Let’s just say, the algorithm anointed it with oil and now its cup runneth over with comments. It ignited a massive debate across our social media feeds. Hundreds of comments rolled in—ranging from voice teachers defending full vibrato to singers recalling the sting of being shushed by directors chasing a blend. In this follow-up episode, I dive into the comment threads to unpack the nuance lost in internet absolutism. Moving past rigid dogma, we explore how directors and singers can balance healthy, sustainable vocal technique with the acoustic realities of ensemble singing.

In this episode, we discuss:

Whether you are a conductor striving for a unified ensemble sound or a singer trying to navigate choral spaces without sacrificing your vocal health, this conversation offers a grounded path through one of the most polarized debates in choral music. Tune in, and let’s keep the dialogue going.

For future rehearsal clips, find me on TikTok, Insta and Facebook

Choralosophy Podcast (@choralosophy) • Instagram photos and videos

I’m joined today by Dr. Francis Cathlina, Director of Choral Activities at the University of Memphis. Francis brings a fascinating perspective to the podium as a former violist turned collegiate choral conductor. In this episode, we sit down to unpack what it really means to “right-size” competition for your specific school and community. He shares how an international conducting trip to the Philippines completely changed her mind about competition as a tool for program advocacy, and we take an honest look at how social media is impacting the culture of guest clinicians and honor choirs.

Later in the hour, we dive into vocal pedagogy and choral tone—exploring how spoken language and regional linguistics should inform resonance, and why efficient, healthy vocalism has to come first, regardless of the style you’re singing.

Whether you love competition, avoid it entirely, or find yourself somewhere in the middle, this conversation is packed with pedagogical wisdom and honest reflections on our field. Stick around—you’re going to get a lot out of this conversation with Dr. Francis Cathlina.

Tune in now on YouTube or your favorite podcast app!

Tune in, and have your thinking stimulated and challenged. Then, weigh in yourself with your related ideas and experiences on Facebook in the Choralosophers group or over on choralosophy.substack.com Also, don’t forget to grab a reading rope for your classroom wall from the shop! Music Reading Rope

For future rehearsal clips, find me on TikTok, Insta and FB!

Francis Cathlina, D.M.A. (he/him) is a Vietnamese-American conductor and educator. His concerts invite audiences into a world where choral artistry becomes a powerful storytelling medium.

Dr. Cathlina serves as the Director of Choral Activities at the University of Memphis, where he guides the Choral Area, leads the MM/DMA Choral Conducting program, and conducts the University Singers. His creative work was recognized with the 2025 Dean’s Award for Creative Achievementand 2026 Dean’s Award for Excellence in Engaged Scholarship.

A Yamaha “40 Under 40” educator, Dr. Cathlina maintains an active international profile. In 2025, he served as the Choral Conducting Faculty for Brazil’s FIMUS Festival and worked in the Philippines as part of ACDA’s International Conductors Exchange Program. His work consistently bridges pedagogy with cultural exchange.

Cathlina’s teaching develops masterful technicians, expressive communicators, and thoughtful citizens. Under his direction, the UofM University Singers have been invited to perform for national conferences. His students lead prominent programs—as university Director of Choral Activities and symphony chorus directors. Upcoming engagements include All-State choirs in New Jersey, Arkansas, and Kentucky, presentations in Macau, and residencies in London and Sweden. Among these, conducting honor choirs remains his most cherished creative work.

An authority on vocal pedagogy, Dr. Cathlina’s research focuses on choral tone and conducting gesture. He has presented over 85 sessions worldwide. He is published in international journals. Recent highlights include headlining the Alabama and Ohio choral conferences and co-leading Conducting Masterclasses in Greece with the University of Macedonia (Thessaloniki) and Ionian University (Corfu).

Dr. Cathlina earned a DMA in Conducting with a Vocal Pedagogy cognate from the University of North Texas, an MM from Michigan State University, and a BME from Baylor University. Before his doctorate, he taught in Texas public schools.

In concert, Cathlina wears an áo dài, traditional Vietnamese formalwear. As one of the few Vietnamese conductors in the field, he proudly dons it as a tribute to his heritage.

Beyond the podium, he is a pickleball athlete, coach, and ambassador. He lives in Memphis, Tennessee, with his husband Kyle and their dog, Coco.

https://www.instagram.com/francis.cathlina

Choralosophy Podcast (@choralosophy) • Instagram photos and videos

What was my controversial crime? I dared to argue that boys are an underserved—and in many educational and arts contexts, marginalized—group in our programs. And even worse, I suggested that their plummeting participation might actually be, at least IN PART, our fault as educators.

When you bring up the boy crisis in choir or education in general, the knee-jerk reaction from arts spaces is usually to point outward. It is sports culture. It is general societal pressure. Look, complex problems do not have single causes or simple solutions. But what we desperately avoid talking about is the climate inside our own house.

This episode takes the meatiest bits out of an EXPERT interview with Dr. Brendan Kwiatkawski related to the psychological research about boys, their relationships to their emotions and identity, and why age 13-15 is SO crucial for them…and for our choirs.

For future rehearsal clips, find me on TikTok, Insta and Facebook

Choralosophy Podcast (@choralosophy) • Instagram photos and videos

This short episode will simply summarize the First Days and Give Them Tools series, so that you have a clear and concise guide to the materials and can easily find what you need when it’s time to build that syllabus, and sing the first notes!

Find the WHOLE series here.

We will also summarize a recent Choralosophy Community essay that asks the question, “Does Music Education Need it’s Own Science of Reading Moment?”

Tune in, and have your thinking stimulated and challenged. Then, weigh in yourself with your related ideas and experiences on Facebook in the Choralosophers group or over on choralosophy.substack.com

Also, don’t forget to grab a reading rope for your classroom wall from the shop! Music Reading Rope

For future rehearsal clips, find me on TikTok, Insta and Facebook

Choralosophy Podcast (@choralosophy) • Instagram photos and videos

Welcome to a special joint-presentation episode where cross-continental perspective meets the art of the choral conversation! Today, I get to welcome another new choir podcaster, with London-based conductor Russell Scott, host of the new show, The Choir Director Podcast, to bridge the gap across the Atlantic. In this episode, we pull back the curtain on what it really takes to lead an ensemble today. How do we thread the needle when it comes to inclusivity? Often, the flat, platitude rich online conversation of ensemble inclusivity misses the reality.

We tackle the massive balancing act every director faces: what happens when we want to aggressively raise our musical standards without accidentally driving our singers out the back door. And the flip side: do we loose people when the environment is not rigorous enough? Plus, we dive into the psychology of choral communities, the modern pitfalls of academic self-censorship, and why the lasting bonds of a choir are ultimately forged in the shared vulnerability of the breath—not just the social hour. Whether you lead a school program or a community-based ensemble touring international stages, this unscripted conversation is a refreshing, honest look into the heart of the choral craft.

Tune in now on YouTube or your favorite podcast app!

Tune in, and have your thinking stimulated and challenged. Then, weigh in yourself with your related ideas and experiences on Facebook in the Choralosophers group or over on choralosophy.substack.com Also, don’t forget to grab a reading rope for your classroom wall from the shop! Music Reading Rope

For future rehearsal clips, find me on TikTok, Insta and FB!

Russell Scott is an internationally recognised musical director, producer and conductor, with over 45 years’ experience across the music industry. A professionally trained singer, he has sold over 100,000 records across his solo releases and recording projects, and is known for his work across choral, musical theatre and large-scale performance.

Russell has conducted extensively across the UK, Europe and North America, including a landmark Christmas Concert at the Berlin Philharmonie in 2025. His international conducting work includes appearances with the Vancouver Pops Orchestra, alongside numerous performances with choirs and orchestras. He is particularly respected for his ability to create engaging, high-quality performances that connect strongly with both performers and audiences.

In musical theatre, Russell has conducted in London’s West End and worked alongside leading industry figures including Tim Rice, Don Black, Stephen Schwartz and Leslie Bricusse. His production credits include a major UK tour of Godspell following a sell-out West End performance, alongside a wide range of concerts and large-scale productions.

He is the founder of the World Voices Festival (formerly the UK Choir Festival), established in 2016, which has grown into a major international event bringing together thousands of singers and choir leaders for workshops and performances. As Musical Director of Next Stage Choir, which he founded in 2010, Russell leads a large, thriving multi-location choir and regularly tours internationally with its members.

Russell has also recorded at Abbey Road Studios on multiple occasions, further reflecting the breadth of his work across performance and production.

Alongside his conducting and production work, he is a highly sought-after vocal coach and mentor, working with performers from amateur level through to those preparing for drama school and professional auditions.

Russell Scott continues to inspire singers and audiences alike through his leadership, experience and commitment to musical excellence. He also hosts The Choir Director Podcast.

@russellscottofficial

Choralosophy Podcast (@choralosophy) • Instagram photos and videos

In many educational settings, choral music exists as a unique loophole where students can easily secure an “A” simply through passive compliance—showing up, sitting down, and miming the words. This issue persists because directors often avoid assessing individual skills, hiding behind the excuse of protecting students from the anxiety of solo singing when, in reality, it is a form of structural laziness. Camouflaging individual deficiencies within a collective wall of sound is not true teaching; if a student cannot demonstrate a musical skill independently, they may not have not actually learned it. And you wouldn’t know.

Find the WHOLE series here.

Tune in, and have your thinking stimulated and challenged. Then, weigh in yourself with your related ideas and experiences on Facebook in the Choralosophers group or over on choralosophy.substack.com Also, don’t forget to grab a reading rope for your classroom wall from the shop! Music Reading Rope

7 Years of Choralosophy: The View from the Other Side of the Mic by Chris Munce

Seven years ago, Choralosophy was an experiment. Today, it’s a career. It is a job, no different than your job, albeit a bit more public? Today is the show’s 7th birthday. Here is what I’ve learned:

For future rehearsal clips, find me on TikTok, Insta and Facebook

Choralosophy Podcast (@choralosophy) • Instagram photos and videos

This week’s guest dropped a concept that completely shifted how I view my rehearsals: when we make music, we are operating in the exact part of our brain that recognizes our deepest vulnerabilities. Specifically, we are cross wired with the part of us that notices our own nakedness. It’s intense, it’s raw, and it explains why singing can feel downright terrifying for our students. Joining me is the brilliant Allison Wilkinson to talk about why music is the ultimate “bravery workout,” as well as the most “AI-proof” subject in schools today. We discuss how navigating that musical discomfort builds literal neural pathways for resilience that serve kids in the boardroom and beyond. Whether you’re a teacher balancing hundreds of students a week or a parent wanting the best for your child’s cognitive health, you don’t want to miss this one. Let’s jump into the conversation.

Tune in now on YouTube or your favorite podcast app!

Tune in, and have your thinking stimulated and challenged. Then, weigh in yourself with your related ideas and experiences on Facebook in the Choralosophers group or over on choralosophy.substack.com Also, don’t forget to grab a reading rope for your classroom wall from the shop! Music Reading Rope

For future rehearsal clips, find me on TikTok, Insta and FB!

Allison Wilkinson is the author of Making Musicians and the Executive Director of the I Am Music Foundation. Each year, she teaches the tools of Applied Music Psychology through the I Am Academy to music educators from around the world, from Australia to Zimbabwe and everywhere in between. Find the book on GIA!

https://www.instagram.com/making_musicians

https://www.facebook.com/makingmusicians/

Choralosophy Podcast (@choralosophy) • Instagram photos and videos

Choir directors absolutely should study voice, take lessons, sing and perform. It is crucial for us to know as much about the voice as voice teachers do. But…how we apply that knowledge and convey it to students is very different. In this episode, we will break down classroom procedures and priorities that can allow us and our students make the most of our time together.

Find the WHOLE series here.

After all, in group instruction its about a LOT more than Vocal Ped nerdery. It’s also psychology. We have to create the right “mood” in the room that is conducive to vocal freedom and a true “Sound Laboratory” where beginning and advancing singers feel safe to sing in front of each other, get feedback, and take multiple “practice swings.”

And just like in part 4, the secret is the sequence, the repetition and the QUESTIONS! The ones we ask, and eventually the ones they learn to ask. Here, you will also get vocal wisdom from Ken Bozeman, Jami Rhodes and Beth Munce.

Tune in, and have your thinking stimulated and challenged. Then, weigh in yourself with your related ideas and experiences on Facebook in the Choralosophers group or over on choralosophy.substack.com Also, don’t forget to grab a reading rope for your classroom wall from the shop! Music Reading Rope

7 Years of Choralosophy: The View from the Other Side of the Mic by Chris Munce

Seven years ago, Choralosophy was an experiment. Today, it’s a career. It is a job, no different than your job, albeit a bit more public? Today is the show’s 7th birthday. Here is what I’ve learned:

For future rehearsal clips, find me on TikTok, Insta and Facebook

Choralosophy Podcast (@choralosophy) • Instagram photos and videos

Today, we are diving headfirst into a hot-button topic that recently blew up on Facebook: what is the true purpose of an All-State choir? Is it a reward reserved strictly for the pinnacle of high school choral achievement, or is it a spark meant to transform smaller music programs from the bottom up? Joining me to parse out this classic debate is Dave Richard, a choral and drama director at a school in Marshall County, Alabama.

From growing up as a missionary kid in Papua New Guinea to navigating a 6th–12th grade schedule, Dave brings a unique perspective centered on student access. This perspective bumps up against mine in some friendly back and forth. He recently went public with his concerns over the Alabama Vocal Association’s plan to add a required sight-reading component to auditions, arguing that it creates massive equity issues for rural programs where students receive zero elementary music education. I, of course, hold a different view also citing equity concerns, setting the stage for an incredibly honest, constructive clash over the fine line between defending musical excellence and accidental gatekeeping.

Tune in now on YouTube or your favorite podcast app!

Tune in, and have your thinking stimulated and challenged. Then, weigh in yourself with your related ideas and experiences on Facebook in the Choralosophers group or over on choralosophy.substack.com Also, don’t forget to grab a reading rope for your classroom wall from the shop! Music Reading Rope

For future rehearsal clips, find me on TikTok, Insta and FB!

David Ritschard (pronounced Richard), or “Mr. Ritz” as his students know him, is a 6–12 choral and drama teacher in Douglas, Alabama. After completing his first year teaching, he has become passionate about building choir programs in rural communities and creating meaningful musical experiences that inspire students to stay involved in music for life.

Dave grew up in Papua New Guinea, where his family served as missionaries, and is a graduate of Jacksonville State University with a degree in Choral Music Education. As both a choir and drama teacher, he is particularly interested in music literacy, accessibility, student participation, and the role of honor choirs in music education.

Find Dave on TikTok and Instagram at @mr.ritzchoir

Choralosophy Podcast (@choralosophy) • Instagram photos and videos

Enjoy this short, bonus episode where I was able to squeeze in a short discussion on choral programming with the two guest clinicians at the Kantorei KC Summer Choral Institute. Dr. Clelyn Chapin and Dr. Chantae Pittman have both been guests on the show before, but this time, they were my houseguests and here in town to work with the students of the KC area in our summer program.

The three of us each shared details about the program we chose this week, and why. But, we also compared notes on programming philosophies in other contexts as well.

Tune in, and have your thinking stimulated and challenged. Then, weigh in yourself with your related ideas and experiences on Facebook in the Choralosophers group or over on choralosophy.substack.com Also, don’t forget to grab a reading rope for your classroom wall from the shop! Music Reading Rope

7 Years of Choralosophy: The View from the Other Side of the Mic by Chris Munce

Seven years ago, Choralosophy was an experiment. Today, it’s a career. It is a job, no different than your job, albeit a bit more public? Today is the show’s 7th birthday. Here is what I’ve learned:

For future rehearsal clips, find me on TikTok, Insta and Facebook

Choralosophy Podcast (@choralosophy) • Instagram photos and videos