Best Traditional Folk Skills Podcasts (2024)

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Ep. 101 - Developing Listening Skills and Fostering Empathy Through Singing - Ethan Sperry 48:07

1h ago48:07

48:07

“When people talk about what skills kids are lacking in America these days, two of the skills that come up a lot are the ability to listen to each other and have some empathy for each other. Some people would say it’s not just kids that are lacking those skills; it might be what is really missing from our society. I think choir is the best subject …

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Season 4 Wrap-Up 19:26

1d ago19:26

19:26

Thank you for listening to our show this season!! Here are the favorite choral pieces from our guests in the fourth season: St. John Passion, Johann Sebastian Bach St. Matthew Passion, Johann Sebastian Bach Ave Maria, Franz Biebl Requiem, Johannes Brahms “Wie lieblich sind deine Wohnungen” from Requiem, Johannes Brahms No Time, Susan Brumfield I Si…

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Ep. 100 - Strengthening the Bond Between Composers and Choristers - Sarah Quartel 46:23

13d ago46:23

46:23

“For me, choral music is all about the people. I write for the choristers. I've gone through that phase in my life where I've written only for myself, where I had a lot of things I needed to express and every note that went on a page was for me. Now I'm in a phase where I want to adore every note that's on the page. I want every note that's on the …

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Ep. 99 - Exploring Passion and Expression Through Gospel Music - Trey McLaughlin 49:38

18d ago49:38

49:38

“No one cared about my accolades coming in as a freshman. It’s not enough just to be good, because everyone is good. It forced me not to ride on my natural ability and to buckle down to figure out things like theory, music history, and performance practice. It made me realize that being an individual is paramount, and you have to prove why you are …

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Ep. 98 - Growing the Choral Community Through International Collaboration - Ken Steven 47:23

25d ago47:23

47:23

“In Indonesia, choral singing has just been really popular recently, maybe around ten years. It has become a lifestyle. Everyone wants to be part of a choir because choir is very interesting - you can go on tour, you can do concerts... What drives the choir most is joining a competition: they will have a goal they want to achieve, an opportunity to…

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Ep. 97 - Growing Cross-Cultural Appreciation Through Choral Music - Michael Barrett 45:09

1M ago45:09

45:09

“As choral conductors, we're first and foremost educators, and we have to realize that we have to come with compassion in everything that we do when we listen to choirs. All too often we sit there thinking, ‘the intonation wasn't so great, or maybe their phrase endings could be better,’ but we don't understand what people are working with. No two c…

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Ep. 96 - Building the Culture of Choral Music in Your Community - David Fryling 51:37

2M ago51:37

51:37

Dr. David Fryling is director of choral activities at Hofstra University, where he conducts both the select Hofstra Chorale and Hofstra Chamber Choir and teaches beginning and advanced studies in choral conducting, as well as graduate-level studies in choral conducting and choral literature. In addition, he is an adjunct professor for the Hofstra S…

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Ep. 95 - Improvisation and Community from the Folk-Acoustic Tradition - Lissa Scheckenburger 54:24

2M ago54:24

54:24

“A lot of what I end up teaching with regards to all of music, but certainly improvisation, has to do with becoming comfortable. You can do all kinds of different technical exercises, improvisation exercises, conceptual brain project exercises, all of which serve to help the musician become comfortable and fluid with their musical expression so tha…

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Ep. 94 - Encouraging Musical Ownership for Middle School Singers - Karla McClain 47:13

3M ago47:13

47:13

“That's my job: to take the foundation of what they have – love of singing and basic vocal technique – and then just refine it, to challenge them to start being more musical artists themselves. I personally do a lot of giving the kids choices: ‘If it's not in the music, how do we want to sing this? What are your thoughts?’ We listen, we reflect. I …

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Ep. 93 - Cultivating Confidence for Elementary Singers - Bethany Main 44:51

3M ago44:51

44:51

“My goal is that no child will leave my classroom thinking they can't sing. If I have a coworker say, ‘I can't sing,’ I'm like, ‘no, no. First, give me 15 minutes and a piano and I will show you that you can. Second, you can't say that because if you say that, then the kids think it's okay to say that.’ I'm really fighting all day to prove to them …

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Suzanne Ciani Buchla Concert At Galeria Bonino New York April 1974 (Excerpt) 2:16

3M ago2:16

2:16

The very first Buchla synthesiser performance by revolutionary composer Suzanne Ciani finally makes its fifty year journey from its switch-on New York art gallery to its long deserved and discerning global phonographic audience.With this previously unheard vinyl pressing, Finders Keepers Records are proud to present an archival project of ‘art musi…

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Ep. 92 - Developing Independent Musicianship in Choral and Instrumental Ensembles - Will Gunn 50:34

3M ago50:34

50:34

“I wanted to get kids to work more collaboratively. We say we’re a collaborative group, but the conductor is behind the piano teaching the choir parts rather than saying, ‘here's the part I want you to learn. Go learn it. Here are the expectations and come back and self-assess yourself.’ So, I designed performance tasks. I'll work on it as a group …

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Ep. 91 - Building Artistic Versatility Through Contemporary A Cappella - J.D. Frizzell 47:06

4M ago47:06

47:06

“At the end of that first year, I did a pops concert. I developed the formula that I use now, which is to make it sound a lot like the actual songs. You give a lot of soloists opportunities to sing solos, especially in the verses which are harder because of the syncopation. We had a band that we hired: some horns, a rhythm section. The kids loved i…

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Ep. 90 - Reinvigorating Historic Music with Modern Creativity - Robert Hollingworth 52:30

4M ago52:30

52:30

“Uniformity is a two-edged sword, isn't it? Within a choir you need uniformity or you're not going to get a good blend, but within that uniformity, I want as much individuality as possible. I do a lot of 16th-Century music, early 17th-Century music, which has very, very high, passionate stakes. The individual has to come through. That's what makes …

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Ep. 89 - Creating Choral Camaraderie on a Global Level - T. J. Harper 50:15

5M ago50:15

50:15

“The folks who I think are really doing incredible work around the world, not just for one festival or for one tour, but for decades, are the folks who are trying to literally make the world a better place through choral music. How many opportunities can we provide for them so they can feel like they're part of that bigger family to help legitimize…

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Ep. 88 - Prioritizing Representation in Choral Music - Matthew Chi Lee 45:24

5M ago45:24

45:24

“I haven’t moved exclusively to doing multicultural music in our classroom, but I have done a lot of music that has a positive message that they can relate to. If this song has nothing to do with them, no matter how much I love it, no matter how epic or famous this is, the students will have a hard time connecting to it. I’m not saying that everyth…

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Ep. 87 - Sharing Stories to Stir the Soul - Tim Seelig 58:02

5M ago58:02

58:02

“From my first ACDA in 1991 to ACDA now: complete reversal. People are not afraid to perform something that moves the soul, and in 1991 nobody did it. Now people are digging in and not being afraid. I applaud all of my fellow choral conductors for being fearless and not being afraid to tell the stories that mean something.” Tim Seelig is a conducto…

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Ep. 86 - Honoring Diversity Through Historical Research - Elizabeth Schauer 48:11

6M ago48:11

48:11

“I have fallen deeply in love with looking at a piece, seeing what it is, and realizing that there are no real absolutes in music. There are no rules. You have to look at each piece of music for what it is and consider it in its historical and cultural context and then find out enough about the composer. It feels like a journey, a rabbit hole that …

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Ep. 85 - Choral Music and Personal Growth - Jonathan Talberg 58:48

6M ago58:48

58:48

“I grew up thinking that we should sound like the music we're singing. There was never one right way for me. There are those great choral traditions where they sing everything a certain way. I never wanted to be that way. We can do seven different pieces in seven entirely different styles. You would think, 'is that the same choir?' That's something…

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Ep. 84 - Building Choral Skills from the Adjudication Table - Brett Epperson 45:46

6M ago45:46

45:46

“I’ve really enjoyed getting into classrooms to affirm my colleagues. I seek whenever I do a visit to say something that is both positive and true. I could just be positive, but if it’s not truthful, students can sense that. I’ve really enjoyed getting to bop in, see great teaching in action, and affirm my colleagues in front of their students.” Dr…

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Culture Making with Tad Hargrave 1:11:39

6M ago1:11:39

1:11:39

As a prequel to my upcoming tour of British Columbia I speak with Tad Hargrave, best known for his Marketing for Hippies movement, but also eloquent in culture making and something of a storyteller, improv actor and street magician. You want this guy at your party! In our conversation we touch upon his own path to discover of the richness of his Ce…

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Ep. 83 - Building Choral Excellence to Serve Communities - Joshua Cheney 51:17

7M ago51:17

51:17

"Choral programs don't exist in a vacuum. They exist in a place, and they exist in a place that serves a people. That people group is always bigger than choir. The first thing that you've gotta do is answer the question, 'how are my people, how is my place going to be served by choral music?' and then build that. You've gotta build that one step at…

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Ep. 82 - Inspiring and Motivating Adolescent Tenors and Basses - Vincent Oakes 48:55

7M ago48:55

48:55

“Octave displacement is a really big thing with adolescent singers. Make a game out of it - I’ll have them match me, match me up an octave, match me down an octave - versus scolding when you’re in the middle of rep and someone is singing too low and you just point and say ‘that’s too low.’ That’s a little ambiguous for the average 13-year-old. To g…

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Ep. 81 - Expanding Access to Choral Participation - Marcela Molina 49:12

7M ago49:12

49:12

“I started to see the possibilities of what a youth community choir could be. Seeing that profound impact on a young woman was very transformative for me. After two or three years, everything that I did had more layers. There was a new potential of enhancement and community impact. The things that make me go like a volcano are about community, acce…

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Ep. 80 - Bridging Artistry and Scholarship - Jessica Nápoles 50:12

7M ago50:12

50:12

“If a student has been unsuccessful at elementary and middle school, by the time they get to high school, it’s really hard to shift and course correct. But if they haven’t been successful at elementary and you get them at the middle school level, you really do have the potential to shift that course in a monumental way, to reshape their views about…

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Ep. 79 - Voice Pedagogy Concepts for a Variety of Genres - Ryan Deignan 56:10

8M ago56:10

56:10

“Contemporary commercial music is closer to the students’ everyday musical culture. There’s that component of culturally relevant pedagogy that both show choir and vocal jazz meet. They are a bit more naturally motivating to a majority of students, and we honor the musical culture of the United States and our popular styles from the last 100 years …

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Ep12. Wise fools with Dan Serridge 1:28:06

8M ago1:28:06

1:28:06

In this episode I discuss 'applied storytelling' as well as performance with Glasgow based storyteller Dan Serridge. We dive into story as a tool for community engagement and how it can break down barriers. Dan shares his experience of walking the border between England and Scotland, whilst musing the classic tale of Thomas the Rhymer, and his own …

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Ep. 78 - Optimizing Choral Administration with a Booster Club - Cathy Britton 49:51

8M ago49:51

49:51

"I didn’t want to do any middle level teaching because of behavior, but I ended up teaching eight years at Patrick Henry Junior High. I loved every moment of it. I learned that if the kids loved and trusted you, they would do anything for you. It was just so much fun to take what they were willing to give and do some good work with them. It all tra…

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Ep. 77 - Creating Opportunities Through First Impressions - Stephen Caldwell 56:05

8M ago56:05

56:05

"The greatest lesson that I learned as a gig singer is that your career and reputation are built one chance at a time. You get one chance and one chance only. If I want people to go out on a limb for me and recommend me for a gig, then I have to make sure that I'm protecting their reputation as well as my own. That starts with never being late, alw…

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Season 3 Wrap-Up 13:29

9M ago13:29

13:29

Thank you for listening to our show this season!! Here are the favorite choral pieces from our guests in the third season: Sommerpsalm, Waldemar Åhlén Christmas Oratorio, Johann Sebastian Bach Komm, Jesu, Komm; Johann Sebastian Bach Agnus Dei, Samuel Barber Bluegrass Mass, Carol Barnett Afternoon on a Hill, Eric Barnum Missa Solemnis, Ludwig van Be…

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Minisode Intro Part 3 - Share Your Story with the Choir Fam 2:55

9M ago2:55

2:55

We want to hear from you! We'd love all our listeners to answer our Season 3 lightning-round questions for us to share with our audience. We are looking forward to getting to know you better. Email choirfampodcast@gmail.com with the following info: Subject Line: Choir Fam Minisode First and last name, pronouns optional City and state you live in Sc…

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Minisode 3 - Stephen Salamunovich, Anneliese Zook 6:44

9M ago6:44

6:44

Choir Fam Minisode 3 includes Lightning Round answers from two of our Choir Fam listeners: Stephen Salamunovich Renton, Washington Anneliese Zook Garfield, Washington 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 forward to getting to know you…

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Ep. 76 - Approaching Choral Music with Imagination - Jean-Sébastien Vallée 46:11

9M ago46:11

46:11

“The number one thing that I look for when I meet a younger conductor is imagination, someone who comes with ideas but also has a story to tell with the music. Often younger conductors are really worried about technique, the way they look, the way they rehearse, but it starts with imagination. What do you want to communicate? People are so worried …

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Ep. 75 - Connecting with Audiences Through Choral Programming - Erick Lichte 50:42

9M ago50:42

50:42

“We are there to be servants of our community. A lot of amateur choirs can become bowling leagues; they show up on Wednesday night, they have a great time, and that’s the reason they do it. I think the trick is to satisfy the needs of our singers, develop them as artists and people, but also make the focus constantly about reaching out to our audie…

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Ep11. Wild Awake with Lucy O'Hagan 1:08:51

9M ago1:08:51

1:08:51

In this episode I catch up with Lucy O'Hagan about her wilderness programmes in Ireland. We range from local myths of Lugh and Balor of the evil eye, to the Belfast Punk scene, snow shelters in Norway, cave dwelling in Dordogne, and the teepee outside Galway where we met. To find out more about Lucy's work: https://www.wildawake.ie/ To stay tuned f…

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Ep. 74 - Commercial Music within the Large Choral Ensemble - Eric Rubinstein 53:56

10M ago53:56

53:56

“So many people view conducting as a reflection of the music, and if that works for them, that's great. I view conducting as a reflection of the movement. Undergrads aren't always predisposed to musical language, but they are already predisposed to the language that Laban uses: time, space, weight, flow. Instead of saying 'that's not marcato enough…

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Ep. 73 - Developing a Personal Compositional Voice - Christopher Tin 45:47

10M ago45:47

45:47

"The question I had to ask myself was, 'Do you want to change who you are as a composer just so can match a particular sound that is in fashion or is expected of you in the concert hall world or do you want to say true to yourself as an artist?'" Time and time again, whenever this question pops up, it's always you turn towards yourself and ask your…

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Ep. 72 - Bridging the Exquisite and the Accessible - Melissa Dunphy 56:44

10M ago56:44

56:44

“The music that I fell in love with that made me want to be a musician when I was a young teenager was not loved because it’s super difficult. That’s not the reason you love music. You love music that makes you feel and makes you think. If something is challenging, that feeling of reaching the finish line and being able to create a performance that…

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Ep. 71 - Openness and Authenticity in Choral Education - Marques Garrett 54:13

10M ago54:13

54:13

“You can’t be a good teacher, you can’t be a good conductor, without being a good human being... I’m grateful that I have stuck with so many of the things that felt true to me. I’m honest and vulnerable but also still open to learning from other people, because everything that I do is not right. If I realize it’s not right, I need to ‘fess up to it…

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Ep. 70 - Building a Career in Contemporary A Cappella Performance - Anders Edenroth 41:20

11M ago41:20

41:20

“My professional career comes from something that I did not study. I think it’s called the hidden curriculum - things that you learn that are not on your schedule that are many times equally or more important as things on the schedule. Now, don’ t tell your students not to study and only spend time doing whatever they do. The combination is the sec…

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Ep. 69 - Choral Music for Singers in All Career Paths - Elizabeth Chilton 44:30

11M ago44:30

44:30

"When you're singing choral music, you can't be thinking about all those other things that are going on in your life. It takes incredible mental focus. People would say to me, 'how do you have time to sing in a choir when you're working on a doctorate?' and I would tell them that for me, it's like getting a mental holiday. It revives me. It refresh…

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Ep. 68 - Choral Music for Social Action and Community Dialogue - Alexander Lloyd Blake 44:52

12M ago44:52

44:52

“Being text-focused has been really beneficial and a change from the way I’ve seen concerts programmed in the past: ‘Do the keys align? What is the soundscape?’ Those things are important, but for these concerts, the message that we’re putting out there has to be priority. We are choral musicians, and we have words and stories to share, and those h…

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Ep. 67 - Promoting Healthy Singing in All Styles - Ryan Holder 45:37

12M ago45:37

45:37

Ryan W. Holder is currently in his eighteenth year as the Associate Director of Choral Studies at Northern Arizona University (Flagstaff, AZ), where he directs Vox Astra and the Northern Voices and High Altitude vocal jazz ensembles, teaches undergraduate and graduate conducting and choral methods, supervises choral student teachers, and serves as …

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Ep. 66 - Building Connections Through Music Education - Hilary Apfelstadt 48:43

1y ago48:43

48:43

“I really thought I wanted to be a high school teacher, but the first job I got was in elementary. That turned out to be the best ‘teaching-me’ experience I could have had, because I learned that if one could get music across to people without much background, you can get it across to anybody.” Dr. Hilary Apfelstadt is Professor Emerita of Choral S…

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Ep 10. The Witches of Kintail live at SISF 41:36

1y ago41:36

41:36

This episode features a live recording of a story told at the Scottish International Storytelling Festival 23. It's a version of one of the stories I first fell in love with many years ago and has sublime musical accompaniment from the talented Rachel Newton...aswell as some random audience participation and suggestion! I also comment on various fe…

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Ep. 65 - Prioritizing Equity in Choral Spaces - Arreon A. Harley-Emerson 1:04:53

1y ago1:04:53

1:04:53

“We were doing some Anglican chant, and we went on to the Hogan ‘Ride On, King Jesus.’ It was as if it was the first time we had ever seen light. It was a revelation for me and for the singers and led to a lot of rebranding of who we are, our values, whose music is important, and the right balance we should be striving for. I felt like I had finall…

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Ep. 64 - Cultivating Musicianship in Singers of All Levels - André J. Thomas 1:13:00

1y ago1:13:00

1:13:00

“If people think you value them, they will do anything in the world to make the music for you." André J. Thomas is an Associate Artist with the London Symphony Orchestra. Thomas is Professor Emeritus of Music at Florida State University. He was visiting Professor of Choral Conducting at Yale University from 2020-2022. He also served as faculty memb…

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Ep. 63 - Passion and Perseverance in the Choral Arts - B.E. Boykin 43:13

1y ago43:13

43:13

“Let your passion guide you. That has been such a huge help to me in this journey because I know that I’m doing it because I love to do it. Don’t get caught up in going through the motions. It’s easy to be on autopilot and push things to the back of your mind so you can keep putting out work, good performances, or good rehearsals, but always try to…

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Ep 9. The Hunter Ogalusa 41:08

1y ago41:08

41:08

In the episode I give a nod to my recent trip to Norway for a primitive skills gathering by telling a hunting tale from Sierra Leone. I also share a 'Revolting Rhyme' version of the Norwegian folk tale, the Three Billy Goats Gruff, inspired by irreverent British-Danish author Roald Dahl. There is some commentary on my time in Norway and the story t…

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Ep. 62 - Goal Setting and Self-Improvement for Choral Educators - Lynn Brinckmeyer 40:23

1y ago40:23

40:23

“It’s people first. You need to address the humans that are there in front of you and help them be where they are. There are some kids who are hungry, who haven’t had anything since their last meal at school the day before or the week before. The human part of them has to feel safe before they can care about whether that’s a late sixteenth note.” D…

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