Episode 151: Omni-Musicians with Greg Thomas

What does it mean to be an Omni-American? An Omni-Citizen, or an Omni-Musician? How can Jazz be taught as a metaphor for American culture and democracy? In what ways do our modern conversations about diversity and inclusion badly need to include some Albert Murray in the mix? Greg Thomas joins me this week to discuss this as well as the gaps in our understanding of Jazz as a musical tradition, as well as an intellectual salon of American philosophy and culture. We discuss Greg’s work with the Jazz Leadership Project and the utility of Jazz as a metaphor to help us understand conflict, productivity, racism, culture and so much more.

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Albert Murray, an American writer and cultural critic, coined the term “Omni-American” to describe a distinctive American identity that encompasses and celebrates the diverse cultural influences that have shaped the United States. According to Murray, being an Omni-American means recognizing and embracing the intermingling of various ethnic, racial, and cultural backgrounds that have contributed to American society.

Murray argued that the United States is not a melting pot where different cultures blend into a homogeneous whole, but rather a rich tapestry of interconnected and overlapping traditions. He believed that the strength and vitality of American culture come from its ability to absorb and incorporate diverse cultural expressions, creating a dynamic and ever-evolving national identity.

Being an Omni-Musician would mean having a deep understanding and respect for the cultural contexts and historical roots of different musical styles. It would involve studying, collaborating, and learning from musicians representing diverse traditions and backgrounds. By doing so, an Omni-Musician would create a unique and dynamic musical voice that combines and synthesizes various influences.

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Greg is CEO of the Jazz Leadership Project, a private company that uses jazz music as a model to enhance leadership success and team excellence. Along with his wife and partner Jewel, the Jazz Leadership Project works with notable firms such as JPMorgan Chase, Verizon, TD Bank, and Google. The leadership blog TuneIntoLeadership.com features their writings.

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Greg has been a professional journalist for over 25 years. As an educator, Greg recently taught a course, “Cultural Intelligence: Transcending Race, Embracing Cosmos,” and co-facilitated a six-month class in 2022, titled “Stepping Up: Wrestling with America’s Past, Reimagining Its Future, Healing Together.”

As a Co-Director of the Omni-American Future Project, Greg co-facilitated a two-day broadcast and awards ceremony, “Combating Racism and Antisemitism Together: Shaping an Omni-American Future” in October 2021, and the second annual event in November 2022, “Straight Ahead: An Omni-American Future, Fighting Bigotry Together.” In Sept. 2022, he co-led a one-day conference, “Resolving the Race-ism Dilemma.” He also serves on the advisory boards of The Consilience Project, and FAIR, the Foundation Against Intolerance and Racism. (Omni-Americans by Albert Murray.)

tuneintoleadership.com

@gregthomas22

@Omni_American_

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Episode 150: Choir After the Pandemic with Emmy Burch and Chris Munce DURING the Pandemic

Now that the pandemic is officially over, I thought it would be a good time to release this audio I captured back in April of 2021. About 30 of us brave Choralosophers gathered in Atlanta back when NO ONE was doing in person conventions to have a mini choral summit. One of those sessions was led by Emmy Burch and myself about the things that spark us to create, and the fears that hold us back from creating them. At the time this conversation occurred, we were all afraid of what was to come. I find this to be a fascinating time capsule to a time a little over two years ago, in which many of us had nothing else to do other than dream.

You will hear thoughts about the gaps we have between our abundance of choral instructors, and the much needed “choral entrepreneur,” that I think is so crucial to the future of our profession. We will also hear from session attendees about their ideas and fears. Tune in!

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Pandemic Coverage on Choralosophy

Episode 149: “Tár” Movie Review

This week, I FINALLY respond to the many requests I got to share my thoughts on the movie “Tár,” starring Cate Blanchett. So, consider this my review of the movie. I talk about the tension in the film between the stereotypes of the “conductor” as a male, power abusing, egomaniac alongside the movie’s portrayal of this character as a woman and as a Lesbian. In addition to an analysis of Marin Alsop’s take on the movie, I discuss the value of these types of inversions in social commentary as well as the interesting dynamic created by a highly competent musician and thinker interacting in the world as kind of a crappy human being. And yes, of course I also break down the “White, male, cis composers just aren’t my thing” scene as well. So tune in and let me know what you think as well!

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Choralosophy presented by Ludus. Visit Ludus.com for the cutting edge in fine arts ticketing and marketing solutions.
The best sight singing tool on the market. A must have for any band/choir or orchestra teacher and their students. In class and at home tools to build their literacy at their own pace. Enter “choralosophy” at checkout to get 10% off every time you renew at http://www.sightreadingfactory.com

Marin Alsop interview

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Episode 148: The Arts and the Exceptional Child with Dr. Matthew Zakreski

In this episode, we are honored to have Dr. Matt Zakreski, a clinical psychologist, joining us to discuss neurodiversity, autism, and gifted children in our classrooms. Dr. Zakreski brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to our conversation, and we will be delving into various considerations for such kids in education, and in Fine Arts education in particular.

One of the topics we will be exploring is the importance of the arts in helping neurodivergent kids express themselves. As singers and educators, we know firsthand the transformative power of music, and Dr. Zakreski will be sharing his insights on how the arts can provide a safe and nurturing environment for neurodivergent kids to explore their creativity and connect with others.

So, whether you are a music educator, a parent of a neurodivergent child, or simply interested in learning more about the intersection of psychology and the arts, this episode is not to be missed. Let’s dive in!

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Matthew “Dr. Matt” Zakreski, PsyD is a high energy, creative clinical psychologist who utilizes an eclectic approach to meet the specific needs of his neurodivergent clients. He is proud to serve the Gifted community as a consultant, a professor, an author, and a researcher. He has spoken over 200 times all over the world about supporting neurodivergent kids. Dr. Zakreski is a member of Supporting the Emotional Needs of the Gifted (SENG), the National Association for Gifted Children (NAGC), the New Jersey Association for Gifted Children (NJAGC), and Pennsylvania Association for Gifted Education (PAGE). Dr. Zakreski graduated from Widener University’s Institute for Graduate Clinical Psychology (IGCP) in 2016. He is the co-founder of The Neurodiversity Collective.

The best sight singing tool on the market. A must have for any band/choir or orchestra teacher and their students. In class and at home tools to build their literacy at their own pace. Enter “choralosophy” at checkout to get 10% off every time you renew at http://www.sightreadingfactory.com
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Episode 147: Leveraging Artificial Intelligence in Music Education with ChatGPT

In this unique episode of Choralosophy, we are taking it into the future that is now with a very special guest. It’s ChatGPT, a cutting-edge artificial intelligence language model that has been trained to understand and communicate with humans. ChatGPT is here to share its insights on topics relevant to choir directors, including innovative ways to use AI to automate music teacher tasks, as well as answer questions about music theory and educational philosophy.

Choralosophy presented by Ludus. Visit Ludus.com for the cutting edge in fine arts ticketing and marketing solutions.

As teachers and music directors, we are constantly looking for new ways to improve our teaching methods and streamline our workflows. With the advancements in artificial intelligence, we now have access to powerful tools that can help us achieve these goals. ChatGPT is at the forefront of this technology and is ready to share its knowledge and expertise with us.

Whether you are excited about new technology, or the type that is typically pretty skeptical, ChatGPT and programs like will be an unavoidable part of the information landscape. So tune in for this primer.

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Visit stageright.com for top of the line, affordable staging options like risers, acoustical shells and more!
Enter Choralosophy at checkout for a 10% Discount. Own your own site license with each PDF purchased. Print as many as you need!
Enter Choralosophy at Checkout for a 5% discount when you shop for folders, robes and other gear for your choir program! www.mymusicfolders.com and www.mychoirrobes.com
The best sight singing tool on the market. A must have for any band/choir or orchestra teacher and their students. In class and at home tools to build their literacy at their own pace. Enter “choralosophy” at checkout to get 10% off every time you renew at http://www.sightreadingfactory.com
Receive 10% Discount on your orders at http://www.graphitepublishing.com where you will find the works of Jocelyn Hagen, Eric Barnum, Timothy C. Takach,
Paul Rudoi and MANY more.
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