Best Choir Director Podcasts (2024)

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101. Five Reasons Why Your Choir Recruiting Isn't Working 20:27

6M ago20:27

20:27

Maybe you got your class registrations for next year and thought, "Maybe I should do some recruiting!" But all of your time and energy didn't produce the results you wanted, resulting only in stress and frustration. In Episode 101 of the podcast, I'm sharing the audio from my recent video over on YouTube (Yes, I have a YouTube channel!) where I dis…

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100. Celebrating 100 Episodes: Ten Top Episodes of the Podcast 19:23

7M ago19:23

19:23

It seems like just yesterday, I uploaded the first episode of the Choir Director Corner Podcast, not knowing where the road might take me. And here we are, at 100 episodes! In Episode 100, I'm going back into the podcast archives and sharing with you ten of top 10 episodes of the podcast. Not only are these some of the most downloaded episodes, but…

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099. Diving into Music Literacy with Your Choir: Sound Before Sight 39:21

7M ago39:21

39:21

The question came from one of the members of our CDC Community Membership: "How, or where, do I start in teaching music literacy to my choir, when almost all of my singers are beginners when it comes to sightreading?" Our elementary general music colleagues know--it's all about starting with "sound before sight"! We need to give our singers an aura…

1
098. Using Choir March Madness to Cover National Music Standards! 26:59

8M ago26:59

26:59

As choir directors, we often find our teaching centered in the "Performing" set of the National Music Standards--it can be difficult to find ways to incorporate the "Responding" and "Connecting" sections of the standards. In Episode 98 of the podcast, I share with you how I use my Choir March Madness Listening Project to cover some of these "harder…

1
097. Lessons that Choir Directors Can Learn from Ted Lasso 26:48

10M ago26:48

26:48

After several days off due to snow and dangerous wind chills, I knew it was going to be a challenge to get my singers back into our routine. As they started coming into the room, I thought to myself: "I'm going to have to go all Ted Lasso on these guys today!" And it got me thinking--there are lots of lessons that we as choir directors can learn fr…

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096. "My Choir is SO Unmotivated!" I Have Questions. 29:41

11M ago29:41

29:41

The social post said, in so many words--"My Choir is SO Unmotivated!" And this is obviously a widespread problem, because the responses were flying fast and furious, all from choir directors with the same problem! But most of the responses never dealt with the real question, which is WHY our singers are so unmotivated. Pinpointing the root cause is…

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095. Tips for Translating Your Score Study into Rehearsal Techniques 23:14

11M ago23:14

23:14

Diving into a choral score is a big process, but also one that is critical in bringing the music we have before us to life. Once we have tackled our score study, a new challenge emerges–how does the work we’ve done in preparing the score show up in our rehearsal process? In Episode 95 of the podcast, I’m sharing with you some tips for how choir dir…

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094. AI for Choir Directors? 19:23

11M ago19:23

19:23

There’s been a lot in the news about AI recently, and more specifically, with ChatGPT. I myself have used ChatGPT for a number of things, for a number of purposes–usually as an assistant to bounce ideas off of, and to brainstorm ideas when my brain is fried. It certainly can be helpful in saving me time. But there are still a lot of issues with it-…

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093. Still Looking For Winter Choral Repertoire? 16:04

12M ago16:04

16:04

As choir directors, we always have to be one step ahead. Which means that even though it's fall outside, it's time to start planning for those much-anticipated winter choral concerts! In Episode 93 of the podcast, I share with you five hand-picked winter themed choir pieces, all of which would be great additions to your winter concert. Get set to i…

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092. Dealing with Talkative Singers in Choir Rehearsal 42:09

1y ago42:09

42:09

One of the questions I most often get from choir directors is, "My singers are so chatty--how do I get them to stop talking?" Granted, I'm not someone that expects total silence in my rehearsal. But at the same time, in order for there to be as few distractions as possible, and have rehearsal be as productive as possible, it's a good idea to limit …

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091. Episode Replay--What to Do When Your Singers Won't Sing Out! 36:40

1y ago36:40

36:40

I've run into numerous choir directors, just in the past couple of weeks, all describing the same problem--singers that won't sing out! The directors have tried everything, and are at their wits end. What do you do??? This episode is a replay of Episode 62--I feel like I have a fresh perspective on the problem, and there are choir directors that co…

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090. Key Elements to Setting Your Choirs Up for a Successful Year 30:05

1y ago30:05

30:05

I've had choir directors ask about a "Beginning of the Year To-Do List", but our jobs as directors can differ greatly, just because of the particular school district or organization we work for. However, I do believe there are some universal key elements that help us to give ourselves, and our singers, the best possible chance to be successful. In …

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089. Marketing Your Choir Program by Conquering Objections! 49:35

1+ y ago49:35

49:35

In order to market your choir program to prospective singers, you need to get the heart of what motivates singers to join your program, as well as the obstacles that prevent them from joining your program. When you talk to prospective singers about why they haven't yet joined your program, you'll hear a lot of different reasons--we call these objec…

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088. Making a Recruiting Push for Your Choir Program! 19:54

1+ y ago19:54

19:54

While it's always a good time to recruit, the end of the year is the perfect time to recruit more singers to your program. Students are making plans for the following year and finalizing their schedules, so now is a great time to get potential singers to consider joining your program. In this last month of school we are making a "recruiting push" f…

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087. Is Your Choir Program Due for a Spring Cleaning? 43:31

1+ y ago43:31

43:31

Every year when warmer weather starts to roll in, there's one thing you can always count on at our house--multiple days of Spring Cleaning! The dusting, the switching out all of the clothes in the closets, cleaning windows, getting out the patio furniture--you know what I'm talking about, right? As I was switching out the clothes in my closet recen…

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086. Welcome to Choir March Madness 2023! 9:38

1+ y ago9:38

9:38

One of the activities I started with my singers several years ago was creating a Choir March Madness Bracket of choir performances. This activity gives my singers to listen to choral music from many different composers and musical styles, and also helps to build their "choral vocabulary"--they learn more about what high quality singing sounds like!…

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085. Contemporary A Cappella 101 with Rob Dietz! 1:02:26

1+ y ago1:02:26

1:02:26

I have been a fan of Pentatonix, and contemporary a cappella as a whole, for as long as I can remember. I was a huge fan of The Sing-Off, and little did I know that years later, I would have an opportunity to talk with one of the arrangers and vocal directors on that show, Rob Dietz! In this episode of the podcast I'm sharing with you my conversati…

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084. Tips for Making Music Literacy Stick With Your Singers! 35:05

1+ y ago35:05

35:05

I had a great conversation recently via Zoom with Matthew, who is a member of our Choir Director Corner Community Membership. He wanted to pick my brain about a couple things, and we discussed a variety of topics, including how to improve retention when it came to music literacy skills. Matthew was doing all of the things that a choir director shou…

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083. Creating Great Art at All Levels: Conversation with Ryan Main 46:26

2y ago46:26

46:26

Welcome to 2023! To get the new year started off, I'm sharing my conversation with composer and music educator Ryan Main. I talked with Ryan about how he became a composer, his compositional process, some of his recent compositions, his work with the Youth Chorus of Kansas City, and more! I had a great time talking with Ryan, and I know you are goi…

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082. Ten Reasons to Play Kahoot with Your Choir! 20:54

2y ago20:54

20:54

If you are looking for a fun activity to do with your choir, Kahoot is one of the best options out there! And in today's episode of the podcast, 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! Whe…

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081. Playing the Game of Tones with Zack Durlam! 58:58

2y ago58:58

58:58

Yes, my friends...Winter Is Coming! But it's not the Game of Thrones--it's the "Game of Tones"! ;) In Episode 81 of the podcast, I'm talking with Zack Durlam, who serves as the Director of Choral Activities at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Zack is a fantastic choir director (he was my cooperating teacher for student teaching back in the da…

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080. Discussing the Ten-Second Rule! 12:00

2y ago12:00

12:00

Growing up, we always had the "ten-second rule"; if what we were eating fell on the floor, we had ten seconds to pick it up and eat it. Otherwise, it went to the trash! Chances are, you have a similar rule in your household, depending on the food, and the floor :) We had the opportunity to Zoom with the composer of two of the pieces on our most rec…

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079. How Sight Reading Can Solve (Almost) All of Your Choir Rehearsal Problems! 33:50

2y ago33:50

33:50

Ever wish you had a rubber stamp, so you didn't have to keep saying the same thing over and over again? I had that experience recently, as choir directors were detailing the different challenges they were dealing with in their rehearsals. I found myself saying the same response to all of the different rehearsal challenges I was hearing, and it was …

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078. Telling Stories Through Choral Music: Conversation with Tim Takach! 53:30

2y ago53:30

53:30

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 h…

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077. Five Reasons for Choir Directors to Add MuseScore to Their Workflow 20:27

2y ago20:27

20:27

Over the years, I've used a number of software programs for tasks involved with music composition. A while back a friend recommended MuseScore, and after trying it out, I've added it to the list of tools that I use on a regular basis. Recently I discovered a new function inside of MuseScore that to me was a game-changer, making MuseScore my "go-to"…

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076. How to Use Stations in Your Choir Rehearsal! 26:03

2y ago26:03

26:03

When my kids were little, they used to talk about how "stations" was one of their favorite parts of the school day, because they got to do lots of different things! Which got me thinking--how could we use stations in a choir rehearsal? In Episode 76 of the podcast, I discuss exactly that--situations when stations might be a useful rehearsal strateg…

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075. Conversation with Dr. Emily Williams Burch 1:02:42

2y ago1:02:42

1:02:42

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…

1
074. Conversation with Composer Katerina Gimon 56:52

2y ago56:52

56:52

In Episode 74 of the podcast, I’m very excited to share my conversation with composer Katerina Gimon. I found her music while doing a repertoire search a couple of years ago, and I just fell in love with her work. Her music is so interesting and so creative--she gives singers and conductors the opportunity to explore choral music in some very uniqu…

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073. Back to School, Part 4: Tips for Productive Rehearsals 27:02

2y ago27:02

27:02

It’s so important to get the choir year started off with productive, effective rehearsals. There’s always a lot to do, and that’s especially true at the beginning of the year. It’s imperative that we take advantage of every single minute of rehearsal. Not only will that help us get everything done, but that also sets the expectation for the rest of…

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072. Back to School, Part 3: Setting Expectations 37:15

2y ago37:15

37:15

When I talk with other choir directors, one of the topics that always seems to come up is setting rehearsal expectations–choir directors want to know what expectations I have for my choirs, how I set rehearsal expectations, and what the logistics of my rehearsals look like. And our conversations often turn to issues with classroom management. In my…

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071. Back to School, Part 2: Time Manaagement 32:37

2+ y ago32:37

32:37

One of the biggest challenges we have as choir directors is time management. We have so many duties, so many responsibilities, so many irons in the fire...it's a full-time job just keeping track of everything! I recently came across the work of Rory Vaden, who became widely known a few years ago with a TED talk on how to "Multiply Our Time". While …

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070. Back to School, Part 1: Setting Goals 30:16

2+ y ago30:16

30:16

When I talk with choir directors about planning and preparing for the new year, before we get into anything else, we start by talking about setting goals. In Part 1 of my "Back to School" Podcast Series, I talk about five reasons why you should be setting goals, as well as best practices that we should use when setting our own goals. What are your …

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069. Six Choir Repertoire Ideas from this Spring 15:08

2+ y ago15:08

15:08

I had the chance to hear several different choirs this past spring, and heard some wonderful performances. Along with my own choir performances, singing and directing, I collected several great ideas this spring for programming for your choirs. And in today's episode of the podcast, I'm sharing them with you! They are definitely pieces to keep on y…

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068. Conversation with Paul John Rudoi: Bringing Creativity, Collaboration & Accessibility to the Choral World 1:01:06

2+ y ago1:01:06

1:01:06

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…

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067. An End-of-the-Year Reflection for Choir Directors 16:32

2+ y ago16:32

16:32

How did the end of your school year/performance calendar go? I don't know about you, I'm ready for a bit of a breather! It was a sprint to the finish, with many, many irons in the fire (as usual). There were Senior pranks gone wrong, a massive internet outage, and more, but we made it! Now that grades have been submitted and things are stored for t…

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066. Ten Activities to Do With Your Choir at the End of the Year! 16:04

2+ y ago16:04

16:04

So, you just finished up your spring concert. NOW WHAT? You've got a couple weeks (sometimes more) left of school, what in the world are you going to do with your singers? I see this question a LOT this time of year, so in Episode 66 of the Choir Director Corner Podcast, I'm bringing you TEN ideas for activities that you can do with your choir at t…

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065. Should You Limit How Many Singers Are In Your Choir? 28:57

2+ y ago28:57

28:57

I saw a post on social media recently that prompted this question: "Should You Limit How Many Singers Are In Your Choir? In Episode 65 of the podcast I give my two cents on this issue: situations where this could be a beneficial thing to do, as well as reasons why this might not be a practice that is in the best interest of your singers. If you wan…

1
064. Creating a Productive and Purposeful Choir Council! 23:11

2+ y ago23:11

23:11

Delegate. Delegate, delegate, DELEGATE my friends. This is one of the secrets to getting everything done and not driving yourself crazy in the process! But in order to make the best use of your time, and make sure that things get done in a timely and productive fashion, you need to have some systematic, repeatable ways of delegating certain tasks. …

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063. Nine Tips to Get the Singers in Your Choir to "Buy In"! 32:00

2+ y ago32:00

32:00

I had a coaching call a while back with a middle school/high school choir director who was facing several challenges, with the biggest one being that the members of their concert choir were not “buying in” to this director’s way of doing things. This in turn was affecting not only the choir’s performance–as the director was struggling to get the ch…

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062. Five Reasons Why Your Singers Aren't Singing Out, and What You Can Do About It! 30:54

2+ y ago30:54

30:54

I've seen a lot of choir directors over the past several months say, "My singers won't sing out! I've tried everything, what do I do?" If modeling for your singers the sound you're looking for and asking them to imitate you doesn't work, that often means there are other issues at play. In Episode 62 of the podcast, I discuss five potential issues t…

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061. "Bent, But Not Broken"; A New Conference for Choir Directors 26:46

2+ y ago26:46

26:46

In today's episode 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…

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060. How Practice Tracks and Music Literacy can Co-Exist in your Choral Program! 43:04

2+ y ago43:04

43:04

This week on the podcast, I’m sharing my fantastic conversation with Charlie Kinnison. Charlie and his wife Carrie run Kinnison Choral Company, which provides practice tracks for choir directors. I had a blast talking with Charlie, as we dove into how music literacy and practice tracks can co-exist in the choral program, the incredibly valuable wor…

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059. Using Choir Warm-Ups to Teach Vocal Technique--New Resources! 10:58

2+ y ago10:58

10:58

I had a question recently from one of our Choir Director Corner Community Members about how I choose warm-ups for my choir rehearsals, and what my main goals and objectives were for my warm-ups in rehearsal. In today's episode of the podcast, I share with you my response, and I also share two choir warm-ups resources that I know you are going to lo…

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058. Five Quick Strategies For Spicing Up Your Choir Rehearsals! 18:16

2+ y ago18:16

18:16

It's easy for our choir rehearsals to get a little stale, a little repetitive. We are always working towards something, and we get focused, because stuff needs to get done! And especially at this time of year, when we may feel like we are treading water until Spring Break, we may need a little something to spice up our rehearsal. If this feels like…

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057. Highlights From the 2022 ACDA Midwest Conference 13:58

2+ y ago13:58

13:58

One of my favorite events to attend is the ACDA Conference. For those that are unfamiliar, ACDA rotates every-other year, regional conferences with their national conference. This year was a “regional conference year”, and I was fortunate to be able to attend the Midwest Division conference in Chicago. In today's episode of the podcast, I share wit…

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056. Five Focus Points for More Productive Rehearsals! 24:29

2+ y ago24:29

24:29

How do you structure your choir rehearsals? How do you plan them out? What are your objectives you want to accomplish in a choir rehearsal? These are questions that I hear a lot, from fellow choir directors, from coaching clients, and from members of our CDC Community Membership. So in today's episode of the podcast, I share with you my five focus …

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055. Tech Tip: How to Get Rid of Those Pesky YouTube Ads 9:43

2+ y ago9:43

9:43

My singers learn so much when I play videos of choir performances for them. And one great resource for finding those videos is, of course, YouTube. But the ads drive me CRAZY! In this podcast episode, I'm sharing with you not one, but two solutions that I'm using to work around those annoying ads. And, the first works not just for YouTube, but othe…

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054. A Choir Resource for Teaching Vocal Technique to Your Singers 10:19

3y ago10:19

10:19

I have talked with many choir directors who really struggle with teaching their singers vocal technique, for a wide variety of reasons. I am lucky that I originally started out in vocal performance, including earning a Master's degree in vocal performance. This allowed me the opportunity to study voice on a deeper level, and it also gave me the opp…

1
053. The Power is in the Debrief 17:15

3y ago17:15

17:15

"The Power is in the Debrief". My friend, who works in the business world, said this to me recently. As we talked, what he really was talking about was the importance of reflection and self-assessment. In this episode of the podcast, I discuss the different ways reflection can benefit student learning, and also discuss a perfect opportunity for ref…

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052. Five New Choral Pieces You Should Consider Programming in 2022 16:47

3y ago16:47

16:47

The search for choir repertoire can be time-consuming, and often frustrating. You may be in that place where you are asking yourself, "What in the world am I going to program for my next concert?" Or maybe you are just looking for some fresh repertoire ideas. If so, today's episode is for you! I'm sharing five new choral pieces that you should cons…

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