I’m a music professor in Choral Music, and my teaching responsibilities presently include conducting choral ensembles, and teaching courses in Conducting, Music Education, and ear training (Aural Theory). Near daily, I leave class wishing we had more time to talk about the issues students are facing today.

I wish we had time to talk about:

• daily living
• becoming a professional in a rapid and ever-changing 21^st century
• use technology effectively, productively, and healthily
• being an artist-creative
• important topics in music education today
• related areas in choral music

These are topics I believe are important, but don’t necessarily line up with the course curriculum the University expects me to cover. This blog is my attempt at tackling that gap. 

I considered creating a podcast, and that’s still a possibility some day. But, I felt a blogging (or web log) platform would allow for deeper conversation with choral and music education students across the globe, as well as colleagues willing and wanting to chime in.

Specifically, I feel a blog has the following advantages:

1. It’s a familiar format. I read a lot of blogs. Blogs are where thought leaders contribute their biggest ideas. I want this space to be a public workshop for the “half baked” thoughts I’m personally working through. I also believe professors take a lot of their knowledge for granted. I want to share all I can for the benefit of my readers and the good of our artform.
2. A blog provides an archive of ideas and conversations. Yes, I know most discussions are happening on social media these days, but I’m not sure all networks are healthy. It’s also difficult to return to the resources and ideas shared in the endless flow of our feeds. If you don’t catch the content of this blog immediately when it is released, you can always and easily come back later.
3. It’s an easy way to share feedback. Obviously, emailing thomas@thomaslerew.com does this too. But, a discussion on the blog post in the comments below allows everyone to both see reactions and contribute their own respectful opinions. You can also enter your comments anonymously if you prefer.
4. It may inspire you to start thinking about your own web presence. Every leader and professional will need a web presence in the future. If you don’t develop your own, someone else will develop one for you and about you – one that may be less flattering than you’d like. You should take control of your online presence.
5. It’s cheap! I’ve made a few initial investments in purchasing the domain thomaslerew.com, purchasing hosting space through BlueHost, and installing my WordPress theme. Beyond that sharing with my readers is completely free for me and entirely free for you!

What to expect…

Here’s how I aspire for this blog to work. I will write a new post as often as I can. It might be a few per week in some seasons of life and one or two per month in other seasons. I honestly can’t predict how many or how frequently I’ll be able to post. If you haven’t heard from me in a while, consider the time it is in the academic calendar and what a choral director might have on their plate at that time (Hello, December!). I will send out an email to all email list subscribers and FeedBurner will publish an update for those who have subscribed via RSS.

Please do provide feedback. All comments are welcome! I’m interested in how I can better serve my readers. If you disagree with what I’ve said or wish to provide a different perspective, go for it! I do reserve the right to delete comments that I deem offensive, negatively influence other readers, or try to sell something (including newly composed works).

Question: So, what do you think? Leave a comment below.