At 40, I dreamed of building this site for years.  Being a young black gay guy in East Texas was scary.  I started singing officially in 7th grade and I was terrified of being outed (so much so that I didn't come out until I was 26.)  I sang in high school (Lufkin High School), college (Baylor University), medical school (Texas A&M HSC College of Medicine), residency (Another Note Men's Chorus in Lexington, KY), and now the Turtle Creek Chorale (Dallas, TX.)  I've grown as a person through all of it:  from internalized racism and internalized homophobia to being my true self, singing solos on a major stage in a major city.  When COVID hit, it decimated the ability to gather with like-minds and sing.  Choruses are losing years of creating music in addition to losing lives and community due to mismanagement of this pandemic.  Most of the public hears the finished polished product of any production.  But the actual magic of music is experiencing the roughness of the sound, day one, getting the sheet music, then working it to opening night.  

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I miss choir rehearsal.  So much.  And little gay closeted me loved choir rehearsal too because it was where I could really be myself.  Strangely, performing in front of an audience doesn't give the freedom that rehearsal does.

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On the left of the screen will be the tracks and the right will be the blog so I can share my thoughts.  Feel free to comment and share.  These tracks are raw, unedited, and from the tenor perspective.  Literally, my phone was in my lap and so you're not likely to hear a balanced sound. I categorized the clips into "go-to" that I listen to all the time, "training" that includes clips of us learning stuff, and "interesting" because some of the songs and arrangements are just that:  interesting.  

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Disclaimer:  This site was created by me, for me.  Not anyone else.  I'm hoping that other geeks like me find some comfort and normalcy in the tracks as we sight-read and get a whole buncha stuff wrong.  I didn't ask permission from any of the people singing on the files, groups that I sang with, arrangers of the music, or wholesalers who sell the music.  Thus, if anyone wants me to remove something, I can and will.  But I'm hoping that anyone who visits the site will do so with an open heart and open mind.  Lastly, consider donating to your local choral groups; they absolutely need the help.

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To orient you to the site, the mp4 files are ONLY on the landing page.  Stay safe!