Secretary Michael

Life

Born:

Died:

Biography

Secretary Michael is a St. Louis peace activist with a large catalog of compositions [1]. Among his major works: "Secular Hymnal" [2] (SATB and Solo Editions, each containing 144 secular hymns), "Choral Dialectics" [3] (a series of rational arguments, battled-out chorally), "Joe Puma - Wild Choir Music" [4] (secular shape-note hymns), "Twimfina" [5] (a large musical for singers and piano), "Aren't We the Lucky Ones" [6] (the story about a commune of science students on which the "Twimfina" musical is based).

BIO: A graduate of the UMKC Conservatory of Music, Secretary Michael has been an elementary school teacher (teaching Science and Music in both public and private schools), a private piano teacher, and the founder of "Junkyard School" (where he created and led youth classes such as: Zappo Electricity Club [adventures in building electric circuits], Totally Lost Hiking Club [botanical hikes], Termites [woodworking class], Junkpickers [taking apart old appliances], Flying Figbars [paper airplane making]). He also served as choir director (for the City of Oakland California), a maker of weather charts (Metropolitan Weather Charts), writer of the Genocide Slide [7] and a longtime St. Louis concert piano tuner/technician (Academy Piano Service).

Today Secretary Michael leads the St. Louis Peace Choir [8]. As a lifelong advocate for keeping public choirs secular [9] and free from nationalism, he continues to create choral works that celebrate peace and egalitarianism.

See also: Secretary Michael's editor page.

List of choral works

• Balance (Choral Dialectic)
• Change (Choral Dialectic)
• Clean Water (Choral Dialectic)
• Jo Puma (Secular Shape-note Hymns)
• Peace Songs for Choir
• Secular Hymnal

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External links

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