tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5244014424535464612.post3575174729550748142..comments2023-08-06T05:22:33.610-07:00Comments on Richard Sparks - Music, Conducting, Choirs: What we can learn from John Wooden XRichardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14910774133392443899noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5244014424535464612.post-70242419382887092262013-12-10T15:45:44.151-08:002013-12-10T15:45:44.151-08:00Thanks very much! I've met Bruce, so will have...Thanks very much! I've met Bruce, so will have to follow up with him and see if he knows the blog--and yes, his results are terrific!<br /><br />Great ideas in your comment--thanks so much! I'm doing a lot of thinking about individual feedback. As I try some things this spring, I'll report at some time what worked and what didn't.<br /><br />And I plan to keep posts coming!<br /><br />If you have suggestions for future series, let me know.Richardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14910774133392443899noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5244014424535464612.post-62991808602318461612013-12-06T15:09:04.714-08:002013-12-06T15:09:04.714-08:00Hi Richard,
I really appreciate your topics, and ...Hi Richard,<br /><br />I really appreciate your topics, and have learned a bit, or at least thought a bit more, about nearly all of them. <br /><br />As an avid sports fan and long time fan of John Wooden I have also given a great deal of thought to how to incorporate his teachings into my rehearsals. I even passed out his Pyramid to my singers one year. The only other choral person that I know who speaks about Wooden as an influence is Bruce Rogers at Mt. SAC in Southern California, and his choir's results speak for themselves. <br /><br />For me Wooden's most immediately compelling and useful strategies are the amount of concrete instruction he offers opposed to time spent praising or admonishing, and the amount of time that they we spend drilling vs. performing. When singers know where they are in the rehearsal process, they are more likely to deliver (by knowing what to deliver). <br /><br />I have found individual assessment to be a challenge. Incorporating self-assessment tactics is always effective for me. Simple things like a singers providing feedback from a self-made individual or small group recording often opens their eyes (ears!) more than anything I could say. I guess this would be the equivalent of watching game film and analyzing our own skills.<br /><br />There are two other things that I have always found very thought provoking about his teachings and career. First - the focus on basic skills away from the music. I try to work very hard on the things within my singer's control that can make them better - clean intervals, posture, vowels, so that when we put them into context of the music they know what they are supposed to do. While I have never shown anyone how to tie their shoes, I have shown some how to tie a bow tie!<br /><br />Second is the fact that he had far less than ideal practice situations throughout the beginning part of his career. I cringe whenever I hear lack of ideal situations as someones excuse for doing less than quality work. <br /><br />I read all of your posts, and so do my grad students (I think!), so please keep them coming. Buddy Jameshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10134587362535540257noreply@blogger.com