One of my favorite traditions is putting together a book list at the beginning of each year. I try to choose a variety of books (old and new) from a few different categories:

Business, Spiritual & Lifestyle, Fiction, Personal/Intellectual, Nonfiction/Memoir

This helps me be intentional about the books I read and ensure some diversity (so I don’t end up reading only one type of book!).

Looking for books to read this coming year? I hope you find something interesting and relevant on this list.

It was Saturday afternoon.

We were caught up in a good British audiobook and lost in the scenery of the Thruway, traveling east.

A blanket of snow covered the small river town with the brick church on the corner, the red barns and silver silos, the tall spruce trees that line the field.

The grey line of the horizon separated sky from earth, stretched out before us like a pencil sketch. Always ahead, just out of reach.

The word horizon has a double-meaning, of course. It can refer to the limit of our sight but also our perception: the limit of our knowledge, experience, or understanding. What we see is what we know, isn’t it?

Happy New Year's Eve, friends!

This year was one for the books. A strange mix of struggle and triumph, canceled plans and empty calendars, worry and learning new things. Amidst the anxiety and angst of the year, there were so many small, sweet moments to celebrate. Here's a look back on our year:

I love taking time in December to look back at all the books I’ve read during the year.

As in years past, I set out with a book list, and then I changed my mind as I discovered books in the library (pre-COVID!) and books came recommended by friends. Also, as the world shifted and changed this year, I looked for books to reflect that.

This year, I read 27 books (not counting the ones I started and didn’t finish).

Looking for book recommendations for 2021? Today, I’m sharing the seven best books I read in 2020, along with a brief description of what I liked about each one:

Ten years ago, Steve and I finished our master’s degrees at the Eastman School of Music and set out to build careers in music.

We decided to make a move that was less common in our field at the time: Instead of heading to a big city with lots of opportunities to begin a freelance career, we moved to a small town in rural Massachusetts.

That became the impetus for everything that followed.

This year, December feels a little different.

For those of us used to the rush of dress rehearsals and holiday concerts, dinner parties and family gatherings, neighborhood caroling, and late-night Christmas Eve services, this December is a little different.

We know what it means to be "the people walking in darkness." We long to see a great light.

And we're growing tired of waiting.

But maybe it's here, in this waiting, that we'll find it. Maybe it's not a great light we're waiting for, but small fragments, like the tiny flames that dot the dark sanctuary on Christmas Eve.

Maybe we've been looking in the wrong places.

This year, things look a little different.

The Christmas Eve service will be a little smaller, a little simpler, and maybe completely virtual, with choir members scattered and singing from their homes.

The children’s Christmas Pageant will be presented via Zoom with an array of virtual backgrounds (no really, here’s a virtual Christmas pageant kit).

And the annual choir Christmas party? Well, that’s going to be different, too.

But don’t let a global pandemic keep you from celebrating the season with your singers! You can still have a (virtual) Christmas party even if you aren’t able to gather together in person.

In today’s digital age, there are a number of software programs, hosting platforms, apps, and tools designed to help you do your best work.

Some are designed to simplify things or take the guesswork out of decision-making. Others are designed to save you time and help you focus more on creating than organizing or getting set up.

I'm always curious about what tools and resources others use to organize and run their creative businesses (and life in general), so today, I thought I’d give you a peek behind-the-scenes into my own life and business and the tools I use on a daily and weekly basis.

I always knew I wanted to be a freelancer. I liked the variety of doing different kinds of work: teaching, accompanying, writing, creating, designing.

But I didn’t really know what it meant (from a practical standpoint) to be a music entrepreneur (musicpreneur for short) until I was in grad school.

As a musicpreneur, you wear two hats:

• You’re the CEO — the money person, the one making big decisions about your brand and values and the work you’ll do, the one paying quarterly taxes and reading about SEO and conversion rates.

• And you’re the artist — the creative one, the dreamer, the idea person, the one seeking inspiration and doing the work, the one learning the music and planning the lessons and exploring the bounds of creativity.

Advent looks a little different this year, doesn’t it?

In the midst of a global pandemic, we know what it feels like to be a people walking in darkness, waiting for the light. We know what it feels like to hope for something and long for peace in the world.

This year, Advent takes on new meaning for us. But that doesn’t mean we have less to celebrate.

Whether you're gathering via Zoom or in person (6' apart), here's a fresh, creative resource you can use with your children's choir this season.