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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 and addressed.
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“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 go down.”Dr. Elizabeth Schauer serves as Professor of Music and Director of Choral Activities at the University of Arizona, where she is in her twe...
“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 that my choirs take seriously.”Recipient of the President’s Award from the California Music Educators Association honoring "extraordinary accompli...
“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. Brett D. Epperson is Director of Choral Activities and Assistant Professor of Music at Hastings College. He directs the Hastings College Choir and...
"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 a time."Joshua Cheney, a native of Fayetteville, North Carolina, is the Assistant Professor of Music and Director of Choral Activities at Gardner-...
“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 give them the strength to identify it themselves is practicing the skill we want to see played out in the repertoire.”Since 2006, Mr. Oakes has serv...
“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, access to programs, and how to break barriers for participation.”Dr. Marcela Molina has been leading the Tucson Girls Chorus since 2006, first serving ...
“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 whether they are indeed successful and worthwhile. You really have such a big role to play.”Jessica Nápoles is Professor of Choral Music Education...
“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 when we teach these things."Ryan Deignan is Assistant Professor and Director of Choral Activities at the University of Minnesota Duluth where he le...
"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 translated into how they behaved in choir."Cathleen Britton has been making music her entire life. She grew up in Aberdeen, South Dakota, and then stu...
"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, always being prepared, and almost never missing a note." Dr. Stephen Caldwell is Associate Professor and Outgoing Chair of the Faculty Senate at the U...
Thank you for listening to our show this season!!Here are the favorite choral pieces from our guests in the second season:Sommerpsalm, Waldemar ÅhlénChristmas Oratorio, Johann Sebastian BachKomm, Jesu, Komm; Johann Sebastian BachAgnus Dei, Samuel BarberBluegrass Mass, Carol BarnettAfternoon on a Hill, Eric BarnumMissa Solemnis, Ludwig van BeethovenThe Eyes of All Wait Upon Thee, Jean BergerChichester Psalms, Leonard Bernstein(x2)Ave Maria, Franz BieblBallad of the Brown King, Margaret BondsCr...
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 MinisodeFirst and last name, pronouns optionalCity and state you live inSchool where you teach or study, choral organization you work with, etc.Answer any and all of our lightning round questions:a. Beach or Mountain vacation?...
Choir Fam Minisode 3 includes Lightning Round answers from two of our Choir Fam listeners:Stephen SalamunovichRenton, WashingtonAnneliese ZookGarfield, WashingtonWe 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 better.Email choirfampodcast@gmail.com with the following info:Subject Line: Choir Fam MinisodeFirst and last name, pronouns optionalCity and state you...
“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 about technique that they hide themselves. We want to see the person. Who are you and what do you have to say?”Prof. Jean-Sébastien Vallée is a ren...
“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 audience: how do I find pieces that are going to meet my singers where they are, challenge them pedagogically, and bring people to my concert and make i...
“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,' you could instead say 'that's not heavy enough’ or ‘direct enough.’ That's language that we're already familiar with as people.”Dr. Eric Rubinst...
"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 yourself who you are and you stay true to who you are. You don't change your sound based on what is in vogue in the music world. Be true to yourself. B...
“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 you’re proud of is super rewarding. If something is impossible, that doesn’t excite me.”Born in Australia and raised in an immigrant family, Melis...
“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 really quickly.”A Virginia native, Marques L. A. Garrett is Associate Professor of Choral Studies at the University of North Texas. He earned his ...
“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 secret - the inspiration you get from your fellow students and teachers.”Born in Stockholm, Anders Edenroth started playing piano and singing in choir...
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