each of them. Through the successes and failures of Kansas City Music Publishing, Ryan learned the nuts and bolts of publishing, and today he shares with you the pros and cons of the three main avenues for publication: traditional publishing houses, an innovative online publishing company, and self-publishing. Listen Highlight to Tweet: “The trick to any of this...is to just start doing it, and the pieces will fall into place.” - Ryan Main Show Notes: Traditional publishers: Useful for… • A low-profile composer • A prolific composer • A composer/director looking to raise their profile • A composer looking for more commissionsBut… • For every 1,000 sales you could expect to make about $200 • If a publishing company likes your piece they will promote it more, if it barely makes the cut, it may not even be on a reading session Publishing with an innovative publishing

A Choir Ninja Rewind Today we bring you an encore airing of one of our most popular interviews with a Houston-area director. In today’s episode Ryan and Denise Eaton look at her layering method of sequential teaching. In other words, this is a breakdown of her step-by-step process for teaching a new choral piece to her choirs. Listen: Highlight to Tweet: “Repetition is your friend and the key to successful learning.” -Denise Eaton #choirninja Show Notes: Eaton's Order of Events for Layering Skills in Sequential Teaching Teach rhythms before looking at song (including all like patterns throughout) Extract and breakdown rhythms for better understanding and skill development Learning rhythm doesn't only include chanting· singing is also encouraged Include emphasis on strong beats -always keep the text in mind Add solfege -always with appropriate, desired tone Introduce the key of the song through previous sight-reading (See resources and sponsor below) Extract only the melodic contour in solfege (before loo

A Choir Ninja Rewind Today we bring you an encore airing of one of our most popular interviews with a Houston-area director. In today’s episode (Part 1) you will learn what Texas music educator and superstar, Denise Eaton, looks at when choosing repertoire for her choirs so they can be successful a learning through her innovative sequential layering method of teaching (Part 2 - Friday). Listen: Highlight to Tweet: “You need to make a noise before you can refine the noise” -Denise Eaton #choirninja Show Notes: Get ‘em in the room and get ‘em singing immediately “You need to make a noise before you can refine the noise” No harm singing and sight-singing in unison It elevates the weaker singing Can be VERY artistic When choosing music, be conscious of… Tonality Rhythmic development Harmonic rhythm Vocal development Range Tessitura Depth of sound Language Use sequential layering (next episode) to teach the music. Sequence matters because of muscle memory 3 Key Takeaways: Score study is imperativ

Stevie Berryman reflects on what it means to return to “normal” after Hurricane Harvey. Part science primer, part therapeutic catharsis, this essay encourages teachers and directors to keep doing their best work, whatever that work is. If you are struggling, if you are weary...it’s okay; you’re in good company. It’s not your fault. You can blame it on the second law of thermodynamics. Listen: Highlight to Tweet: “Nothing is static. Doing nothing is the same thing as assisting decay.” - @StevieBeTweetin When the Waters Rise: On Entropy and High Water Entropy may be an odd metaphor for a musician to adopt, but I grew up in a family of scientists. My mother was a biochemist at a time when her lab still elected a female employee to be the company’s beauty queen, which meant a year-long reassignment as the official company spokesmodel. My father has a PhD in physical chemistry, and spent much of his career advising chemical plants how to clean up their spill before the whole mess froze into the tundra. So while I

For the next few episodes, the Choir Ninja podcast will focus on Voices From Houston, lifting up the directors in south Texas as they recover from Hurricane Harvey. This first episode in the series feature a replay of an interview that originally aired back in 2015. This interview is exactly what you need to start the new school year! A truly wonderful sit-down interview with Texas native and Houston-area high school choral director, Adrian O. Rodriguez. Listen in on how you can start your year off right by building an empowered music program through creating trust and staying relevant! Listen: Highlight to Tweet: “I realized that being with those friends in choir, that community, that’s where I wanted to be.” - Adrian Rodriguez Show Notes: The moment you knew you’d dedicate your life to music         When Adrian was a sophomore in high school, he felt pressured to follow his parents and go into a “more academic” career like a lawyer or doctor. Self-doubt set in, and he contemplated leaving chorus. Then his

Some of our episodes talk about a conductor’s journey as a musician, or their philosophical understanding of the nature of choral music. Some episodes are pure toolkits: here’s what you need to solve your problems. This episode has the rare distinction of being both. Dr. Kronauer and Ryan cover the “hows” of directing teenage male voices, as well as the “whys” behind them. You’re going to want to listen to this one twice. Listen: Highlight to Tweet: “Living rigidly is not the game. The game is finding elasticity.” - Steven Kronauer Show Notes: Try thinking less in terms of “blend,” and more in terms of “agreement.” For the teenage male singer, it’s important to reassure them that change is a part of life. Whatever they are working with (or through) will be fine. When dealing with limited range, you need to offer patience and guidance. Provide a model. Avoiding “compensation,” or reaching for a pitch. (“that giraffe thing” - Ryan Guth) Posture and alignment are always important, but especially so for teenage

Happy Birthday, teachers, it’s the episode you’ve asked for! Tech expert Greig Ashurst shares his favorite apps and software for your choir classroom. Ryan and Greig go deep into ways to use a few of these tools to make your rehearsals more productive, but make sure you check out the show notes for an expanded list of essential music tech to explore. Listen: Highlight to Tweet: “Make them engage with their cell phones...they are going to have them anyway.” - Greig Ashurst Show Notes: Rehearsal Planning/ Ensemble Management Symbaloo Google Apps For Education (GAFE) Google Classroom Google Docs, Sheets, Slides, Forms Notation Applications Sibelius Finale Staff Pad Integrating/Accompanying Smart Music Protools Audacity Soundtrap Garage Band Drum Machine Apps Other Cool Stuff Bit Links - URL Shortened Blue Yeti microphone Calendly “Cellphones Required” - A concert theme that encourages the audience to use their phones to interact with the performance Bio: For more than twenty years, Greig Ashurst ha

Authenticity and Experience, with Sean Baugh (Part 2, Following “Equality and Dignity for All People”) Turtle Creek Chorale does not do “stand and sing” concerts. Balancing music with a message is a difficult journey with great rewards, for both the musicians and the audience. Sean discusses the importance of balance in your programming, and gives you guidelines for programming a concert with an activist purpose. Musicians are, at the core, humanitarians. Listen: Highlight to Tweet: “Don’t end with a big smack in the face. End with material that everyone can grab on to.” - Sean Baugh Show Notes: Before you program a concert with a message, you have to know where your musicians stand. Get to know them and their perspectives. Social activism can have a real impact. After the Pulse nightclub shooting in Orlando, TCC put together a 3 hour long concert in 2 days that raised $18,000 and was viewed by 37,000 people live and online. 24-hour Sing In to bring attention to trans* issues. Balance is key. Balance your me

Sean Baugh skillfully leads the Turtle Creek Chorale in performances of both artistry and activism. Sean talks about how his ensemble of largely untrained singers is able to give powerful performances, leaning heavily on the passion of the musicians. We are all passionate about something, making us all activists, and music is our agent of change. Listen: Highlight to Tweet: “You can do a lot on a little bit of money if you love what you’re doing.” - Sean Baugh Show Notes: Sean Baugh rose to his position as Artistic Director of Turtle Creek Chorale through a mixture of fortuitous timing, being willing to pivot when opportunity presented itself, and sharing his ambition with others. Turtle Creek Chorale is one of the oldest gay men’s choruses, although it’s membership is comprised of different orientations. Few of the members of TCC are professional musicians, and many have no formal choral training. Sean estimates about half do not read music. TCC takes seriously its mission to lift up the disenfranchised, st

Choral elitists beware: we’re calling out the Emperor for having no clothes. Indiana choir director Samantha Patterson finds value in incorporating pop music, sporting events, and yes...even the dab...in her program, which has reaped the benefits of her innovative recruiting strategies. Want to know how to recruit boys, or anyone, into your program? This episode is the how-to guide you’ve been waiting for. Listen: Highlight to Tweet: “No wonder no one wants to be in your class; you pick the worst music.” - Samantha Patterson Show Notes: Pop music is the lure, and it drives the interest in Samantha’s program. As the year progresses, she introduces more standard repertoire. Starting with something easy and familiar...from the radio...sets them up for early success, and a great first concert experience. After the early success, students are more willing to buy into more esoteric music selections. Samantha takes her male students to a baseball game every fall. Everyone gets to go on a special outing, but basebal

Dr. Eugene Rogers “preaches the word of the singing conductor.” There is singing, and then there is singing that utilizes technical mastery to communicate the meaning and emotion of a piece. Dr. Rogers calls these leaders who are so deeply connected to sound and its purpose Singing Conductors, and reveals the four characteristics they share in common. Listen: Highlight to Tweet: “The choirs are singing from the inside out. ” - Dr. Eugene Rogers Show Notes: The “singing Conductor” is a process by which one approaches making the choral art come alive. Singing Conductors lead choirs that sing from the inside out. They are completely aware of the technical aspects of choral music, but also deeply rooted in the understanding of the work. There are 4 characteristics of the Singing Conductor: they have a heightened sensitivity to building sound they emphasize sound for sound’s sake, and also sound that is directly connected to the context of the piece they often see technical issues as opportunities for vocal warm

Dr. Eugene Rogers gives you permission to listen to your gut. Whether it’s a move, a job, or even a bold programming choice, you can take risks. Some of them will pay off. Some of them will leave you stranded in New York City with no job and no car. But you will grow from all of them. Listen: Highlight to Tweet: “Choral music was deeply inside of me. I had a real passion for it, no matter what.” - Dr. Eugene Rogers Show Notes: Dr. Rogers decided to dedicate his life to music during a piano lesson while he was a high school student. The idea that he could make a living as a musician took root and never wavered. He originally thought he would be a singer. But conducting had a natural ease to it that compelled him to study further. Conducting allows him to most fully express his musical vision. Working for the Boys Choir of Harlem proved to be both a wonderful and a trying experience. Intending to stay in New York until he retired, Eugene was blindsided when the organization announced that because of financial

Drawing on lessons learned while losing at pool, Ryan shares what it means to have an entrepreneurial mindset as a  choir director. You will hear strategies about how to win at pool, how to lose at pool, and how to embarrassingly injure a friend during pool (with a step by step guide in the show notes). You will also hear why it is so important that we mindfully choose which kind of game we are going to play, which entrepreneurial super-skills you already posses, and how to avoid the traps that prevent you from being the real thing. Listen: Highlight to Tweet: “If your win is a standing ovation, you need a bigger win” - Ryan Guth Show Notes: You are already functioning as an entrepreneur in 2 WAYS: Through Task: Recruitment = Sales Market concerts Concert Programs = Graphic Design Press releases = PR Concerts = Event planning Working one-on-one with a student who’s more invested than the others = Coaching Talking to parents = Counseling/Negotiation Sending detailed emails so your students do what you need t

I won’t lie. It’s worth listening to this entire podcast just because five and a half minutes into it Dr. Yarrington does an impression of an orchestra warming up, and it gave me life. Besides that, there is valuable information here about vocal warm ups, accountability, choosing appropriate literature, student conductors, and why adults are more frustrating than children. Listen: Highlight to Tweet: “I want my kids to sing well, and be happy they sang well. Other than that, what is there?” - John Yarrington Show Notes: You don’t have time not to warm up each week Warm ups should be timed (5 minutes is plenty), more about listening than producing, and intentionally productive. Program for your students, not for yourself or other directors. Put your singers first. That means hard work, hard rules, and no participation trophies. Bio: After 18 years as the head of the Choral Department at Houston Baptist University, Dr. John Yarrington has retired.  During these years, a significant change in the choral cultur

Did you ever want to sit down with one of the great choral directors over coffee and just chat? It might go something like this. Ryan and Dr. John Yarrington cover a lot of ground in this interview, including avoiding yard work in retirement, politically correct Christmas carols, the importance of doing great works and basic literature, reasons why Texas is a choral powerhouse, Alice Parker, not speaking to Robert Shaw, how Ryan self-identifies as Texan, Bach motets, and choral overreach. Listen: Highlight to Tweet: “Adjunct is Latin for “work your butt off for no money” - John Yarrington Show Notes: Dr. Yarrington did not spend his career in academia, even though he has recently retired from Houston Baptist University. Instead, his background is mainly in large churches. Ya’ll. Just leave his Christmas carols alone. Don your gay apparel or just get out. Working with Alice Parker taught him the importance of text. Start with the text, and protect it faithfully. Bio: After 18 years as the head of the Choral

Ryan continues his conversation with Los Angeles based Filipino composer Saunder Choi. In this episode they delve more deeply into the question of what constitutes an authentic cultural exchange. Saunder makes the case for more fully exploring a culture by going beyond the well-known folk or patriotic songs, and looking to their contemporary poetry and stories. Listen: Highlight to Tweet: “Explore music from other countries that are not folk songs.” -Saunder Choi Show Notes: Culture shock, moving to the US, and being an immigrant composer. (cultural exchange through music) Why musical hybrids are interesting Music, social justice, and why mixing the two is inevitable. Choral music of Asia and why conductors should go past programming on folk songs of that region. (Globalization hazzuh!) Bio: Saunder Choi is an emerging LA based Filipino composer. his works been performed, programmed, recorded and read by the USC Thornton Symphony, Boston Philharmonic Youth Orchestra, Philippine Madrigal Singers, the Crossin

Los Angeles based Filipino composer Saunder Choi was raised in a Chinese family, and his diverse cultural background is informing his voice as an emerging choral composer. Saunder’s motive in composition is to use music to facilitate cultural exchange, telling stories that people might not otherwise hear. Ryan and Saunder discuss Philippine choral culture, family business dynamics, dead white guys, and what it was like to be an immigrant during the 2016 election in this first episode of a two-part series. Listen: Highlight to Tweet: “More and more people are composing pieces...that are not settings of poetry by dead white guys.” -Saunder Choi Show Notes: Choral Arts Initiative 5th anniversary concert will premiere of 5 new works by southern California composers, including a new piece by Saunder. Saunder had to make a hard decision to pursue composition in the US, against the expectations that he would remain in the Philippines and help run the family business. After many tours with the Philippine Madrigal Si