WA-ACDA's Brian Mitchell, R&S Chair for High School Choirs

January 30, 2010
Great books to have on your desk, the bookshelf in your office, or even on the nightstand

Once in a while, I feel like I need a “reboot”.  I just need to refocus my purpose, remember why I do what I do, and make sure I am still on course.  Pick my head up and make sure I look to the future.  They say if you want to plow straight rows, you have to look to the horizon, not down at the ground or back at what you have done.

One of the ways I find inspiration and motivation is through the words of other people, authors and composers with a new point of view or a new way to look at what we do every day.  These books have all played a role in my life over the years and if you don’t know of them, you should consider checking them out. 

Vocal Wisdom by Giovanni Battista Lamperti is full of insightful little quips and images that help to teach good singing.  Amazing words and phrases that really illustrate ideas about singing.

Another technique book, one for the choral conductor is Conducting Choral Music by Robert L. Garretson.  It has many useful chapters and is a wonderful reference book.    The book covers ideas on how to teach proper tone, how and why to place your choir in formation, and it has a very useful concise section onmusic history and how it applies to choral music.

The Robert Shaw Reader edited by Robert Blocker, is a superb insight into the letters by one of the most influential choral conductors in American history.  I found it very reassuring to read that even Robert Shaw had to be bothered by people not attending every rehearsal and not being prepared when they did attend.  One of my favorite letters was the one shaped like a dagger that he sent out to his choir after a particularly bad rehearsal.

Choral Charisma: Singing with Expression by Tom Carter has put into words something I have felt for a long time.  He makes tangible an element of performance that I have had a hard time wrapping my brain around.  He describes how to make the music come alive.  That elusive element of musicality and expression is discussed and you are left with some very specific approaches to making it happen with your choir

This Is Your Brain on Music: The Science of a Human Obsession by Daniel J. Levitin and Music, The Brain, and Ecstasy: How Music Captures Our Imagination by Robert Jourdain were both very fascinating books.  Although both are very technical at times they grabbed my imagination and thoughts about music and taught me a great deal about how our minds work and how and why music is so wonderful.

The Musician’s Soul by James Jordan is a study into the heart and soul of the conductor and talks about how to connect with your choir and the music. 

The final book that I routinely reference for inspiration and reboot is “Speaker’s Sourcebook II: Quotes, Stories, and Anecdotes for Every Occasion” by Glenn Van Ekeren.  For when I need to have a talk to the choir about growth, goals, purpose, success, work, or achievement, I turn to this book for words of wisdom, stories that inspire, and ideas to ponder. 

Robert Fulghum  wrote a book called Words I Wish I Wrote: A Collection of Writing That Inspired My Ideas.  If I were write my version of the Words I Wish I Wrote, most of the sources would come from the books I listed above. 

Let's put the lessons of summer into use on a daily basis
by Brian Mitchell, R&S Chair for High School Choirs

August, 2009

I am looking forward to having the opportunity to give back to ACDA as the new high school R&S chair. Going into my 15th year teaching choir at Mark Morris High school, and coming from a small town in Southwest Washington, I hope to be able to bring a fresh and unique perspective to the board. 

In my time in Longview, I have conducted high school boy’s choirs, treble choirs, beginning SAB choirs, 75 member junior/senior mixed ensembles, jazz choirs, and chamber choirs.  I have also directed the local Community College choir, a church choir, and am currently the co-director of a community choir.  As an adjudicator I have had the chance to see what is happening in other regions around Washington State.

Over the years, I have been fortunate enough to have many wonderful ACDA directors mentor me along my journey. I am so thankful for the time and knowledge they have been willing to share with me.  I hope to be able to help others by passing on the lessons I have learned from the incredible people who have come before me.

I hope you had a chance to recharge your batteries a bit over the summer.   For me, one of the best things about summer is the chance to just sit and rest.  I cherish the deep peace that comes with being able to have the time to sit on the porch, the beach, or alongside my favorite fishing stream and just let my thoughts wander.  

Taking time to ponder life’s mysteries is great for the soul.  I am reminded of a concept that James Jordan talked about in his book The Musicians Soul.   In order for the conductor to really be able to communicate the emotions and the music effectively, the conductor must be able to deal with the issues in his/her own life first.  For me, summer is the time that I really get to delve in, to relook at life and to take a fresh perspective. 

Fall is coming and I am both excited and apprehensive.  I just never know what is going to walk into my classroom the first day of school.  Just this week, the dreams/nightmares have started again.  Waking up in the middle of the night after playing out a scenario of showing up to contest on the wrong day, or the bus not showing up to take us on tour, or that class that  just can’t seem to be controlled.   I didn’t have these dreams in July; I think mostly because I have the opportunity to let my mind rest and ponder other things, my soul seems to breathe easier.

I think we can all take the lessons of summer and put them into our daily lives.  The words of the poet/author Maya Angelou come to mind. "Each of us needs to withdraw from the cares which will not withdraw from us. We need hours of aimless wandering or spaces of time sitting on park benches, observing the mysterious world of ants and the canopy of treetops."

I know I need to keep these kinds of thoughts in mind throughout the year.  At the beginning of every year I tend to get overwhelmed with the logistics of the entire upcoming school year, every concert, every form that needs to be filled out, buses requested, and fundraisers organized.   I forget sometimes to take it one day at a time. 

Before school starts again and the hectic day-to-day activities kick in, I am going to take my calendar and schedule time to relax, reflect, and sprinkle a little bit of summer into the entire year. 

I hope you have a great start to the year and remember to take it one day at a time.  Breathe. Let the space and peace of summer infuse the music and interactions of the school year.

Brian Mitchell - bmitchell@longview.k12.wa.us