Author: Tom Sabatino

Choral composer Sarah Quartel grew up in a household filled with music. Whether it was her mother singing Italian arias in the kitchen or her father practicing church music in…

It never failed. Late November into December, when my performing groups were approaching the final stages of concert preparation, one or more students would ask me, “Can you help me…

Are you a band director yet you find yourself teaching chorus? In Part 1: Preparing Your Singers I discussed setting up and managing the choral room, breathing and warm-ups, and reading…

Part 1: Preparing Your Singers During my teaching career, I noticed that there were many music teachers who would have liked to have known more about teaching both band and…

What might happen if we all took 30 seconds each day to be silent, listen, appreciate, and celebrate the present moment? I read a book one summer that changed the…

One of the most frustrating experiences a music teacher or director can have is a concert audience that is disrespectful. Whether it is cell phones ringing during the performance, shouts…

Much has been written about recruitment and retention for music programs.  With the uptick in access to social media, there are even more opportunities to share and acquire new ideas…

Now that you have found some potential pieces and they fit the “who, what, when, where and why” of your practical considerations, what now?  Consider the following additional questions:

In Part 1 we discussed practical considerations in choosing repertoire, such as the makeup of your performing group and the expectations of your intended audience.  Now we’ll look at how…