CUEnotes
YouthCUE's blog on topics of youth choir ministry, leadership and professional well-being
With YouthCUE moving towards a full array of programming in 2022, network directors are urged to check the website often for the latest developments
YouthCUE has always been about collaboration. In fact, our first official name was – and officially still is – Youth Choirs Incorporated. The “incorporated” part was not so much about a business model as it was about the whole concept of sharing, collaboration, and...
Recent pandemic developments signal significant restarts in choral singing. Here are some important considerations …
As a nine-year-old, I found myself on the Texas Gulf Coast at dawn one morning on a long-anticipated fishing trip. It happened at the very end of the school year, and we were beyond excited to experience the freedom of summer and this fun getaway! As the sun arose...
In student choirs, distance can be used to develop choral sounds — Part 1
Over my five decades directing student choirs, one thing remaining totally constant has been this: In the choral setting, the students tend to naturally sit shoulder to shoulder and as close together as possible. This speaks to the teenagers’ craving of security,...
How Do You Get From This …
Look ahead to next article ... the one with the colorful tulips!
(How Do You Get from That) … to This?
Over the past few seasons, recurring visits to the Skagit Valley in Washington have taught me a thing or two about seasons, patience, faith, and staying positive. The photos you see ... the one of the bare-looking field, and then the other with a glorious array of...
In Choral Music and Life in America, Balance Is Absolutely Critical in Order to Achieve Beauty
A healthy life balance is something most people desire. And what’s more, most of us think we have already achieved it, whether we actually have or not. I may not be perfect, but my life’s balance is at least healthier than that of my friends, right? If it becomes...
The Beauty and Destruction of Our Words
THE BEAUTY AND DESTRUCTION OF OUR WORDS Writing this piece, I am set up with a cup of tea in my den with the television currently on low volume. It’s Inauguration Day 2021. The volume will move up and down as the morning’s events unfold. Currently, as I click the...
Regardless of Your Politics, Amanda Gorman’s Inaugural Poem Is an Inspiration for All
AMANDA GORMAN’S INAUGURAL POEM IS AN INSPIRATION FOR ALL In 2017, Amanda Gorman was named the first-ever National Youth Poet Laureate. She was eighteen at the time. When the now 22-year-old was chosen to recite her poem, entitled The Hill We Climb for the Presidential...
Guiding lights transform difficult days into holy futures
Guiding lights transform difficult days into holy futures In these early days of 2021, our national leaders in science, healthcare, and politics are saying essentially the same thing about the coming weeks: The darkest and most difficult days of the COVID-19...
Making a Difference in Two Worlds
A few of still have vivid memories of what a horribly difficult year 1968 was. The Vietnam War was raging, the TET offensive killed thousands, and riots were happening on university campuses across the United States. In some cases, the spring semester of 1968 was...
