Month: April 2026

Alan and Steve talk with Athens, Georgia–based music educator and Tones Collective co‑founder Cortez Daniel about what he’s learning from teaching “today’s kids” in K–12 and community settings. Cortez shares how his work in public schools and with organizations like Evergreen Children’s Chorale and Tones Collective informs his approach to accommodations that maintain rigor, preventing learned helplessness, … Read more

In response to a listener request, Alan and Steve share practical advice for first-time clinicians and adjudicators. Alan focuses on the clinic side—how to quickly build trust, avoid undermining the director, and zero in on one or two changes that can immediately raise performance quality. Steve then tackles the judging side, with smart pointers on … Read more

Just in time for spring contest preparation, Alan  and Steve  unpack one deceptively simple idea: “There’s one rule in music – make it sound good.” If that’s true, what does it actually look like in rehearsal? Steve breaks the rule into six practical priorities great ensembles share: accurate attacks, correct pitches, the best possible tone, … Read more