After I led the services at UUCM on January 26th, several people expressed their surprise to me. Most of you knew me as the music director, but not as someone who could stand in the pulpit and deliver a sermon. We all tend to categorize the people around us, because it makes life easier. This person is someone with...
Category: On That Note Music Blog
Post
On That Note… – January 2014
The music program at UUCM has been very active in the past three months. Here is a brief update: In September we held a two-day choir retreat at the Rinearson/Lewis house in the Catskills. We enjoyed a good balance of rehearsals and social time, which included sharing meals, singing around the campfire and hot-tubbing. We...
Post
On That Note… – November 2013
I learned the hymn “Standing On The Side Of Love” eight years ago when I was working at Theodore Parker Church in Boston, my first UU congregation. Although I liked the message of the song, I felt conflicted about the title’s divisive implications. If we are standing on the side of love that means those...
Post
On That Note… – October 2013
When I was a kid thinking about what I wanted to be when I grew up, one of my greatest concerns was finding a profession that would provide enough variety so that I would not get bored. I worried that any sort of routine would mean stagnation and inevitable tedium. As I enter my second...
Post
On That Note… – September 2013
A month ago I had the opportunity to attend the UU Musicians’ Network conference (my first time) in Dallas,Texas: 4 days more joyful and inspiring than I could have imagined. The variety of the workshops, the amount of new choral music, and the positive energy (not to mention the abundance of sheer talent) from the...
Post
On That Note… – Summer 2013
Greetings from the West! I am spending a month in Helena, Montana, where I am conducting a production of the musical “Big River.” It’s my second time here, and no less magical than last summer. At the end of July, I’ll be headed to the annual UU Musicians Network conference in Dallas,Texas (I sure hope...