Choral Coffee

It's been more than a year since the since the last podcast, but the team has made a triumphant return. Featuring their student teacher, Julia reflects on her experience at the high school.

Andrew, Allison, and Ethan have returned for 2024, and they are kicking the year off with a book study of Tom Carter's "Choral Charisma." Join them as they spend the next 12 weeks discussing and reflecting on each chapter with the goal of discovering better ways to make choirs more expressive performing artists.

Oh, there's no place like home for the holidays. Winter Break draws near as the team says a bittersweet goodbye to their student teacher, Erica Kinsman. Favorite Christmas movies are shared, Erica faces a fear, and gifts are exchanged. Happy Holidays to all!

Happy Thanksgiving! Andrew, Allison, and Erica welcome our newest host, Ethan, to the podcast! Andrew competes for a good cause, Ethan victoriously maneuvers an activity bus, Erica eats a Nutty Buddy, and Allison keeps everyone in line. Gobble gobble!

After a 3-month hiatus, we are back recording again and doing what friends do - catching up on all the fun things that have been happening in our lives. Join us for good conversation and to learn about our student teacher!

What exactly do teachers do over the summer? Don't they have summers off? Andrew and his guest, Kyle, discuss all the things they typically do in order to prepare for the start of the school year.

Sutter is about to graduate. As he reflects on some highlights from his years in choir, music theory is discussed as well as some parting advice.

Are you tired of doing the same thing over and over in your choir program? Are you looking for something to give it new life? Tune in and listen to how Andrew and Allison are starting to incorporate a new component to their choirs.

What is it like studying music composition in college? Andrew has a conversation with a Penn Choir alumnus about his experience at the College of Wooster while studying music composition. Ethan tells the story of being trapped in a stairwell at Penn. Was it an accident, or is there more to the story? Listen to find out!

As our choirs prepare for a performance of Howard Shore's "Lord of the Rings Symphony," we take a moment to discuss the importance of collaboration throughout the creative process.

Having just gotten back from a life-changing concert at the American Choral Directors Association national conference in Cincinnati, Andrew and Allison have an impromptu conversation to capture the moment.

What does it take to be a musical theatre major in college? In this interview with Marielle Utayde, she discusses the audition process, the challenges of the major, the shock of moving from Indiana to New York City, and much more. 

As a follow up to last week's episode where Andrew read a thought-provoking essay, Sutter and Secaur join Nemeth to discuss their thoughts on letting go and how it's relevant to their lives.

In this fireside chat, Andrew reads an essay by Brianna Wiest discussing the concept of moving on and letting go. What is holding you back? Do you feel like all your energy has been drained? This short reflection makes us think about both our personal and professional lives. How is this relevant to the choir classroom? Take time to reflect on the essay. We will discuss this on a future episode.

In this first episode of season 2, Andrew interviews his former colleague and friend Crystal Ryan to learn from her theatre background. What can choir people learn from theatre people? We all have stories to tell, and borrowing from different artistic outlets can help us to find techniques we may have otherwise overlooked. Consider supporting the show by purchasing some Choral Coffee merch before the end of January. CLICK HERE to place an order.

Happy New Year! Allison and Andrew discuss their top 10 moments of the school year so far. What could they be?

Winter Break is upon us. Nemeth and Sutter welcome back Avery to the studio. Being seniors, Sutter and Avery are questioned about being halfway finished with senior year in choir. Avery talks about already crying at the December concerts, Sutter fights a polar bear, and Nemeth talks of things to come. They even play a solfège game. Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Happy Kwanzaa, and Happy Holidays!

After three winter concerts, Andrew and Allison are exhausted. They share their experience from concert week and discuss traditions in their choir program. Which traditions should stick around and which ones should go?

Have you had a good chortle lately? Secaur, Nemeth, and Sutter conclude this episode by further discussing what's been keeping them busy and how they've been dealing with a seemingly unending list of things to do.

Happy Thanksgiving! Andrew and Allison reflect on all the people and things they have to be thankful for in their choir community. Andrew insults a crowd-favorite Thanksgiving side dish while Allison has her first experience with a Cookie Butter Latte.

When is the last time you had a good chortle? With the holidays approaching, we get incredibly busy. Andrew, Allison, and Sutter discuss some strategies they use to help deal with everything that needs to be done. Forbes contributor Bernard Marr is referenced in his article "The Top 10 Time Management Tips to Work Smarter, Not Harder."

What happens when students are left unsupervised to talk about THEIR experience with their fall concert? Was their experience similar to that of Andrew and Allison? Sutter has a candid discussion with two friends about the fall concert and what it meant to them.

Do choir teachers have pets? As in, teacher's pets? Andrew invites two senior students to shed some light on this issue. Having been called favorites, pets, and suck-ups before, do they view themselves that way? What does it really mean to be considered a favorite, and is that even a real thing?

Andrew & Allison discuss a recent concert experience between the high school chamber choir, Viva Voce, and the 8th grade choirs. After a couple years of trial and error, they finally feel like they are learning how to better coordinate a collaborative effort between high school and middle school.  View the concert program HERE.

Hosts Andrew Nemeth, Allison Secaur, and Sutter Sherwood introduce themselves in this episode, the coffee they're drinking, and their experience with solos and auditioning in choir. How do furries relate? Listen to find out!