Choir Fam Podcast

Apr 16 2024 4
Choir Fam Podcast artwork

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

Apr 16 2024 48 mins  
“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 strengt

Ep. 81 - Expanding Access to Choral Participation - Marcela Molina

Apr 08 2024 48 mins  
“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

Ep. 80 - Bridging Artistry and Scholarship - Jessica Nápoles

Apr 01 2024 49 mins  
“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 suc

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

Mar 15 2024 55 mins  
“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.&

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

Mar 03 2024 49 mins  
"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 behav

Ep. 77 - Creating Opportunities Through First Impressions - Stephen Caldwell

Feb 26 2024 55 mins  
"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

Season 3 Wrap-Up

Feb 19 2024 13 mins  
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,

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

Feb 16 2024 2 mins  
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 [email protected] with the following info:Subject Line: Choir Fam MinisodeFirst and last name, pronouns optionalCity and state you live inSchool where you teach or study, cho

Minisode 3 - Stephen Salamunovich, Anneliese Zook

Feb 16 2024 6 mins  
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@gmai

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

Feb 12 2024 45 mins  
“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 t