What Color Is B-Flat? Life as a Musician with Synesthesia
Musicians rely on hearing. Hearing is a sense. Synesthesia makes the senses cross over. And that’s where the fun begins….
“What earlier generations held as sacred, remains sacred and great for us too…” Pope Benedict XVI (7 July 2007)
Keven Smith is the music director at St. Stephen the First Martyr Catholic Church, an apostolate of the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter (FSSP) in Sacramento, California. He trains and directs a mixed choir that sings full Gregorian propers, ordinaries, and sacred polyphony at more than 100 traditional Latin Masses per year. Keven lives in Sacramento with his wife and five musical children.—Read full biography (with photographs).
Musicians rely on hearing. Hearing is a sense. Synesthesia makes the senses cross over. And that’s where the fun begins….
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A recent encounter made me realize what can happen when we discuss church music with others.
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If you attend the Extraordinary Form, the Alleluia for the Octave of the Nativity will enable you to start the New Year with a bang.
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Here’s a Spanish Baroque motet that will gradually, gently win your heart while giving your choir another good option for the entire Christmas cycle.
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Three more tips on what to do and how to act with your young music students. Learn the secret ingredient of success!
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Got your kids singing in head tone? Good. Next, try these two tips to eliminate obstacles to their success.
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It all starts with teaching your kids to sing in head tone. Here are some ideas on how to do it.
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St. Jane de Chantal’s Prayer of Abandonment can help you make peace with a liturgical year that was not what any of us expected.
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I’m a little early for Thanksgiving, but I think any church musician will appreciate this story of gratitude.
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My grandparents served in World War II and helped defeat fascism. The service, faith, and prayers of people like them made it possible for us all to be church musicians today.
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The Dies Irae is part of why my choir prefers singing Requiems to Nuptial Masses. Here’s why you should spend a few minutes with this Sequence on All Souls Day.
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Looking for a speedy way to help your choir get into good placement for singing? The yawn breath encourages healthy phonation.
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(Keven Smith) • Ever had a man express interest in your choir, only to discover that he has trouble matching pitch? You may just need to unlock his high range. Here’s how I’d approach the situation • James C. McKinney is mentioned+
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It all boils down to recollection. This 39-page book will help. (And so will one weird trick with your computer, as the clickbaiters would say.)
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(Keven Smith) • I’ve come to realize that the vast majority of “tone-deaf” people aren’t really tone-deaf at all. They just haven’t been trained to coordinate their voices with their audiation+
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One hundred participants? Either sacred music is alive and well or families are getting stir-crazy from the lockdown.
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These intuitive manuscripts give singers the information they need to bring out the oft-ignored nuances of chant rhythm.
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(Keven Smith) • Here are some suggestions on how to get the most out of your unusual combination of skills and traits+
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Top 10 Features • “An Ideal Extraordinary Form Hymnal”
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You’ll never meet a serious choral singer who strives for a breathy sound. But a little breathiness in warmups and personal practice can work wonders.
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