Choir Ninja, with Ryan Guth

Latest Episodes:

Authenticity and Experience, with Sean Baugh Aug 15, 2017

Show notes

Authenticity and Experience, with Sean Baugh (Part 2, Following “Equality and Dignity for All People”) Turtle Creek Chorale does not do “stand and sing” concerts. Balancing music with a message is a difficult journey with great rewards, for both the musicians and the audience. Sean discusses the importance of balance in your programming, and gives you guidelines for programming a concert with an activist purpose. Musicians are, at the core, humanitarians. Listen: Highlight to Tweet: “Don’t end with a big smack in the face. End with material that everyone can grab on to.” - Sean Baugh Show Notes:

Before you program a concert with a message, you have to know where your musicians stand. Get to know them and their perspectives.
Social activism can have a real impact. After the Pulse nightclub shooting in Orlando, TCC put together a 3 hour long concert in 2 days that raised $18,000 and was viewed by 37,000 people live and online.
24-hour Sing In to bring attention to trans* issues.
Balance is key. Balance your message just as you balance your music.
Making people uncomfortable is not the goal, although you do want to make them think.
Sometimes programming for social issues is scary and uncertain. Trust your gut, and if a particular piece would take away from your performance, then don’t program it.
“Audience members will accept anything you want to sing to them as long as you do it with authenticity and from experience.” -Sean Baugh
Audiences are probably more open than we give them credit for, as long as you are performing with authenticity.
Musicians are, at the core, humanitarians.

Bio: Now in his fourth season, Sean Mikel Baugh is the Artistic Director of the Turtle Creek Chorale. Originally from Tulsa, Oklahoma, Sean studied music at Oklahoma Baptist University and the University of Central Oklahoma and was awarded a Master of Music in Conducting degree from the Meadows School of the Arts at Southern Methodist University where he was named outstanding graduate conductor. At the Meadows School, Sean served as assistant conductor of the world-renowned Meadows Wind Ensemble. He has studied with Nancy Hill Cobb, Jack Delaney, Paul Phillips and many others. Sean has been called “expressive and incredibly dynamic, a consummate musician with a side of showman. He exhilarates audience members and singers alike.” He is regularly praised for his innovative programming and expressive technique. His choirs have enjoyed positive reviews and have been lauded for their musicality and emotional performances. An active advocate for male choral music, Sean regularly commissions new works from established composers. Sean also serves as Associate Director of Music and Worship for Dallas-based Cathedral of Hope United Church of Christ where he leads the choir and orchestra for Sunday worship services. Cathedral of Hope is the world’s largest congregation with a primary outreach to the LGBT community. Sean is in demand nation-wide as speaker, guest-conductor and clinician. He has served on the music faculty of the University of Dallas and is an active member of the American Choral Directors Association, Gay & Lesbian Association of Choruses, Texas Choral Directors Association and Chorus America. Resources/links Mentioned:

Turtle Creek Chorale
Hope’s Door
Socrates’ Analogy of the Gadfly
SWACDA
Choir Nation group on Facebook
Email Patreon - Support the podcast!

Sponsored by: Sight Reading Factory (Use promo code “NINJA” at checkout for 10 free student accounts!) My Music Folders (Use promo code “NINJA” at checkout for “last column” or best pricing - usually reserved for bulk purchases only!)

Equality and Dignity for All People, with Sean Baugh Aug 11, 2017

Show notes

Sean Baugh skillfully leads the Turtle Creek Chorale in performances of both artistry and activism. Sean talks about how his ensemble of largely untrained singers is able to give powerful performances, leaning heavily on the passion of the musicians. We are all passionate about something, making us all activists, and music is our agent of change. Listen: Highlight to Tweet: “You can do a lot on a little bit of money if you love what you’re doing.” - Sean Baugh Show Notes:

Sean Baugh rose to his position as Artistic Director of Turtle Creek Chorale through a mixture of fortuitous timing, being willing to pivot when opportunity presented itself, and sharing his ambition with others.
Turtle Creek Chorale is one of the oldest gay men’s choruses, although it’s membership is comprised of different orientations.
Few of the members of TCC are professional musicians, and many have no formal choral training. Sean estimates about half do not read music.
TCC takes seriously its mission to lift up the disenfranchised, standing for equality and dignity for all people.
Music is the tool that TCC uses to address social issues.
You can’t predict who will be affected by your performance, or how it will impact them.

Turtle Creek Chorale
GALA Choruses
Choir Nation group on Facebook
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Let Them Dab, with Samantha Patterson Aug 08, 2017

Show notes

Choral elitists beware: we’re calling out the Emperor for having no clothes. Indiana choir director Samantha Patterson finds value in incorporating pop music, sporting events, and yes...even the dab...in her program, which has reaped the benefits of her innovative recruiting strategies. Want to know how to recruit boys, or anyone, into your program? This episode is the how-to guide you’ve been waiting for. Listen: Highlight to Tweet: “No wonder no one wants to be in your class; you pick the worst music.” - Samantha Patterson Show Notes:

Pop music is the lure, and it drives the interest in Samantha’s program. As the year progresses, she introduces more standard repertoire.
Starting with something easy and familiar...from the radio...sets them up for early success, and a great first concert experience.
After the early success, students are more willing to buy into more esoteric music selections.
Samantha takes her male students to a baseball game every fall. Everyone gets to go on a special outing, but baseball is just for the boys.
Another key recruiting factor is a special presentation for rising 5th graders. That concert is also high energy, with familiar pop songs.
Selling concessions at sporting events helps in 2 ways: it raises money for her program, and it gives her the opportunity to meet her students’ friends and ask, “Why aren’t you in choir?”
Social media can build stronger relationships between you and your students, and also with their parents.
Including younger children with the high school musical also has multiple benefits: it builds interest in your program in upcoming students, and it increases ticket sales overall.
Work with your sporting program. Be flexible. Allowing students to participate in other activities creates opportunities for everyone to win.

Bio: Samantha Patterson is the choir teacher at North Clay Middle School in Brazil, Indiana. She is currently in her 7th year of teaching and has taught all grade levels. Her program consists of close to 350 students, with close to 150 being male. Her choirs have sung for events with the NBA, WMBA, Indianapolis Indians, and the State Superintendent. Resources/links Mentioned:

Why Aren’t You in Choir?, podcast episode with Ryan Guth
Follow Samantha’s program on Instagram
Choir Nation group on Facebook
Email Patreon - Support the podcast!

The Singing Conductor, with Dr. Eugene Rogers Aug 04, 2017

Show notes

Dr. Eugene Rogers “preaches the word of the singing conductor.” There is singing, and then there is singing that utilizes technical mastery to communicate the meaning and emotion of a piece. Dr. Rogers calls these leaders who are so deeply connected to sound and its purpose Singing Conductors, and reveals the four characteristics they share in common. Listen: Highlight to Tweet: “The choirs are singing from the inside out. ” - Dr. Eugene Rogers Show Notes:

The “singing Conductor” is a process by which one approaches making the choral art come alive.
Singing Conductors lead choirs that sing from the inside out. They are completely aware of the technical aspects of choral music, but also deeply rooted in the understanding of the work.
There are 4 characteristics of the Singing Conductor:
- they have a heightened sensitivity to building sound
- they emphasize sound for sound’s sake, and also sound that is directly connected to the context of the piece
- they often see technical issues as opportunities for vocal warm ups
- they place a high emphasis on communication and expression
Think about your process. Look at conductors you admire, and figure out their approach.

Bio: Recognized as a leading conductor, pedagogue, and lecturer, Eugene Rogers has appeared throughout the United States as well as in Africa, Canada, China, Singapore, England, Portugal, Hong Kong, Luxembourg, Mexico, Spain, and Italy. Recently, Rogers received the Sphinx Medal of Excellence for his commitment to issues of social justice and leadership and conducted the University of Michigan Men's Glee Club in Salt Lake City, Utah at the National Convention of the American Choral Directors Association (ACDA). In December 2014, the Naxos recording of Milhaud's monumental L'Orestie d'Eschyle, on which Rogers served as a chorus master, was nominated for a 2015 GRAMMY® Award ("Best Opera Recording"). Rogers is currently associate director of choirs at U-M where he teaches undergraduate conducting, conducts the Men's Glee Club and the University Choir, and is the faculty director of the MPulse Vocal Arts Institute, a national high school summer program. In July, 2018, he will begin his new appointment as the Director of Choirs at Michigan, where he will oversee the graduate choral conducting program and direct the UM Chamber Choir. His past appointments include Macalester College (St. Paul, Minnesota), the Boys Choir of Harlem, Waubonsie Valley High School (Aurora, Illinois), and Anima Young Singers of Greater Chicago (formerly the Glen Ellyn Children's Choir). In 2013, Rogers co-managed the production of the joint CD Ye Shall Have a Song with the Michigan, Yale, and Harvard Glee Clubs, a collaboration celebrating America's three oldest collegiate choirs. Notable guest appearances include the Ministry Branch of Education Inaugural World Youth Choir Festival (Singapore); the Lisbon Summerfest Chamber Choir and Festival Chorus; VocalEssence and the Minnesota Public Radio Harmony in the Park; the Association for Music in International Schools (AMIS) High School Mixed Honor Choir (Luxembourg), the British Columbia Music Education Association Honor Choir; the NAfME All-Northwest High School Mixed Choir; Westminster Chamber Choir (Florence, Italy, and Princeton, New Jersey); Choral Music Experience (London, England); the Interscholastic Association of Southeast Asia High Schools Biennial Music Festival (Singapore); the Colorado All-State Choir; the Oregon All-State Mixed Choir, the Tlaxcala Mexico Second International Festival of Chamber Choirs; Choirs of America Festival (New York); the Oklahoma State University Choral Festival (Stillwater, Oklahoma); the Florida ACDA High School Mixed Honor Choir; the OAKE (Organization of American Kodály Educators) National Youth Honor Choir; the Alabama Middle School All-State Choir; Chorus America San Francisco Conference; the Illinois ACDA Summer Conference; the ACDA North Central Division Middle School Honor Choir; and the Vocalizze Youth Program in Lisbon. 2016-17 appearances include guest- conducting and conference presentations in Latvia, British Columbia, China, Madrid, Portugal, Singapore, California, Georgia, Minnesota, Ohio, Oregon, South Carolina, Texas, Virginia, Washington, and Michigan. In 2015, Mark Foster Publishing began the Eugene Rogers Choral Series, a series featuring emerging composers who specialize in contemporary classical and folk music traditions. In 2011, Rogers traveled to and studied the choral traditions of East Africa (Tanzania) and subsequently published editions of Tanzanian choral music under the Hal Leonard World Music Series. As a singer, Rogers has performed with the World Youth Choir, the Portland Symphonic Choir, the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra Chorale, and the May Festival Chorus in Cincinnati, Ohio. In addition to his duties as a conductor, teacher, and singer, Rogers is the first national chair of Diversity Issues for the American Choral Directors Association National Conference, co-artistic director of Portugal's Lisbon Summer Choral Festival and, in 2010 and 2011, was the artistic director of the Disneyland Hong Kong Winter Choral Festival. He has served as a panelist for the National Endowment of the Arts and currently serves on the boards of Chorus America, the National Collegiate Choral Organization, and is the ChoralQuest series editor for the American Composers Forum. Rogers holds the Bachelor of Arts degree in choral music education from the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign and the Master of Music and Doctor of Musical Arts degrees in choral conducting from U-M. Resources/links Mentioned:

Podcast Episode: Put the Text First, with Ryan Guth
Jerry Blackstone
Joe Miller
Emily Ellsworth
Choir Nation group on Facebook
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Trust Your Gut, with Dr. Eugene Rogers Aug 01, 2017

Show notes

Dr. Eugene Rogers gives you permission to listen to your gut. Whether it’s a move, a job, or even a bold programming choice, you can take risks. Some of them will pay off. Some of them will leave you stranded in New York City with no job and no car. But you will grow from all of them. Listen: Highlight to Tweet: “Choral music was deeply inside of me. I had a real passion for it, no matter what.” - Dr. Eugene Rogers Show Notes:

Dr. Rogers decided to dedicate his life to music during a piano lesson while he was a high school student. The idea that he could make a living as a musician took root and never wavered.
He originally thought he would be a singer. But conducting had a natural ease to it that compelled him to study further.
Conducting allows him to most fully express his musical vision.
Working for the Boys Choir of Harlem proved to be both a wonderful and a trying experience. Intending to stay in New York until he retired, Eugene was blindsided when the organization announced that because of financial difficulties they would no longer be able to pay him. But the experience reinforced for him that his life would always be centered on music.
Always listen to your gut! Even when an experience doesn’t turn out the way you expect, you can still learn from it.

Boys Choir of Harlem
Shout out to Corey!
Seven Last Words of the Unarmed
University of Michigan
Choir Nation group on Facebook
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Keynote Address to ICDA 2017: You’re Better Than You Think You Are; with Ryan Guth Jul 31, 2017

Show notes

Drawing on lessons learned while losing at pool, Ryan shares what it means to have an entrepreneurial mindset as a choir director. You will hear strategies about how to win at pool, how to lose at pool, and how to embarrassingly injure a friend during pool (with a step by step guide in the show notes). You will also hear why it is so important that we mindfully choose which kind of game we are going to play, which entrepreneurial super-skills you already posses, and how to avoid the traps that prevent you from being the real thing. Listen: Highlight to Tweet: “If your win is a standing ovation, you need a bigger win” - Ryan Guth Show Notes:

You are already functioning as an entrepreneur in 2 WAYS: Through Task:

Recruitment = Sales Market concerts Concert Programs = Graphic Design Press releases = PR Concerts = Event planning Working one-on-one with a student who’s more invested than the others = Coaching Talking to parents = Counseling/Negotiation Sending detailed emails so your students do what you need them to do = Copywriting Making resources for students like practice tracks = content marketing Updating your “teacher page” = web design Creating and upholding the rules in your choir handbook = Contracts Making an itinerary for your choir’s trip to Disney World = Travel planning Budgeting = Budgeting Picking the uniforms = fashion design Problem solver Through thought: Knows his/her own “why” Stands for something Abundance-minded Proactive Solutions-oriented Focused on personal growth and learning. Self-aware Places the greatest value on helping others before themselves. Knows other people's “Why” Takes ego out of the equation Confident in his/her unique value proposition to the world.

What’s holding you back from being great?

Listening to haters and critics. It’s a long game, and a numbers game. You have to get through your “no’s.” “Good” concerts are part of the process. They aren’t all great. Worrying about things outside your control. Blaming others Comparing yourself to others Zero-sum mentality When you get close to success, imposter syndrome tries to shut you down. The biggest pitfall is sometimes the smallest one: small goals that produce small wins

Construct a big “win”...not one based solely on applause, scores, or the admiration of others.

Bio: Having spent most of his middle and high school career in detention, Ryan Guth loves to speak to audiences about ways for choral directors to engage the seemingly un-engageable. Ryan learned fearlessness and indomitable spirit from a young age through many years studying the martial arts while also pursuing music – especially the time in middle school when he tried to break a board with his head in front his entire ninth grade class and failed spectacularly. He believes the best choir directors face challenges head-on (no pun intended), are solutions-oriented, and take full responsibility forall aspects of their program. Ryan’s most popular and surprisingly positive article “Your Choir Sucks Because You Suck” was shared over 2,200 times in 48 hours, and has since become his manifesto, mantra, and the platform that his work was built upon. Through his first podcast, Find Your Forte, Ryan connected thousands of weekly listeners with some of the most brilliant minds in choral music such as Helmuth Rilling, Patrick Quigley, Joseph Flummerfelt, James Bass, and 80-plus others. He recognizes the fact we become the best when we learn from the best. Ryan Guth recently created the Choir Ninja podcast to share solutions with middle and high school choral directors so they learn to work smarter – not harder. That’s why he focuses on sharing what works in choral programs across Choir Nation in a way that makes running a great choral program approachable, fun, and rewarding. When not dressing up in his ninja jammies or buffing his diploma from Westminster Choir College, Ryan is a high school choir director in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Before that, he spent a decade building a large middle school program and six-figure-choral-ensemble-based-for-profit-business in central New Jersey. He is also the founder and sole member of the Hyphenation Club of America. Ryan will be the keynote speaker at the Iowa Choral Directors Association Annual Summer Symposium, a presenter at the Chorus America Convention in the Summer of 2017, and a guest speaker at various other conferences and workshops throughout the year. Ryan enjoys getting lost outdoors with his beautiful fiancé, Amanda, and pitbull-lab Sasha. He also dislikes socks and only wears them when absolutely necessary. This bio was sponsored by Gold Bond Powder. Resources/links Mentioned:

Choir Nation group on Facebook
Email Patreon - Support the podcast!
Instructions for setting up a nut-shot in a game of pool: 1. Tell the unsuspecting victim you know a cool trickshot, but that you’ll need him to be your assistant. 2. Place the quarter about 8 inches from the end of the table, right down the center line. 3. Have your victim position himself behind the quarter. 4. Hand him the two balls and, whilst patting him on the back, tell him “Now you have 4!” 5. Ask the victim to place one ball at each of the corner pockets, hanging over the edge, just about to fall in. 6. Direct your victim to place his pointer fingers on each ball to prevent them from accidentally falling into the pocket. 7. He will need to brace himself, so remind him to take a step back and balance on both feet. 8. Now, walk to the other end of the table, and explain that through magic and complex feats of 9th grade geometry, in one shot, you will hit the two balls into each pocket. ;) 9. Place the cue ball on the dot, aim for the quarter, and… if you hit the quarter just right… it’ll jump off the table directly into the victim’s unsuspecting “huevos rancheros”. 10. Lastly, point at your victim and have a good laugh at his expense.

Vocal Athletes, Start Your Engines: with Dr. John Yarrington Jul 26, 2017

Show notes

I won’t lie. It’s worth listening to this entire podcast just because five and a half minutes into it Dr. Yarrington does an impression of an orchestra warming up, and it gave me life. Besides that, there is valuable information here about vocal warm ups, accountability, choosing appropriate literature, student conductors, and why adults are more frustrating than children. Listen: Highlight to Tweet: “I want my kids to sing well, and be happy they sang well. Other than that, what is there?” - John Yarrington Show Notes:

You don’t have time not to warm up each week
Warm ups should be timed (5 minutes is plenty), more about listening than producing, and intentionally productive.
Program for your students, not for yourself or other directors.
Put your singers first. That means hard work, hard rules, and no participation trophies.

Bio: After 18 years as the head of the Choral Department at Houston Baptist University, Dr. John Yarrington has retired. During these years, a significant change in the choral culture was accomplished with outstanding concerts of varying repertoire, major works with orchestra, outstanding guests including Alice Parker, Morton Lauridsen, Dan Forrest, James Jordan, and Anton Armstrong. Five trips to the Classic Music Festival in Eisenstadt, Austria were accomplished and the HBU Schola Cantorum was the featured choir singing a concert in the Bergkirche, Haydn's church. Dr. Yarrington is a published composer and author - his latest book is Have We Had This Conversation, published by Sacred Music Press. He has completed a new book entitled "In Pursuit of Musical Excellence, yet to be published. Dr. Yarrington was, for 34 years, a full time church musician and continues today as the Chancel Choir Director of the First Presbyterian Church of Houston. At Pulaski Heights UMC in Little Rock, Arkansas, he started the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra Chorus and was, for a season, interim conductor of the orchestra. He also was Artistic Director of the Arkansas Chamber Singers for several seasons - a professional choral group. Resources/links Mentioned:

Houston Baptist University
Choir Nation group on Facebook
Email Patreon - Support the podcast!

Leave My Christmas Carols Alone, with Dr. John Yarrington Jul 20, 2017

Show notes

Did you ever want to sit down with one of the great choral directors over coffee and just chat? It might go something like this. Ryan and Dr. John Yarrington cover a lot of ground in this interview, including avoiding yard work in retirement, politically correct Christmas carols, the importance of doing great works and basic literature, reasons why Texas is a choral powerhouse, Alice Parker, not speaking to Robert Shaw, how Ryan self-identifies as Texan, Bach motets, and choral overreach. Listen: Highlight to Tweet: “Adjunct is Latin for “work your butt off for no money” - John Yarrington Show Notes:

Dr. Yarrington did not spend his career in academia, even though he has recently retired from Houston Baptist University. Instead, his background is mainly in large churches.
Ya’ll. Just leave his Christmas carols alone. Don your gay apparel or just get out.
Working with Alice Parker taught him the importance of text.
Start with the text, and protect it faithfully.

University of Oklahoma
Houston Baptist University
Choir Nation group on Facebook
Email Patreon - Support the podcast!

Sing the Stories of the Living (part 2), with Saunder Choi Jul 15, 2017

Show notes

Ryan continues his conversation with Los Angeles based Filipino composer Saunder Choi. In this episode they delve more deeply into the question of what constitutes an authentic cultural exchange. Saunder makes the case for more fully exploring a culture by going beyond the well-known folk or patriotic songs, and looking to their contemporary poetry and stories. Listen: Highlight to Tweet: “Explore music from other countries that are not folk songs.” -Saunder Choi Show Notes:

Culture shock, moving to the US, and being an immigrant composer. (cultural exchange through music)
Why musical hybrids are interesting
Music, social justice, and why mixing the two is inevitable.
Choral music of Asia and why conductors should go past programming on folk songs of that region. (Globalization hazzuh!)

Bio: Saunder Choi is an emerging LA based Filipino composer. his works been performed, programmed, recorded and read by the USC Thornton Symphony, Boston Philharmonic Youth Orchestra, Philippine Madrigal Singers, the Crossing Choir, the LA Master Chorale, USC Chamber Singers, Peninsula Women’s Chorus, Kalistos Chamber Orchestra and the Oregon Bach Festival Composers Symposium Chorus. He has been commissioned by the L.A. Choral Lab, Andrea Veneracion International Choral Festival, Salt Lake Choral Artists, SYC Ensemble Singers of Singapore, Choral Arts Initiative, University of the East Chorale, University of Visayas Chorale, etc. As an arranger and orchestrator, Saunder has written Tony Award-winner Lea Salonga, the ABS-CBN Philharmonic Orchestra, Maestro Gerard Salonga, the Tim Janis American Christmas Carol Show at Carnegie Hall, Ballet Philippines, and the Hong Kong production of Pippin. As a vocalist, he sung in groups such as the Philippine Madrigal Singers, LA Choral Lab, Tonality, C3LA, USC Chamber Singers, Boston Choral Ensemble, Lore Vocal Ensemble, etc. He also serves as the choir director at St. Matthew’s Lutheran Church in North Hollywood and teaching artist for Pacific Chorale. Saunder holds composition degrees from USC Thornton School of Music (MM) and Berklee College of Music (BM), where his primary teachers include Ted Hearne, Donald Crockett, and Andrew List. Resources/links Mentioned:

Philippine Madrigal Singers
Choral Arts Initiative
Saunder Choi
Saunder Choi on Facebook
Choir Nation group on Facebook
Email Patreon - Support the podcast!

Sing the Stories of the Living, with Saunder Choi Jul 11, 2017

Show notes

Los Angeles based Filipino composer Saunder Choi was raised in a Chinese family, and his diverse cultural background is informing his voice as an emerging choral composer. Saunder’s motive in composition is to use music to facilitate cultural exchange, telling stories that people might not otherwise hear. Ryan and Saunder discuss Philippine choral culture, family business dynamics, dead white guys, and what it was like to be an immigrant during the 2016 election in this first episode of a two-part series. Listen: Highlight to Tweet: “More and more people are composing pieces...that are not settings of poetry by dead white guys.” -Saunder Choi Show Notes:

Choral Arts Initiative 5th anniversary concert will premiere of 5 new works by southern California composers, including a new piece by Saunder.
Saunder had to make a hard decision to pursue composition in the US, against the expectations that he would remain in the Philippines and help run the family business.
After many tours with the Philippine Madrigal Singers performing folk songs from their respective countries, Saunder began to realize that choral music should go beyond folk songs, and reflect the stories of living people.
In response to the 2016 election, Saunder reflected heavily on his status as an immigrant in the US. That awareness is infused into his recent works.

Philippine Madrigal Singers
Choral Arts Initiative
Saunder Choi
Choir Nation group on Facebook
Email Patreon - Support the podcast!

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