CUEnotes
Insights from renowned experts and clinicians focused on the needs of youth choir directors
Students need to be not only accessed, but also engaged and nurtured
Working with teenage singers in a choir is somewhat similar to accessing the apps on your iPhone. If you have twenty-eight students, each one has different physical characteristics, answers to different names, possesses divergent strengths and weaknesses, and operates...
An expansive mission field for student choirs
From well before the establishment of YouthCUE in 1990, it has been obvious that there are numerous natural connections bridging youth choirs and senior adult care facilities. It has always been this way since the early days of my ministry in the 1970s and, now, at...
The necessity of new youth choir models
Last weekend was a busy time for YouthCUE's San Antonio Youth Chorale (SAYC). Our first rehearsal of 2017 was held on the afternoon of January 15, and then we turned around the next day on the Monday MLK Holiday and held a four-hour retreat. On Sunday, the singers and...
Amidst election vitriol, this is music to our ears
Amidst the vitriol and verbal violence of this year's election cycle comes the voice of an angel singing in the shower. It is a celestial melody; it is salve for our wounded ears and balm for our weary...
You and I can help end gun violence at the break of every day
Dear Friends, The following is one believer's response to gun violence in the United States. I speak for no one else, and I claim no authority other than my own conscience and compelling desire to be a lover of God and a helpful citizen. It is safe to assume...
Helping students find steadiness amidst complexity
Early in my career as a conductor, I learned something important about syncopation in music. The more syncopated and complex the rhythmic structure of a musical passage, the more important it is that the conductor, percussionists, accompanists, everyone, simplify the...
The Baylor Festival at 10 – always something special!
It happens the last full weekend of February every year, or at least it has since 2006. Anywhere from 12 to 24 youth choirs gather from across Texas - sometimes from as far removed as California, Kansas, Arkansas, Louisiana, and Mississippi - to combine...
Wherever we go, whatever we do, make peace …
It goes without saying that we are living in a highly complex world. Nothing new about that. What is new is the degree to which entities are in conflict and the amount of backsplash our world is experiencing, seeing, hearing, and feeling today, August 7, 2014....
A New Logo for a New Chapter
Up until a few weeks ago, YouthCUE's logo had been the same since our pilot project was launched from Shreveport, Louisiana, in November, 1989 (was that really 24 years ago?). The cursive "youth" followed by a more stable "CUE" (all caps) with no space between became...
My Father’s World …
We are now into our second day of rehearsals for Labor Day at the Cathedral. Special guest, composer Craig Courtney, is doing an amazing job rehearsing and conducting his part of the program! In this particular concert, we are using three diverse...
Let LDaC begin …
It's always inspiring to be in Washington, D.C.! Always. Today, as we gather for CUE's second annual Labor Day at the Cathedral, we are reminded of the 50th Anniversary of the "I have a dream" speech by Martin Luther King, Jr., which took place on the steps...
Letter from London
If the success of a journey is measured by how excited the traveler is to return to his vocation back home, then this study trip has been a glowing success! The more I see of the world, the more convinced I am of the value YouthCUE can add to it. Once...
Evensong in Edinburgh
Having visited Dublin, Achill Island, Londonderry, Sligo, Westport, Belfast, and Glasgow, I figured Edinburgh would be no big deal. I was wrong. Wow, was I wrong! I was in no way prepared for the majesty of the ancient, medieval, Victorian, and...
Fifty shades of green
Today was the day to begin driving on the wrong side of the road. Or on the left side of the road, depending on how you look at it. It was not easy making the transition from steering wheel on the left and driving on the right to steering wheel on the right and...
Dreams in Dublin
I'm in Ireland for a few days exploring future programming possibilities for YouthCUE. Bright and early this morning, I got myself up for what looked like in my GPS a five-mile walking tour of this magnificent old city. First on my list were Christ Church...
Why It Matters
Every now and then, I get the question “why does youth choir matter in today’s world”? Yikes, if you are brave (or aloof) enough to ask me that question, you better be prepared for my dissertation-sized response. Put quite simply, strong youth choir programs matter...
Many Sundays ago, praising the Lord …
Recognize anyone in this photo? I didn't, not at first. But on second glance, middle row, far left, I found him. Robert Griffin III, or better known as RGIII, Baylor University football legend, 2011 Heisman Trophy Winner, and now starting quarterback for the...
BBC Central American adventure …
Birmingham (AL) Boys Choir Director Ken Berg, along with a hearty group of adult counselors, is providing members of the BBC a musical experience of a lifetime. Thirty-one singers, grades 5-12, comprise the Senior Choristers of the BBC. They are currently on an...
