Best Dean Luethi Podcasts (2025)

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Ep. 120 - Unlocking Humanity and Vulnerability Through Choral Singing - Chris Maunu 51:07

15d ago51:07

51:07

“I think during my formative years, shying away from my true self – my authentic self – that's definitely shaped how I approach being in front of choirs, using choir as a platform to really encourage kids to be themselves. I think there's a vulnerability to singing where it really is an avenue to accessing the truest parts of ourselves, and so that…

1
Ep. 119 - Mentoring the Next Generation of Choral Educators - Jennifer Sengin 48:36

28d ago48:36

48:36

“You never know what anybody's potential is. I think about that now as a teacher, that we are expecting 17-, 18-year-olds to know what they want to do for the rest of their lives. It’s so early in your life to make those decisions, and so much can change during those really formative years. I want to help them to be the best version of themselves i…

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Ep. 118 - Preserving the Art of Community Music Making - Michael Murphy 49:59

1M ago49:59

49:59

“Sometimes my students ask me if I worry about the future of choral music with advanced technology, AI, but I really am not concerned at all. The way that I see it, the act of making music with each other, the need to connect with each other – I don't see that going away anytime soon. To connect through honest, authentic communication that is not a…

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Ep. 117 - Tips for Writing Accessible and Eloquent Choral Music - Dan Forrest 49:32

2M ago49:32

49:32

“I think the hardest thing in the world is to write easy music that still is eloquent. A piece relies on strength of idea and not strength of technique or difficulty. That underlying idea is so rich with potential and can be developed in so many beautiful ways within a 3-minute work or a 70-minute work. The pieces I'm the most proud of are the piec…

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Ep. 116 - Modeling Vocal Versatility for Singers - Cindy Ellis 53:45

2M ago53:45

53:45

“I want students to function in a studio recording session and a live performance, which are very, very different worlds. I want them to be able to do not just jazz, not just classical, not just gospel, but everything so that they can be hired to sing backgrounds for Beyoncé one day and the next day be singing with Andrea Bocelli on tour. I try to …

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Ep. 115 - Mental Health Strategies for Choral Ensembles - Sarah Graham 46:06

2M ago46:06

46:06

“Students will often refer to voice lessons, to choir rehearsal, as therapy. I felt that there was something to that. I wanted to make the connection between individual therapy and voice lessons and group therapy and the choral rehearsal. What is it about the choral organism that becomes a space that can be therapeutic? I found a lot of commonaliti…

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Ep. 114 - Creative Problem Solving in the Choral Rehearsal - Sharon Paul 47:50

3M ago47:50

47:50

“One of the things we know about the brain is that information that is acquired through problem solving is more likely to be retained. I might start rehearsal by saying 'take out the piece in D major,' 'let's start in the climactic moment of the Brahms,' 'take out the piece where fire is used as a metaphor for passion.' You start with a problem, so…

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Ep. 113 - Advancing Composition with Improvisation and Mixed Media - Katerina Gimon 50:56

3M ago50:56

50:56

“You never know someone else’s story. You never know what the experience of a concert or hearing a piece is to somebody. You don’t know how that affects them. So much of my music and why I do what I do is to facilitate these moments of connection between choristers, to give autonomy to choristers to feel like co-composers of my music themselves eac…

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Ep. 112 - Building Cultural Empathy Through International Travel - Emily Ellsworth 50:39

3M ago50:39

50:39

“People may live in a place that's very different from us, but they have the same hopes, dreams, fears, and struggles with everyday life that we all do at some level. All the parents want education for their kids. Everyone wants a home, wants good food to eat, loves a good laugh and a good joke, loves to play and be silly together. If you find that…

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Ep. 111 - Saying "Yes" to New Opportunities - Jessica Koenig 44:27

3M ago44:27

44:27

“A big part of being a musician is believing in yourself and saying ‘yes’ to the little opportunities that come your way. Sometimes we can get down on ourselves. We think, ‘I'm not cut out for that.’ Believe in yourself and what you can do, no matter what the situation... Don't be afraid to say ‘yes,’ to try out for that show or audition for that e…

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Ep. 110 - Flourishing and Growing Amidst Life's Surprises - Julie Yu 48:51

4M ago48:51

48:51

“In science, they're not tied to an outcome. They're open to the possibilities of what is going to result from an experiment. How freeing is that – not to be tied to a specific outcome. I've really tried to adopt that in my own personal life, the idea of just growing, learning, and being open. So many things are out of my control, so I might as wel…

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Ep. 109 - Growing and Thriving in the First Years of Teaching - Ross Cawthon 44:12

4M ago44:12

44:12

“Your first year is not going to be perfect. You're not going to feel like you're having a lot of success a lot of the time because you're figuring out how to work within a school system, how to work with other teachers, with parents, with students that may not be too much younger than you if you start teaching high school. So you do your best, and…

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Ep. 108 - Adapting the Voice for Solo and Ensemble Singing - Alisa Toy 47:16

5M ago47:16

47:16

“Going back for a master’s was exhilarating. So many of the things that I had been doing in my studio were corroborated with education. On the flip side, I had a lot of moments where I thought, “I've been doing that wrong. I should change that.” Having had years doing a lot of my own education—I attended conferences and did everything I could to so…

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Ep. 107 - Strengthening Pedagogy Through Choral Literature Study - Chester Alwes 58:00

5M ago58:00

58:00

"I think in many ways the pattern is the least important part of conducting. It’s much more about showing what the music should be doing, not beating four. If it were just a matter of keeping time, we could use a flashing red light. That's not what your job is. Your job is to encourage and show the music physically. I believe very strongly that the…

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Ep. 106 - Building Bridges Between Singers and the Music - Luke McEndarfer 45:51

5M ago45:51

45:51

“You have to create the bridge between the instructor and the student. Talk about your passion about the music, why you're performing it, why the piece is so special, and mix some humor in there. Once that engagement happens, everything you teach is automatically transferred because all the performers want that excellence for themselves, which is d…

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Ep. 105 - Advocating for the Study of Music Written by Women - Alan Davis 52:18

6M ago52:18

52:18

“I said, ‘I really wish a book existed with more women composers in it’... This book is so important in 2024 with equality and inclusivity being at the forefront of our profession. I think that this is timely, and I think it's a great representation of where we're going in our profession right now especially given the fact that I see a lot more pro…

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Ep. 104 - Musical Experiences to Feed the Spirit - Pearl Shangkuan 52:18

6M ago52:18

52:18

"I have always been very intentional about my programming. My students sit in front of me, they're 18 to 22 years old, but I would have programmed for their 35-, 40-year-old self, for when the hard times come. What are we singing? What is this choir mama feeding them that eventually, when the hard times come, bubbles up in their spirit to help them…

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Ep. 103 - Developing Choral Tone Through Community Building - Joel Tranquilla 54:45

7M ago54:45

54:45

“I don't have a sound that I'm trying to make the choir fit into. I'm trying to understand and uncover the palette of sounds that are in front of me and then expand our sense of what we can sound like. This happens through the community building process, because the more we honor each individual and allow them to bring themselves into that rehearsa…

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Ep. 102 - Breaking Barriers for Women-Identifying Conductors - Coreen Duffy 42:45

7M ago42:45

42:45

“Historically, in higher education and in music in general, it was a male-dominated podium expectation. When we step on the podium as women-identifying conductors, we're breaking that image. There's a long way to go, and WiCHEd is working on bringing a supportive community together, helping the next generation figure out how to navigate this compli…

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Ep. 101 - Developing Listening Skills and Fostering Empathy Through Singing - Ethan Sperry 48:07

7M ago48:07

48:07

“When people talk about what skills kids are lacking in America these days, two of the skills that come up a lot are the ability to listen to each other and have some empathy for each other. Some people would say it’s not just kids that are lacking those skills; it might be what is really missing from our society. I think choir is the best subject …

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Season 4 Wrap-Up 19:26

7M ago19:26

19:26

Thank you for listening to our show this season!! Here are the favorite choral pieces from our guests in the fourth season: St. John Passion, Johann Sebastian Bach St. Matthew Passion, Johann Sebastian Bach Ave Maria, Franz Biebl Requiem, Johannes Brahms “Wie lieblich sind deine Wohnungen” from Requiem, Johannes Brahms No Time, Susan Brumfield I Si…

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Ep. 100 - Strengthening the Bond Between Composers and Choristers - Sarah Quartel 45:49

8M ago45:49

45:49

“For me, choral music is all about the people. I write for the choristers. I've gone through that phase in my life where I've written only for myself, where I had a lot of things I needed to express and every note that went on a page was for me. Now I'm in a phase where I want to adore every note that's on the page. I want every note that's on the …

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Ep. 99 - Exploring Passion and Expression Through Gospel Music - Trey McLaughlin 49:03

8M ago49:03

49:03

“No one cared about my accolades coming in as a freshman. It’s not enough just to be good, because everyone is good. It forced me not to ride on my natural ability and to buckle down to figure out things like theory, music history, and performance practice. It made me realize that being an individual is paramount, and you have to prove why you are …

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Ep. 98 - Growing the Choral Community Through International Collaboration - Ken Steven 46:48

8M ago46:48

46:48

“In Indonesia, choral singing has just been really popular recently, maybe around ten years. It has become a lifestyle. Everyone wants to be part of a choir because choir is very interesting - you can go on tour, you can do concerts... What drives the choir most is joining a competition: they will have a goal they want to achieve, an opportunity to…

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Ep. 97 - Growing Cross-Cultural Appreciation Through Choral Music - Michael Barrett 44:34

9M ago44:34

44:34

“As choral conductors, we're first and foremost educators, and we have to realize that we have to come with compassion in everything that we do when we listen to choirs. All too often we sit there thinking, ‘the intonation wasn't so great, or maybe their phrase endings could be better,’ but we don't understand what people are working with. No two c…

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Ep. 96 - Building the Culture of Choral Music in Your Community - David Fryling 51:02

9M ago51:02

51:02

Dr. David Fryling is director of choral activities at Hofstra University, where he conducts both the select Hofstra Chorale and Hofstra Chamber Choir and teaches beginning and advanced studies in choral conducting, as well as graduate-level studies in choral conducting and choral literature. In addition, he is an adjunct professor for the Hofstra S…

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Ep. 95 - Improvisation and Community from the Folk-Acoustic Tradition - Lissa Schneckenburger 53:49

9M ago53:49

53:49

“A lot of what I end up teaching with regards to all of music, but certainly improvisation, has to do with becoming comfortable. You can do all kinds of different technical exercises, improvisation exercises, conceptual brain project exercises, all of which serve to help the musician become comfortable and fluid with their musical expression so tha…

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Ep. 94 - Encouraging Musical Ownership for Middle School Singers - Karla McClain 46:38

10M ago46:38

46:38

“That's my job: to take the foundation of what they have – love of singing and basic vocal technique – and then just refine it, to challenge them to start being more musical artists themselves. I personally do a lot of giving the kids choices: ‘If it's not in the music, how do we want to sing this? What are your thoughts?’ We listen, we reflect. I …

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Ep. 93 - Cultivating Confidence for Elementary Singers - Bethany Main 44:16

10M ago44:16

44:16

“My goal is that no child will leave my classroom thinking they can't sing. If I have a coworker say, ‘I can't sing,’ I'm like, ‘no, no. First, give me 15 minutes and a piano and I will show you that you can. Second, you can't say that because if you say that, then the kids think it's okay to say that.’ I'm really fighting all day to prove to them …

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Ep. 92 - Developing Independent Musicianship in Choral and Instrumental Ensembles - Will Gunn 49:59

10M ago49:59

49:59

“I wanted to get kids to work more collaboratively. We say we’re a collaborative group, but the conductor is behind the piano teaching the choir parts rather than saying, ‘here's the part I want you to learn. Go learn it. Here are the expectations and come back and self-assess yourself.’ So, I designed performance tasks. I'll work on it as a group …

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Ep. 91 - Building Artistic Versatility Through Contemporary A Cappella - J.D. Frizzell 46:32

11M ago46:32

46:32

“At the end of that first year, I did a pops concert. I developed the formula that I use now, which is to make it sound a lot like the actual songs. You give a lot of soloists opportunities to sing solos, especially in the verses which are harder because of the syncopation. We had a band that we hired: some horns, a rhythm section. The kids loved i…

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Ep. 90 - Reinvigorating Historic Music with Modern Creativity - Robert Hollingworth 51:56

11M ago51:56

51:56

“Uniformity is a two-edged sword, isn't it? Within a choir you need uniformity or you're not going to get a good blend, but within that uniformity, I want as much individuality as possible. I do a lot of 16th-Century music, early 17th-Century music, which has very, very high, passionate stakes. The individual has to come through. That's what makes …

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Ep. 89 - Creating Choral Camaraderie on a Global Level - T. J. Harper 49:41

11M ago49:41

49:41

“The folks who I think are really doing incredible work around the world, not just for one festival or for one tour, but for decades, are the folks who are trying to literally make the world a better place through choral music. How many opportunities can we provide for them so they can feel like they're part of that bigger family to help legitimize…

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Ep. 88 - Prioritizing Representation in Choral Music - Matthew Chi Lee 44:50

12M ago44:50

44:50

“I haven’t moved exclusively to doing multicultural music in our classroom, but I have done a lot of music that has a positive message that they can relate to. If this song has nothing to do with them, no matter how much I love it, no matter how epic or famous this is, the students will have a hard time connecting to it. I’m not saying that everyth…

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Ep. 87 - Sharing Stories to Stir the Soul - Tim Seelig 57:27

12M ago57:27

57:27

“From my first ACDA in 1991 to ACDA now: complete reversal. People are not afraid to perform something that moves the soul, and in 1991 nobody did it. Now people are digging in and not being afraid. I applaud all of my fellow choral conductors for being fearless and not being afraid to tell the stories that mean something.” Tim Seelig is a conducto…

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Ep. 86 - Honoring Diversity Through Historical Research - Elizabeth Schauer 47:36

1y ago47:36

47:36

“I have fallen deeply in love with looking at a piece, seeing what it is, and realizing that there are no real absolutes in music. There are no rules. You have to look at each piece of music for what it is and consider it in its historical and cultural context and then find out enough about the composer. It feels like a journey, a rabbit hole that …

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Ep. 85 - Choral Music and Personal Growth - Jonathan Talberg 58:13

1y ago58:13

58:13

“I grew up thinking that we should sound like the music we're singing. There was never one right way for me. There are those great choral traditions where they sing everything a certain way. I never wanted to be that way. We can do seven different pieces in seven entirely different styles. You would think, 'is that the same choir?' That's something…

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Ep. 84 - Building Choral Skills from the Adjudication Table - Brett Epperson 45:12

1y ago45:12

45:12

“I’ve really enjoyed getting into classrooms to affirm my colleagues. I seek whenever I do a visit to say something that is both positive and true. I could just be positive, but if it’s not truthful, students can sense that. I’ve really enjoyed getting to bop in, see great teaching in action, and affirm my colleagues in front of their students.” Dr…

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Ep. 83 - Building Choral Excellence to Serve Communities - Joshua Cheney 51:17

1y ago51:17

51:17

"Choral programs don't exist in a vacuum. They exist in a place, and they exist in a place that serves a people. That people group is always bigger than choir. The first thing that you've gotta do is answer the question, 'how are my people, how is my place going to be served by choral music?' and then build that. You've gotta build that one step at…

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Ep. 82 - Inspiring and Motivating Adolescent Tenors and Basses - Vincent Oakes 48:20

1y ago48:20

48:20

“Octave displacement is a really big thing with adolescent singers. Make a game out of it - I’ll have them match me, match me up an octave, match me down an octave - versus scolding when you’re in the middle of rep and someone is singing too low and you just point and say ‘that’s too low.’ That’s a little ambiguous for the average 13-year-old. To g…

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Ep. 81 - Expanding Access to Choral Participation - Marcela Molina 48:37

1y ago48:37

48:37

“I started to see the possibilities of what a youth community choir could be. Seeing that profound impact on a young woman was very transformative for me. After two or three years, everything that I did had more layers. There was a new potential of enhancement and community impact. The things that make me go like a volcano are about community, acce…

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Ep. 80 - Bridging Artistry and Scholarship - Jessica Nápoles 49:38

1y ago49:38

49:38

“If a student has been unsuccessful at elementary and middle school, by the time they get to high school, it’s really hard to shift and course correct. But if they haven’t been successful at elementary and you get them at the middle school level, you really do have the potential to shift that course in a monumental way, to reshape their views about…

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Ep. 79 - Voice Pedagogy Concepts for a Variety of Genres - Ryan Deignan 55:35

1y ago55:35

55:35

“Contemporary commercial music is closer to the students’ everyday musical culture. There’s that component of culturally relevant pedagogy that both show choir and vocal jazz meet. They are a bit more naturally motivating to a majority of students, and we honor the musical culture of the United States and our popular styles from the last 100 years …

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Ep. 78 - Optimizing Choral Administration with a Booster Club - Cathy Britton 49:17

1y ago49:17

49:17

"I didn’t want to do any middle level teaching because of behavior, but I ended up teaching eight years at Patrick Henry Junior High. I loved every moment of it. I learned that if the kids loved and trusted you, they would do anything for you. It was just so much fun to take what they were willing to give and do some good work with them. It all tra…

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Ep. 77 - Creating Opportunities Through First Impressions - Stephen Caldwell 55:30

1+ y ago55:30

55:30

"The greatest lesson that I learned as a gig singer is that your career and reputation are built one chance at a time. You get one chance and one chance only. If I want people to go out on a limb for me and recommend me for a gig, then I have to make sure that I'm protecting their reputation as well as my own. That starts with never being late, alw…

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Season 3 Wrap-Up 13:29

1+ y ago13:29

13:29

Thank you for listening to our show this season!! Here are the favorite choral pieces from our guests in the third season: Sommerpsalm, Waldemar Åhlén Christmas Oratorio, Johann Sebastian Bach Komm, Jesu, Komm; Johann Sebastian Bach Agnus Dei, Samuel Barber Bluegrass Mass, Carol Barnett Afternoon on a Hill, Eric Barnum Missa Solemnis, Ludwig van Be…

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Minisode 3 - Stephen Salamunovich, Anneliese Zook 6:44

1+ y ago6:44

6:44

Choir Fam Minisode 3 includes Lightning Round answers from two of our Choir Fam listeners: Stephen Salamunovich Renton, Washington Anneliese Zook Garfield, Washington We want to hear from you! We'd love all our listeners to answer our Season 1 lightning-round questions for us to share with our audience. We are looking forward to getting to know you…

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Minisode Intro Part 3 - Share Your Story with the Choir Fam 2:55

1+ y ago2:55

2:55

We want to hear from you! We'd love all our listeners to answer our Season 3 lightning-round questions for us to share with our audience. We are looking forward to getting to know you better. Email [email protected] with the following info: Subject Line: Choir Fam Minisode First and last name, pronouns optional City and state you live in Sc…

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Ep. 76 - Approaching Choral Music with Imagination - Jean-Sébastien Vallée 45:36

1+ y ago45:36

45:36

“The number one thing that I look for when I meet a younger conductor is imagination, someone who comes with ideas but also has a story to tell with the music. Often younger conductors are really worried about technique, the way they look, the way they rehearse, but it starts with imagination. What do you want to communicate? People are so worried …

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Ep. 75 - Connecting with Audiences Through Choral Programming - Erick Lichte 50:07

1+ y ago50:07

50:07

“We are there to be servants of our community. A lot of amateur choirs can become bowling leagues; they show up on Wednesday night, they have a great time, and that’s the reason they do it. I think the trick is to satisfy the needs of our singers, develop them as artists and people, but also make the focus constantly about reaching out to our audie…

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