Dr. Tim Sharp

Review: Conductors are artists - but they also have a singular responsibility to go beyond the music to nurture the inner voices of their ensemble members. In Mentoring in the Ensemble Arts, author Tim Sharp examines the mentor/protege dynamic and its critical impact on the lives of ensembles and their conductors. Sharp draws from research, his own experience as a choir conductor, mentor, and protege, and his travels as Executive Director of the American Choral Directors Association. The result is a profound portrait of this rarely discussed aspect of a conductor's life. Coming full circle, Mentoring in the Ensemble Arts reinforces a conductor's own desire to develop his or her own personal learning community to continually strive for excellence by being a protege to other leaders. The goal of this book is to help the conductor realize the full potential of the mentor/protege relationship and to assist both mentor and protege in achieving the best possible benefits of these relationships. The result will be better music making and more fulfilled human beings for generations to come.

Songlist: Recititive, The Mentoring Environment of the Ensemble, Arioso, Mentoring Defined, Listening for the Voice, The Power of the Mentor, Are Mentors Born of Built?, The Mentor as Leader, The Ongoing Process, Hearing the Voice, The Imperative of Interconnectedness, Skill Set, What we Learn and What We Do, Refining the Voice, Locate Greatness, Mentoring to Greatness

Review: "Sound" is the chemistry of musical sounds intended to culminate in the potential of not just sound, but beautiful sound; not just expression, but enhanced and beautiful expression. In the case of a choral ensemble, this sound ideal is the result of many important factors. Precision Conducting: Achieving Choral Blend and Balance presents a thorough yet practical discussion of these factors, which include determining the vocal classification and the physical placement of singers; techniques to achieve rhythmic precision, vowel unification and good intonation; and performance practice in each of the major historical periods. Each major focus area also includes short, targeted lists of Guiding Principles, Common Tendencies, and Problems and Suggested Solutions, along with tips for Problem Solving. A reproducible IPA Chart as well as Audition and Evaluation Materials are included, as is "The Choral Singer's Guide to Good Vocal Production," a handout for your choir members.

Songlist: The Essential Choral Tone, Achieving Balance, Achieving Blend, Interpretive Issues, Glossary of Terms, The Choral Singer's Guide to Good Vocal Production, Audition and Evaluation Materials, International Phonetic Alphabet Chart

Review: This text is a unique find for the aspiring conductor -- a sequenced approach to the many musical and extra-musical conducting skills that doesn't find itself mired in a complex presentation. Revised to include additional step-by-step exercises and examples, it remains rooted in its "Seven Disciplines for Excellence in Conducting." Promoting the kind of focused, dedicated study that conducting requires, these seven disciplines -- analyzing, internalizing, researching, marking and conducting the score, and planning and rehearsing the rehearsal -- build on each other to continually reinforce earlier disciplines. Well suited for both self study and use in a conducting course or seminar, Precision Conducting is also an excellent resource for those looking to refresh an existing skill set.

Songlist: Analyzing the Score, Internalizing the Score, Marking the Score, Planning the Rehearsal, Rehearsing the Rehearsal, Conducting the Score, The Drama of Conducting, The Meter/Tempo Function, The Interpretive Function, The Start/Entrance - Stop/Cutoff Function, Researching the Score, Conducting Checklist, Single-Movement Chart Exercise, Performer's Marking Sheet, Recommendations for Meter/Tempo Exercise, Resources for Researching Credible Sources, Suggestions for Further Reading